Search - Jesse Cook :: Free Fall

Awesome! Fantastic new album from Jesse..

09/28/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I went into this album expecting the virtuosity I have come to expect from Jesse Cook after his first three albums, so in that respect I was a little disappointed, but it was also pleasantly surprising. At first listen, there is less of the flashy guitar solos in this album that his previous albums, with the melodies often being taken over by other instruments. The playing here is more subtle, mellower, but in my opinion, more effective. It has a different feel, texture, and overall style. It's emotional stuff with a lot of depth. This album also features a wide variety of exotic instruments, which give the whole album a sometimes surreal, often more wordly feel. There is a strong Arabic influence and very interesting rhythms.The album is an "enhanced cd" and also features videos of "Mario Takes a Walk" and "Rattle and Burn." And the best bonus has to be the hidden track of a live performance of "Mario Takes a Walk" (it rocks!!)All in all, this is a great addition to Jesse's oeuvre and I highly recommend it. I just wish Jesse would give a live performance in Northern California!"

A hybrid built on a hybrid

A. Cohn | Bay Area, CA United States | 06/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had to chuckle at the irony of reviewers who criticized this recording for not being flamenco-ish enough. Flamenco itself is a fusion of Spanish, Gypsy, Moorish, and Jewish musical influences, not a pure-bred style. In addition, Cook is not from the old school of Sabicas, Serrano, or Heredia. Cook plays nouveau flamenco, which is itself an update of the traditional style and instrumentation. So, why is an futher experimentation by a modernizer of a hybrid music an artistic faux pas?



I love the stylistic explorations and fusions on this CD, just as I do on Ottmar Liebert's "Solo Para Ti." I like this recording better than Gravity, which had too much flashy technique masking the passion of flamenco for my taste. Here, Cook's technical skills are evident, but so is the soul of the music. The silences in the slow pieces frame emotional music. The slow, spare beginning of "Free Fall," for example, evokes the cool pre-dawn of the Arabian desert, while the busier passages reminded me of belly dances, with coins clinking against against each other on the dancers' costumes. By the middle of the piece, I was swaying, my energy rising and falling in sync with the progression of the song. "Incantation" is exactly that, a pensive, meditative mood-setter. The melancholy in "All That Remains" is palpable, and I wondered whether Cook was mourning a lost love or a grand city reduced to rubble. And I enjoyed "At Your Feet" for what it is: a fine, latin-tinged pop song.



I can understand that some reviewers don't like the middle-eastern flavors in some of the songs. Perhaps Cook's composition and playing is too derivative for the most discerning of listeners. But to criticize the artist for going beyond his stylistic roots is just plain close-minded. Not only has this CD passed the "one-week" test, it will get regular play in my stereo, computer, and car."

"Free Fall" into Music Heaven

cbclam | San Diego, Ca USA | 10/03/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD brings back all of the magic that inspired me to fall in love with the music of Jesse Cook. I couldn't remove the cardboard & shrink wrap fast enough to get it in the cd player. While watching the videos on this enhanced version, chills crept over me and my mind wandered back a few years ago to seeing Jesse play live at Thornton Winery in Temecula, Ca. Oh, to relive the magic of that night again w/music from then and now his newest edition.This is by far Jesse's best work since Gravity. Your feet will never stop moving and your body will naturally want to sway with the up-beat tempo of the music."