Mighty Uke

Mighty Uke follows the history of the ukulele's popularity from its earliest days in the court of Hawaiian King David Kalākaua through the ‘lost’ years, then its first revival on early radio and the stages of vaudeville; then through several decades in the shadows again as jazz flourished until the days of early television and revival again with stars such as Arthur Godfrey. It again fell out of popularity as rock dominated popular music, but in the 21st Century is experiencing its third revival. In addition to the musical capacities of the small instrument, the film investigates the social aspects of the ukulele. The documentary combines graphics, photographs, interviews and performance footage to tell the story of the ukulele and its recent resurgence in popularity. It covers Jake Shimabukuro talking about his journey with the ukulele and describes the current revival.