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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 Contact: Rick Scott 310.306.0375

30 September 2009                                                        greatscottproductions@earthlink.net

 

 

Jesse Cook’s The Rumba Foundation is off to a strong start

 

The World Music-pop guitarist debuts at the top of the iTunes and Amazon charts as his concert tour gets underway

 

There’s a reason why all the seats were empty halfway through Jesse Cook’s set at the fabled Greek Theatre last Saturday night (September 26).  The prodigious guitarist had told the Wavefest crowd that the rest of the show, hosted by Los Angeles radio station 94.7 The Wave, would be comprised entirely of dance tunes.  The Juno award-winner and his band delivered by serving up a sumptuous feast of infectious “rumba flamenco” rhythms that kept joyous punters on their feet for the remainder of the concert that featured songs from Cook’s The Rumba Foundation album, which E1 Music released Tuesday (September 29).  And they say L.A. crowds are tough.

 

The night before, Cook performed at an in-store at Borders in Los Angeles at the same time The Rumba Foundation premiered in its entirety via nationally syndicated radio.  Thus the stage was set and fans were anxious to scoop up Cook’s eighth recording opus.  On the opening day of release, The Rumba Foundation rocketed to #1 on iTunes Canada Album Chart (Madonna was #2), #2 on iTunes USA World Music chart, and #3 on Amazon’s Jazz Album chart. 

 

Ready to entertain, enthrall and enrapture listeners, Cook will support The Rumba Foundation with a concert trek that commences this week with four sold-out shows at Seattle’s Triple Door (October 1st & 2nd) and runs through the end of January. 

 

Cook wrote or co-wrote a dozen compositions for The Rumba Foundation that vary in tempo and tone yet maintain authenticity.  Tracks like the first radio single, “Bogotá By Bus,” “Santa Marta,” “Gaita” and the cinematic “Bombay Diner” set the mood for mystery, exploration and celebration.  Featuring Latin Grammy winners Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, “Manolo’s Lament” is a simple yet genuine jam that repeats like a trance-inducing chant.  “Tuesday’s Child,” “Rain Day” and “Homebound” are sparsely produced, pensive and strikingly beautiful.  “La Rumba D’el Jefe” and “Afternoon at Satie’s” seduce with sensual, exotic grooves.  Adding a dose of pure pop to the proceedings is a fun version of Paul Simon’s “Cecilia,” which fits the collection perfectly, thanks to its buoyant sing-a-long chorus and handclapping rhythm.

 

The genesis of The Rumba Foundation can be traced back to the 1800’s when sailors arrived in Spain with a new rhythm from Cuba: rumba.  Spanish gypsies mixed the festive, danceable rhythms with their flamenco to create rumba flamenca.  Cook intended to bring rumba flamenco back to the Americas, but was drawn to record in Colombia with Los Gaiteros, a traditional Cumbia outfit that makes their own instruments.  Without knowing it, leaving home in Toronto to record in Colombia was the beginning of a cultural exchange that proved far more challenging than expected.  Finding common ground between Cook’s World Music-pop leanings and the Cumbia unit wasn’t easy, but it forced Cook to stretch in unimagined ways and resulted in the creation of what he believes is his finest album to date.  Additional information is available at www.jessecook.com.

 

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                 Contact: Rick Scott 310.306.0375

8 September 2009                                                          greatscottproductions@earthlink.net

 

 

Explore “Bogotá By Bus” with guitarist Jesse Cook

 

Festive World-pop single at radio ahead of September 29 album release,

Extensive concert itinerary to support The Rumba Foundation

 

 

If Jesse Cook was an actor instead of a Juno award winning guitarist, he’d be considered a method actor, someone who immerses himself completely in the world of the characters he portrays to deliver authentic performances cloaked in realism.  For his eighth album, The Rumba Foundation, which will be released September 29th by E1 Music, the Canadian headed to Colombia equipped with his acoustic guitar, a few song sketches and a wide open mind.

 

Originally Cook’s mission for The Rumba Foundation was to bring his muse - rumba flamenco music - back to rumba’s birthplace: Cuba.  But then he got in touch with Latin Grammy winners Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto, a traditional Vallenato group that makes their own instruments, and was invited to Colombia.  The group members arrived in Bogotá after a long bus trip and an impromptu living room exchange took place.  After feasting on a homemade meal, Cook was asked to play some of the songs he wanted to record with the troupe.  From that moment on, a unique fusion of culture and sounds intermingled in the recording studio with Cook producing the Vallenato-meets-rumba flamenco amalgam.  He also wrote or co-wrote a dozen compositions for the collection vividly colored and intricately textured with Colombian influences.  Adding a dose of pure American pop to the World Music offering, Cook recorded the rhythmic hand-clapping street corner romp “Cecilia,” penned by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel.  The disc’s first single, “Bogotá By Bus,” is already making inroads at radio.

 

“Recording The Rumba Foundation was more challenging than I anticipated.  Merging two cultures and finding points of intersection required a bit more work than I imagined, but I think the effort produced a record that is perhaps my best yet,” revealed Cook.  “There’s no point in going all the way down there (Colombia) just to show them what to play.  I could do that with session players in my studio at home (Toronto).  Instead I wanted them to freely infuse their culture - including instruments, melodies and rhythms - and bring musical elements to the recording, some of which I had not even heard before.”    

 

Days prior to its official release date, The Rumba Foundation will air in its entirety via syndication through Los Angeles radio station KTWV-FM The Wave on September 25th, the same night Cook will perform and sign CDs at a Los Angeles in-store appearance at Border’s (1360 Wilshire Boulevard).  The following night, Cook will perform at The Wave’s star-studded concert held at the fabled Greek Theatre.  Cook will then embark upon an extensive concert tour schedule starting October 1st in Seattle with dates that run into the New Year and will include an in-store appearance at Border’s in Sacramento (2339 Fair Oaks Boulevard) on October 9th. 

 

Cook first fell in love with rumba flamenco while visiting his father in Arles in the South of France.  As a teenager, he jammed with the Gypsy Kings on his father’s roof.  Two recent Cook albums that went top 5 on the Billboard chart - Frontiers and Nomad - were influenced by voyages to Egypt and Spain much like The Rumba Foundation was shaped by the visit to Colombia.  Frontiers camped out for 70 weeks on the Billboard New Age chart and went #1 in

JESSE COOK/PAGE 2

 

2008 at the same time the album’s single, “Café Mocha,” went top 3 at smooth jazz radio, making Cook the first artist to achieve such a feat.  Respected as a prodigious guitarist, Cook was named the silver medal winner in Acoustic Guitar magazine’s 2009 Player’s Choice Awards.  A charismatic entertainer who has sold over one million albums worldwide, the ruggedly-handsome Cook has performed captivating concerts for sold-out crowds all over the map, which has spawned a truly global fan base.  His Canadian platinum-selling Jesse Cook Live at the Metropolis DVD, recorded at the 2007 Montreal Jazz Festival, was recognized with a Juno nomination.  Additional information is available at www.jessecook.com and www.kochrecords.com. 

 

Catch Cook performing music from The Rumba Foundation at the following concert dates (more will be added):

 

September 26    Los Angeles, CA           The Greek Theatre (The Wavefest)

October 1 & 2   Seattle, WA                  The Triple Door

October 3         Portland, OR                 Aladdin Theatre

October 4         Redmond, OR               Redmond Community Concert Association

October 6         Chico, CA                     Chico University Laxson Auditorium

October 7         Oakland, CA                 Yoshi’s at Jack London Square

October 8         Modesto, CA                The State Theatre

October 9         Sacramento, CA            KSSJ Summer Concert Series at the Radisson Hotel

October 10        Catalina Island, CA       Catalina Island JazzTrax Festival/Avalon Ballroom

October 11        Temecula, CA               Thornton Winery

October 14        San Diego, CA              Humphrey’s Concerts By The Bay

October 15        Tucson, AZ                   Berger Performing Arts Center

October 16        Henderson, NV             Henderson Pavilion

October 17        Santa Monica, CA         Santa Monica College Performing Arts Center

November 1      Sellersville, PA              Sellersville Theatre

November 2      Wilmington, DE The Grand Opera House

November 3      Alexandria, VA             The Birchmere

November 4      Annapolis, MD              Ram’s Head OnStage

November 6      New York, NY             B.B. King’s Blues Club & Grill

November 7      Woodstock, VT             Town Hall Theatre

November 22    Cagliardi, Sardinia          European Jazz Expo

November 24    Valetta, Malta               The City Theatre

November 29    Wroclaw, Poland           Wroclaw Guitar Festival

December 12    Omaha, NE                   1200 Club at the Holland

December 15    Cleveland, OH              Nighttown

December 16    Buffalo, NY                  Buffalo State Performing Arts Center

January 14        Wickenburg, AZ            Del E. Webb Center for the Performing Arts

January 15        Scottsdale, AZ              Scottsdale Center for the Arts

January 16        Palm Desert, CA           McCallum Theatre

January 17        Austin, TX                    One World Theatre

January 19        Baton Rouge, LA          Manship Theatre

January 21        Mobile, AL                   Saenger Theatre

January 22        Jacksonville, FL Wilson Center for the Arts

January 23        Lake Worth, FL                        Duncan Theater

 

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