For nearly 100 years, Kamaka and Sons have crafted fine musical instruments from their tiny shop in Honolulu. Heart Strings: The Story of the Kamaka ʻUkulele is a story of the Kamaka family, a Hawaiian history about age-old values of hard work, fortitude, honesty, and creativity as seen from a distinctly Hawaiian point of view.
The Kamaka family history is about as close as one can come to the actual history of the ukulele itself. From Samuel's apprenticeship with Manuel Nunes, the Portuguese man who first introduced the instrument to the Islands to creating "the Jake," an ukulele model for virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro, Kamaka Hawaii has been at the forefront of the ukulele's presence in the world.
Rooted in such concepts as aloha (unconditional love), malama (to serve and care for), and pono (doing what's right), this program offers insight into a family of businessmen and artists and into how they work together to preserve the family tradition of success and artistry.
Available until May 2013 through PBS PLUS.
