Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Awakening or Thanks Jesse Cook

In music the passions enjoy themselves.
Nietzsche

Another concert with a peek into the window of flamenco music. This time with Jesse Cook. Charisma, passion and gypsy soul. That's what his music is made up of. I have never been to a concert where the artist was so free and giving with his audience. Much to my sorrow I had left my camera at home being I didn't want to leave it in my Jeep as it was still in the 90s and they announced we could use cameras in the venue so I missed a chance to photograph him in action. But my disappointment faded once the music began. If the concert last week was sensual, this was sexy in your face music. The band consisted of an additional guitarist, drummer/percussionist, bassist and a violinist/accordion player. The feeling was Mardi Gras meets Spanish Gypsy Soul. By the end of the concert people were dancing in the aisles, in front of the stage and just in their seats urged on by the artists on stage.

Jesse had everyone eating out of the palm of his hand. He was funny and sincere. While he was tuning his guitar to do a solo after the intermission he invited questions, then joked and answered them honestly. He did two encores which the last one was completely acoustic. You could have heard a pin drop in the theatre as everyone was so quiet listening to him give us the ultimate gift. That is that he was confident enough in his and his band's playing to let us hear what they must share when they are just sitting together playing for the joy of it. The man is an incredibly talented guitarist and it was a pleasure to have experienced him live. Also again there was the wondrous event of watching the musicians communicate with each other. Finally for me it was an awakening to follow my passions even more strongly and a trip back to my family gatherings of shared passion for music and fun. Thanks for the céilidh.

Since he told us that Cafe Mocha from his latest album "Frontiers" has become a big hit in Japan, I'll share that.

Jesse Cook, "Cafe Mocha":


1 comment:

Anonymous said...

love it when you post good music. sounds like you're in a great place these days! Elena

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