Jesse Cook

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Bogota By Bus

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Released: Jan 1, 2009

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Bogota By Bus
3:05
12,749 plays
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Bombay Diner
4:19
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Cafe Mocha
3:39
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Alone
2:29
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Havana
3:41
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Total Plays: 546,942 / Plays Today: 19See All Featured ►

General Info

Genre: Flamenco / Jazz / Latin
Location Toronto, Ontario, CA
Profile Views: 348546
Last Login: 8/12/2011
Member Since 9/21/2006
Website www.jessecook.com
Record Label EMI and E1 Entertainment
Type of Label Major
Bio
Musicians often speak of influences and for Juno award winning guitarist Jesse Cook it is not so much one individual that holds a special place in his heart but a region in southern France known as the Camargue. It was here in Arles that his father, a retired film director, lived the last ten years of his life. And it’s where Jesse spent many summers, wandering the streets among the Gypsies who inhabit the area, soaking up the atmosphere and listening to the likes of Nicolas Reyes, lead singer of the flamenco group “Gipsy Kings”, who just happened to live next door. Born in Paris in 1964 to John and Heather Cook, Jesse first picked up a toy guitar at the age of three desperately trying to mimic the sounds of guitarist Manitas de Plata who lived in the Camargue. This Gypsy guitar legend, made famous by his friendship with Picasso, would have anenormous impact on the young Jesse Cook. After his parents separated, Jesse accompanied his mother and sister to Canada, Heather’s birthplace, and she soon recognized a precocious musical aptitude in her son. Lessons followed at Toronto’s esteemed Eli Kassner Guitar Academy. Kassner's other famous pupil was classical guitarist Liona Boyd. “People were kind of tossing around this term ‘virtuoso’ when I was a kid,” Jesse recalls almost embarrassed, “I am not sure. I certainly wasn’t one of those kids you could stick on stage at the O’Keefe Centre and wow the crowds. I was too undisciplined, I never practiced my scales and arpeggios. I played what I wanted to play. I would learn quickly and then have fun with it.” Informal jam sessions at his father’s house and at the annual Gypsy festival in nearby Saintes Maries de la Mer helped hone his skills. Between Arles and his mother’s French farmhouse, Toronto seemed a world away. There he continued his studies in classical and jazz guitar at some of North America’s most prestigious music schools, then attempted to unlearn it all while immersing himself in the oral traditions of Gypsy music. This unusual dichotomy paid dividends in his wide range of musical tastes. It is clearly and continually reflected in his passion for exploration and fusion which has helped develop the sound and confidence he exudes on stage today. Since then Cook, has recorded six critically acclaimed studio albums and traveled the world exploring musical traditions that he has blended into his style of rumba flamenco. In addition to headlining concerts and festivals, he has opened for such legends as B.B.King, Ray Charles and Diana Krall. He has performed with British soprano Charlotte Church on the Tonight Show and toured with legendary Irish band, The Chieftains. “The 1995 Catalina Jazz Festival was a turning point. I had just made 'Tempest,' independently and released it in Canada,” he remembers of his debut album. “Within a month we signed a deal with the American company Narada and then they booked us into the Catalina Jazz festival.” Originally the band was to perform during the twenty minute intermissions in a little bar downstairs from the main stage. But the room quickly filled and the appreciative and by now expanding crowd wouldn’t let Cook leave. They coerced him into extending his set well past an hour. Inevitably Cook was invited on to the main stage. Shortly afterwards Tempest entered the American Billboard charts at #14, an impressive debut indeed. In 2001 Cook won his first Juno Award in the Best Instrumental Album category for “Free Fall.” Most recently he has been nominated for two 2008 Juno awards, for his 2007 release “Frontiers” (World Music Album of the Year) and for the incredible DVD “One Night at the Metropolis” (Music DVD of the Year) which captures a spectacular concert during the 2006 Montreal Jazz Festival. But for Jesse Cook its not awards that drive him. Live concerts remain his lifeblood and at the age 43 he is really only just getting started.
Members
Chris Church – violin / vocals, Rosendo “Chendy” Leon – drums / percussion, Nicolas Hernandez – guitar, Dominique Soulard - guitar, Dennis Mohammed - bass
Influences
..Discography.. The Rumba Foundation.. 2009 E1 Music.. ........ Frontiers.. 2007 Coach House Music Productions.. ........ Montreal: Live.. 2004 Narada Productions.. ........ Nomad.. 2003 Narada Productions.. ........ Free Fall.. 2000 Narada Productions.. ........ Vertigo.. 1998 Narada Productions.. ........ Gravity.. 1996 Narada Productions.. ........ Tempest.. 1995 Narada Productions.. ..
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4 hrs ago

Jesse Cook

Canadian tour announced! #CBCMusic will help you beat the box office on May 30 http://t.co/RJHD3vrs

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6 days ago

Jesse Cook

We've posted the trailer for the new television special just filmed May 2/12 - http://t.co/v6kYKW0h

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May 02

Jesse Cook

Jesse is live in Brampton, ON tonight for the filming of his new TV special! - http://t.co/jklrhVlq Thank you for everyone's support!

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Apr 24

Jesse Cook

RT @MatthewRusso "Digging this mellow sound today: Come What May by Jesse Cook http://t.co/4vUqJfUd #pandora" Thx for the shout out Matthew

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Apr 24

Jesse Cook

RT @Тaya Banjac "#nowplaying Waiting by Jesse Cook♡ Omggg his songs are so amazing! Never heard anything like it before" Thx for shout out

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Videos

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Photos

Music

The Ultimate Jesse Cook
26 Songs | Oct 25, 2005
Montreal (Live)
14 Songs | Jan 25, 2005
Nomad
12 Songs | Sep 2, 2003
Free Fall
12 Songs | Sep 26, 2000
Vertigo
10 Songs | Jul 18, 2000
Gravity
11 Songs | Feb 2, 1998

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Subscribe To Jesse's Blog

Review: Jesse Cook serves up fiery rumba party

"...if “liking phenomenal latin music that’s bursting with rhythm and pulse and that’s led by one of the hands-down best rumba flamenco guitarists in the world,” is weird, then call me a weirdo, I guess." To read more, please see the blog.

Article: Guitarist Jesse Cook Builds International Following

Jesse "has released seven studio albums that have created an intensely loyal following. The audiences may not vary by region, but the ways in which they find his music do."
To read more, please see the blog!

Review: Smoothviews review on The Rumba Foundation!

To read the review for Jesse's The Rumba Foundation album, please see the blog!

Review: Rumba Dance School with Jesse Cook!

To read the review for Jesse's Riga, Latvia concert, please see the blog!

Concert Footage in Poland!

Click here to watch fantastic footage from Jesse's sold out show in Poland!

The Rumba Foundation is No. 1!

The Rumba Foundation debuts as the No. 1 Album in Canada on iTunes! The album debuted above Madonna and the Black Eyed Peas.
See the blog for more achievements!

Review: Jesse's New Album a hot rumba hybrid!

"The end result shines with hybrid virtuosity, infectious rhythms and Cook's lightening-fast guitar pyrotechnics."
To read the full review, click here .

Jesse's New Album In Stores Today and Jesse's 2010 Tour Dates!

Jesse's new and anticipated album, The Rumba Foundation is in stores today in Canada and the United States.
Click here for other album release dates! Please visit the blog for the 2010 Canadian tour dates!

Become a fan of Jesse on Facebook!

Follow Jesse on Twitter!

Jesse Wows Crowd in Poland!

Jesse played two fantastic shows in LUBIN, POLAND Poland to incredibly enthusiastic fans. The shows were such huge successes that he's been asked to return to play in November.
To find out more, please view blog.

Jesse Wins Silver As Best Flamenco Guitarist!

Jesse is Acoustic Guitar magazine Player's Choice Award silver winner, as announced in the February 2009 issue.
For more information, please view blog.

Jesse's Photo Journal

Friends and artists with whom Jesse has worked

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Members:

Chris Church – violin / vocals
Rosendo “Chendy” Leon – drums / percussion
Nicolas Hernandez – guitar
Dominique Soulard - guitar
Dennis Mohammed - bass

Influences:

For guitar string quality, please visit... D'Addario

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