Several weeks ago Jesse Cook sent out a request to his fans to record clips of themselves, singing a simple melody that he composed. The song is soulfully beautiful and evocative. And Jesse is also an incredibly talented filmmaker. He combined all the clips into this stunning, poignant and sweet music video. <3
From Jesse – A couple of weeks ago I made a simple request: I asked you, my fans, if we could sing a song together from all over the world. Initially, I wasn’t sure if any of you would take me up on my offer, so I was completely unprepared for the flood of videos that overwhelmed my inbox.
Today I’m proud to share our creation, called “One World One Voice”.
I’ve never been a part of something like this before, or felt so connected to you, my fans. I feel honoured you put your trust in me, and I hope you will be as proud of the results as I am. As we traverse this difficult period, I draw solace from your generosity, your courage, and above all, your beautiful voices.
Transcendent, gorgeous music, with inspiration found throughout the world, Jesse Cook and company gave a fabulous performance last night at Rockport’s Shalin Liu. Often described as new flamenco, Jesse’s music blends rhumba rhythms, jazz, Arabic music, traditional flamenco, and much, much more.
Currently touring with Jesse are Fethi Nadjem on violin, Matt Sellick on guitar, Matias Recharte on drums, and Dan Minchom on bass.
We met BJ in the lobby during intermission. He operated the cameras for the concert film that chronicles the “Beyond Borders” tour, currently playing on PBS. I asked BJ what was the filmmaking process. He shares that nine cameras were set up nightly during the 31 day coast to coast tour of Canada. In addition, he used a hand held camera to maneuver around the stage. A different song was recorded each night in each different city. By the end of the tour, they had generated 50 TBs of footage. Jesse edited the film and it is beyond beautiful!
It would be tremendous if when Jesse returns to Cape Ann, he can play several nights. The concert at the Shalin Liu quickly sold out and it would be great if more people, especially young people, had the opportunity to hear his music.
We also had the pleasure of meeting Marcy and Christopher Plante, who were sitting next to us with their friends. Chris Plante built the Shalin Liu and Marcy’s friend was wearing a pair of butterfly earrings 🙂
My husband and I are huge fans of Jesse Cook and with gorgeous music and extraordinary musicianship, his concerts are not to be missed. Tom introduced me to his work several years ago when I was looking for a uniquely beautiful sound to score a short film for the Berkshire Museum, about butterflies in flight, for which Jesse graciously and generously permitted. More about Jesse and Monarchs when my forthcoming documentary is released.
Jesse Cook travels the world with his fingers. Through his globe-spanning and genre-bending compositions, the nimble-fingered guitarist has taken nouveau flamenco to places it has never been, creating new fascinating hybrids. As one of the most celebrated instrumentalists on the planet, Cook is forever restless, constantly searching for new sounds, rhythms and textures to explore.
Born in Paris and raised in Toronto, Cook studied classical and jazz guitar, and as a child was always intrigued by the highly rhythmic rumba flamenco style. Following up on that curiosity, Cook dove headfirst into the gypsy musical tradition as he began to find his own musical voice. After a show-stopping performance at the 1995 Catalina Jazz Festival, Cook’s little-heard debut, Tempest, suddenly took off in the U.S., landing at # 14 on the Billboard Charts. Cook’s career has seen steady growth in the years that followed, his multi-cultural take on rumba flamenco striking a nerve with listeners. One of the hallmarks of his sound and aesthetic is to travel the world, meeting and collaborating with artists and incorporating the results into his music. In addition to headlining concerts and festivals, he has opened for such legends as B.B. King, Ray Charles, The Chieftains and Diana Krall.
In 1998, Cook was nominated for a Juno Award as Instrumental Artist of the Year. In 2001, he received a Juno Nomination for Best Male Artist, as well as winning in the Best Instrumental Album category for Free Fall. In 2009, he was Acoustic Guitar’s Player’s Choice Award silver winner in the Flamenco category. He is a three-time winner of the Canadian Smooth Jazz award for Guitarist of the Year and numerous other awards. Over twenty years into his career, Cook is now forging more than just musical traditions of the world. With his 2015’s One World, he is now forging the ancient with the modern, infusing contemporary sounds of the electronic digital age into his timeless rumba flamenco rhythms.
“…lightning fast and bright flamenco guitarist…Jesse Cook…is about as seductive, percussive and danceable as this kind of music gets…also a powerful pop songwriter, with each melody standing out above the weaving rhythms sung by his intoxicating strings.” Jazziz
