BRAMPTON: It was a cool spring evening, but Jesse Cook soon brought the heat in the room with his 4-man band and Spanish influenced guitar compositions. It was a treat at the Rose Theatre with a longer than normal musical performance and the maestro did not fail to please.
The Libre Tour is a celebration of the release of his latest album; the fruits of labour from the lonely isolation of Covid times.
The unmistakable bold sounds of flamenco-inspired guitar and the rich deep tones of the 808 drums juxtaposed with the emotions of the violin and occasional tinkling of bells filled the concert hall.
‘Jaleo’ with the famous guitar and violin interludes captivated the audience as always. The spell-binding combination of Jesse Cook and the Algerian-Canadian genius violinist Fethi Nadjem does not have words to describe it in the entire English language. The two musicians communicate with each other through the magical gift of music. The violin interludes are so emotional that you can feel Nadjem’s passion come through in every note, holding the audience’s hearts captive. ‘Oran’ is another spectacular piece of work from the album Libre where Nadjem’s violin expertise shines through.
Jesse reminisced about his early years spent in France in an idyllic cottage in the countryside and the influence it had on his music. He dedicated the composition ‘Once’ to those unforgettable times. This work holds a special place in his heart. Its haunting flute notes creep in and accompany the violin and guitar beautifully. It conveyed amazingly well the nostalgia and longing we all have in our hearts for that special place or person or experience of the past.
Cook masterfully guided us through nostalgic notes to the lively rhythms of Rumba/Flamenco in his work ‘Viva’ (from the album Free Fall). It is an ode to his times in Colombia wandering into Brazil and it shouts out get up and dance with its strong beat transporting you into another world.
The interactive moments between Cook and Nadjem and Cook and Matt Sellick (master of the Spanish guitar) are more than spellbinding. The magic of their music uplifts your soul and tugs at your heartstrings.
The album Libre released in 2022, means ‘free’ in Spanish, is an apt “coming out of pandemic” work of art which holds a special place for not only the musician and composer, but for all of us.
It was truly a celebration and the audience did not need a second invitation when Jesse shouted out “Are you ready to have a Rumba dance party?”
The sound of classic tablero-style beats and flamenco guitars with the rhythmic clapping that accompanied brought the full house to their feet!
Compositions from the albums Free Fall and Gravity wove their magical moments with songs like ‘Viva’, ‘Paloma’, ‘Incantation’, ‘Air’, ‘Azul’ and the haunting ‘On Walks the Night’.
Of course, no Jesse Cook concert would be complete without the ever-growing popularity of the inimitable ‘Mario Takes a Walk’. Jesse also does a romantic and rare acoustic vintage rendition of ‘Fall at Your Feet’.
Jesse Cook has been composing and making music honing his guitar craft in places all over the world for the last 25 or so years. Cook was strongly influenced and inspired in his younger days by the French group the Gipsy Kings’ during his time in France. Nicolas Reyes, the group’s founder, lead guitarist, singer, songwriter, producer, who plays Flamenco (his parents were from Spain), and Latin American Rumba, gave Cook the roots of his interest in this genre. That was just a starting point and he has since then perfected his skills in the Spanish new flamenco sounds and brings together unique touches of violin and flute into play. As such, you cannot box his music into the genre of New Age; rather it would be a New Flamenco/ World music artist who we are speaking about.
If you are not already a fan of this amazing guitar man, please check out his upcoming Canadian tour dates and performances. To quote a song from the group Bread, “Who draws the crowd and plays so loud baby, it’s the guitar man…. Something keeps him going miles and miles a day to find another place to play!”
We are already looking out for his next album and wish him and the band all the best.
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