"His compositions are flawless, his execution is genius and the depths of his talents are immeasurable."

From the moment these men entered the stage until the last note of this concert was played, the audience was captivated. If you missed this concert, you missed a rare musical moment in Houston County. These modern day troubadours are truly masters of their craft. Any music lover would have a deep appreciation for their skills. This was one of the best presentations, if not the best presentation, hosted by the PWFAA this year.

Piney Woods Arts Foundation

March 11, 2008

By PennyLynn Webb

Read the full review here.

"Guitarist Jesse Cook blazes nuevo flamenco trail"

Cook brought his take on flamenco music to Rockwell Hall on Friday evening and, with his trio, performed in concert before an enthusiastic audience that, during the intermission, ravenously snapped up his CDs and DVDs.

An adherent of rumba flamenco, a style with roots in the Cuban rumbas that migrated from their homeland to transform Spanish music, Cook had a left hand that appeared to float up and down the guitar's fretboard even as his right hand alternately flailed and picked at the strings with admirable energy and skill.

His compatriots -violinist-bassist Chris Church, percussionist Rosendo "Chendy" Leon and guitarist Nicolas Hernandez- were marvelous as well.

Hernandez is a good enough player on his own to warrant attention, while Leon is a freakishly talented player whose percussive colors match the ebb and flow of Cook's and Hernandez's guitar playing.

Church was a solid performer, although the sound mix at the beginning of the concert did him no favors, burying his playing beneath that of his fellow musicians.

Much of the material played could be found on Cook's most recent release, "Frontiers," but he also reached back in time for tunes from earlier albums. Fluidly up-tempo riffs propelled such numbers as "Cafe Mocha."

But interesting performances also showed up in some of the slower songs, including "Rain" - with Hernandez's evocative, atmospheric soloing matching up well with Cook's artistry- and the delicate "Come What May."

The Buffalo News

Friday night in the Performing Arts Center in Rockwell Hall at Buffalo State College

November 6, 2007

"Technically brilliant, Cook continues to create and embrace beautiful melodious memoirs that will leave his fans once again delighted in his latest recording. "

Frontiers has a more defining European-Mediterranean theme to it, merging celebrative and reflective moments. Wisely, the album is well sequenced opening with the toe tapping "Matisse The Cat" that will leave your flamenco appetite purring for more. Typical of a Jesse Cook song, the melody will immediately bury itself in your memory which is then filled in with intricate details driven by pulsating percussion.

Solo Piano Publications

October 2007

Read the full review here.

"...hot mix of world music punctuated by his astounding guitar work... exotic... sweetly passionate..."

Flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook and his troupe blew through the State Theatre in Easton last Friday night like a sirocco, with explosive percussion, machine gun rapid guitar bursts, and a violin wailing like a gale.

Cook's hot mix of world music punctuated by his astounding guitar work had the audience tapping, clapping, and shouting "ole!" the entire evening, and then up on their feet for three encores.

Flamenco's natural percussive element was kicked up to an entirely new dimension by Cuban percussionist Chendy Leon, who pounded away on an arsenal that included a standard drum kit, congas, djembes, and a weird boxlike Afro-Peruvian instrument. Cook himself opened the show not on guitar, but by playing this unusual drum.

Songs ranged from the soulful and very Spanish-sounding "Luna Llena" with a traditional Latin beat to the exotic "Closer to Madness," with a Moroccan/Egyptian undercurrent spotlighted by the sweetly passionate violin of Chris Church. Rhythm guitarist Nicholas Hernandez contributed to the mix with an ominous and surrealistic drone on a synthesizer.

Cook showed his mastery of classic flamenco guitar in a duet with Hernandez, and again in a solo where he demonstrated lighting-quick finger picking punctuated by percussive guitar-slapping.

Church proved he had a voice as poignant as his violin when, for one of the encores, he stood center stage with the group for the lead vocal in "Fall at Your Feet." Performed without any amplification, this endearing piece came straight from the heart, and was for me a show highlight.

The Morning Call

Steve Siegel

Concert Review

March 24, 2007

"Flamenco guitarist Jesse Cook plucks inspiration from all over"

Jesse Cook is an unlikely sounding name for a master flamenco guitarist, and Canada is not a place usually associated with the hot, steamy sounds of Seville, Cadiz and Malaga. Yet Toronto-based Cook is just such a master, and the fiery voice of his rumba flamenco guitar has been melting his homeland's traditional white blanket of snow for more than a decade.

The Morning Call

March 18, 2007

Read the full article here.

"For a Canadian, Jesse Cook really knows how to heat up a room."

The Paris-born, Toronto-bred musician has mastered a flamenco guitar style that has strange effects on his listeners. At the Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival, organizers called in extra security to see that the audience's dancing didn't get out of hand. At other shows, Cook, 42, has had to dodge flying lingerie thrown at him a la Tom Jones concerts of the 1960s.

But while some musicians might find such antics distracting, it is this kind of unpredictability that fuels Cook's live shows.

The Herald, Clayton, North Carolina

March 6, 2007

Read the full article here.