THE COOK TRIO: Villa Said

The Cook Trio

Villa Said

© 2007 The Cook Trio (634479497834)

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Acoustic gypsy jazz in the style of legendary guitarist, Django Reinhardt.

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It's nearly impossible to tell the story of the Cook Trio without telling the story of Django Reinhardt, born in Belgium in 1910 and raised in a gypsy camp outside of Paris. The first truely influential Jazz artist to originate from Europe and arguably the first to successfully highlight the acoustic guitar in what hitherto been a horn-driven, decidedly Black American genre, Reinhardt's unique guitar work remains beyond reproach and nearly impossible to copy. A fire cost him the use of two of his fingers on his left hand, forcing him to adapt his style to accommodate his handicap through an intricate fingering system, turning a limitation into an inimitable asset. The percussive strumming style of the "Gypsy Jazz" he helped create with his popular Quintette du Hot Club De France during the '30s and '40s is the only form of Jazz whose origins are found outside America. When most people think of Jazz, they think of a nattily dressed Miles Davis brandishing his trumpet, or John Coltrane, nattily dressed, coaxing God from his alto sax. They rarely remember Django Reinhardt, the rough-and-tumble guitarist who, by ingeniously changing the movement forever, earned a place in the Jazz pantheon long before Miles or Trane learned to walk. They almost never remember that he dressed just as nattily.

Enter the nattily dressed Cook brothers, natives of these parts, who, Frankenstein-like, raise Reinhardt back to life through their acoustic guitar trio. Formed in April 2005, the Cook Trio consists of Ian and Jason Cook and Kyle Jones, who were brought together by their common love of Reinhardt's passionate music and anarchic spirit. As they told me during a recent interview, the music speaks of Jazz's original eroticism and wartime Paris' unquenchable thirst for life. The audio clips of their independently released follow-up, villa saïd, should spell their sound out for you, but you're missing out if you don't catch them live. The jagged rhythms they turn out evoke not only the bowels of a smoky bistro, but the soul of a time when people tackled each moment with palpable urgency. Many other influences color their performances: with over 100 songs in their repertoire, a live performance is just as likely to yield tunes by Cole Porter, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Miles, Trane, or Monk. Regardless, if it weren't for the Cook Trio gracing Central Florida's music scene, my life would be a lot dimmer. - T. Bennison

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  • villa said
    author: debi nelson

    this was my first time ever listening to gypsy jazz i thought it was really interesting. what got me into it was my 15 year old son who has been playing the piano for 11 years and he has been interested in jazz and i came along this and we both liked it. thank you debi nelson and ricky nelson

  • author: Violet

    Light hearted and vibrant. I love this album no matter what I am doing. Makes me feel like I am in Paris, and the lights in my house get a little more sparkly.

  • Perfect
    author: Walter Szewczuk

    I play this album in the evenings on my patio with friends. Theres nothing more divine than talking philosophy and politics with your friends while listening to The Cook Trio.

  • Spectacular!
    author: Fotis Georgakopoulos

    The Cook Trio is so much talented and the album is splendid, greatly composed and could be heard many times if you like this kind of music.

  • Beautiful
    author: Ana Velitchkova

    Frankly, I can't stop listening to this album, over and over again! Beautiful music, beautiful playing... Got two CDs for friends and they loved them too.

  • Elegant
    author: Kevin Rawlings

    I haven't stopped listening to this CD since I got it, there's a delightful charm and suave sophistication to the timeless songs. One of the standouts for me was the only original composition, though: Audrey's Valse. It's a nice change of pace that divides the album neatly in half before plunging into the back end. The songs are performed with a comfortable, swinging ease, suggesting no undue strain on the skills of the performers, although the occasional missed note is testament to the dexterity required to perform at this level. On a final note, the production is stunning. By stunning I don't mean a shiny, immaculate piece of elevator pop, but a recording style that is perfectly suited the music it reveals. None of the instruments overwhelm the others; the solid bass thumps happily along underneath two bright and spacious guitars. All the more impressive, considering it was recorded by the Cook Trio themselves. Overall a great effort, I'll certainly be buying the next CD! Thanks guys!

  • Really Fantastic
    author: Alicia Steffann

    We could listen to this cd forever. If you have a guitar-lover in your life or if you are generally a fan of excellent technique in music of any kind, this is a cd for you. You can't help but appreciate the skill and artistry involved with creating (and executing) these haunting and beautiful arrangements. As a vocal jazz fan, I especially loved "Night and Day." But there is nothing not to like about this entire collection. We bought three! And in the response to the reviewer who called it elevator music...well...we should be so lucky in the elevator. I'd never stop riding up and down. This is no muzak.

  • Charming, relaxing music - undemanding - ideal for elevators
    author: B Walton

    Clearly competent musicians playing charming appealing jazzy background music. I do think, however that prolonged listening would lead to boredom - with little pace variation

  • Enticing, exciting, excellent!
    author: Lauren Leigh

    Experience a French cafe in your office, car, or home. Villa Said is amazing! More earthy than their debut, it is like cafe mocha for the ears.

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