articles
The Cook Trio
from volume 01 issue 08 // MacKenzie Pause
The Cook Trio
Words: MacKenzie Pause
Photos: Rich Sullivan
On the dimly lit, corner stage of my favorite bar in the Orlando area, Redlight Redlight, The Cook Trio set up. As the acoustic compositions amplified from the three-piece Gypsy Jazz trio, conversations disintegrated. The intimate setting magnified the intensity of this lively, uncommon jazz. Brothers Jason and Ian Cook explore lead and rhythm guitar techniques Orlando has never shown me in the past, while Kyle Jones’s upright bass holds down the rhythm with an intricate style that yields lead melodies at all the right moments.
The three have years of musical experience from Jazz training to touring in rock bands. This diversity, as well as a common love of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, creates a unique combination. Reinhardt’s distinctive percussive strumming helped originate the Gypsy Jazz style in the ‘30s and ‘40s. This European Jazz influence, along with classic American Jazz, creates The Cook Trio’s dynamic live performance.
REAX: How did you discover Django Reinhardt and how would this discovery mold your musical path?
Jason Cook: In 1998, Bob Patterson, my guitar instructor at the time, gave me a CD of Django’s. He was playing extremely reckless and sensitive at the same time. I was captivated. The discovery of Django gave me a benchmark for what expression in art and music can be.
Ian Cook: Jason introduced me to Django. He invited me to a concert featuring the Robin Nolan Trio, a Gypsy Jazz act from the Netherlands. The concert was particularly amazing to me as it was my initial exposure to this guitar style. In a way that show, along with Django and his music, sparked The Cook Trio.
REAX: Have you and your brother collaborated previously? Describe the experience of sharing the stage with a sibling.
Ian Cook: Growing up, Jason and I had always pursued different paths, never actually playing music together, but we had always wanted to do so. After a debilitating surgical mishap several years ago, Jason was forced to give up the guitar. We agreed he would begin teaching me in an effort to get him back on his instrument. Our interaction, along with the goal of the Trio, has provided him with motivation to return to guitar. Sharing the stage with him has been very rewarding. We both really enjoy performing this music together first and foremost.
JC: We don't seem to be playing for anything other than our passion for this music.
REAX: You just returned from Paris. How did this trip help The Cook Trio? Do you plan on returning?
IC: There really isn’t any Gypsy Jazz scene in the central Florida area, so our first hand interaction with the music has been limited. As a Trio, we have first and foremost always strived to perform this music as close to traditionally as possible. So the trip to Paris really provided another essential piece of the puzzle for us. So much so, that when we returned, we decided to rerecord the new CD. Paris is the birthplace of Gypsy Jazz. Experiencing the city and so many fantastic performances there has been completely invaluable to our music. We plan to travel there once a year.
Check out www.thecooktrio.com for information on their new album and upcoming shows in your area.
Words: MacKenzie Pause
Photos: Rich Sullivan
On the dimly lit, corner stage of my favorite bar in the Orlando area, Redlight Redlight, The Cook Trio set up. As the acoustic compositions amplified from the three-piece Gypsy Jazz trio, conversations disintegrated. The intimate setting magnified the intensity of this lively, uncommon jazz. Brothers Jason and Ian Cook explore lead and rhythm guitar techniques Orlando has never shown me in the past, while Kyle Jones’s upright bass holds down the rhythm with an intricate style that yields lead melodies at all the right moments.
The three have years of musical experience from Jazz training to touring in rock bands. This diversity, as well as a common love of jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt, creates a unique combination. Reinhardt’s distinctive percussive strumming helped originate the Gypsy Jazz style in the ‘30s and ‘40s. This European Jazz influence, along with classic American Jazz, creates The Cook Trio’s dynamic live performance.
REAX: How did you discover Django Reinhardt and how would this discovery mold your musical path?
Jason Cook: In 1998, Bob Patterson, my guitar instructor at the time, gave me a CD of Django’s. He was playing extremely reckless and sensitive at the same time. I was captivated. The discovery of Django gave me a benchmark for what expression in art and music can be.
Ian Cook: Jason introduced me to Django. He invited me to a concert featuring the Robin Nolan Trio, a Gypsy Jazz act from the Netherlands. The concert was particularly amazing to me as it was my initial exposure to this guitar style. In a way that show, along with Django and his music, sparked The Cook Trio.
REAX: Have you and your brother collaborated previously? Describe the experience of sharing the stage with a sibling.
Ian Cook: Growing up, Jason and I had always pursued different paths, never actually playing music together, but we had always wanted to do so. After a debilitating surgical mishap several years ago, Jason was forced to give up the guitar. We agreed he would begin teaching me in an effort to get him back on his instrument. Our interaction, along with the goal of the Trio, has provided him with motivation to return to guitar. Sharing the stage with him has been very rewarding. We both really enjoy performing this music together first and foremost.
JC: We don't seem to be playing for anything other than our passion for this music.
REAX: You just returned from Paris. How did this trip help The Cook Trio? Do you plan on returning?
IC: There really isn’t any Gypsy Jazz scene in the central Florida area, so our first hand interaction with the music has been limited. As a Trio, we have first and foremost always strived to perform this music as close to traditionally as possible. So the trip to Paris really provided another essential piece of the puzzle for us. So much so, that when we returned, we decided to rerecord the new CD. Paris is the birthplace of Gypsy Jazz. Experiencing the city and so many fantastic performances there has been completely invaluable to our music. We plan to travel there once a year.
Check out www.thecooktrio.com for information on their new album and upcoming shows in your area.
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