Canadian guitarist and composer Jesse Cook will be bringing his flamenco sounds to the ACT.
Best known for fusing flamenco guitar with jazz, classical, rumba, world beat, pop and the blues, the Juno-award-winning artist will be in Maple Ridge for his “One World Tour.”
As a child, Cook was trained on classical guitar. Then he studied flamenco, then jazz.
He spent two decades traveling to find inspiration, innovation and collaboration.
His 2003 album Nomad was recorded in Cairo, Egypt. His 2009 album The Rumba Foundation was recorded in Columbia, where he worked with musicians from Cuba. His 1998 album Vertigo was recorded with Buckwheat Zydeco in Lafayette, Louisiana.
For this album, the artist stayed at home in his own studio and relied on his own devices, uniting his past with the future, the familiar and fresh and the acoustic and electronic.
The result is illustrated on the album cover by an ancient tree symbolizing one world. The branches represent all the music in the world that is joined together to the same deeply rooted trunk.
He has incorporated more technology than before on this album to create fluid melodies and grooves and rich sonic tapestries.
There are programmed beats and dusty electronic textures with syncopated hand-claps mixed with sitars and violin, and Cook’s unique guitar work.
During the course of his career, Cook has earned 11 Juno nominations, winning Best Instrumental Album in 2000 for Free Fall.
Five of his albums have earned gold record status, with two others reaching platinum.
Show time
Jesse Cook: One World Tour comes to the ACT Arts Centre at 11944 Haney Place on Nov. 6. Doors open at 7 p.m. and tickets are $42.50. For more information, call 604-476-2787 or go to www.theactmapleridge.org.
