Arizona Daily Star

Cook adds taste of Colombia

Oct 15--Jesse Cook was sidetracked on his way to recording his latest album, "The Rumba Foundation."

15 de octubre de 2009

His initial intent was to create a release that combined the rumba flamenco guitar he is known for with the traditional rumba rhythms found in Cuba.
Instead, the Toronto-based artist ended up in Colombia, laying down tracks with the Latin Grammy-winning vallenato group, Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto.

Cook blames his change in direction on Colombian pop star Carlos Vives, a musician famous for mixing Colombian roots music into his songs.

"There was a depth to his material that I couldn't find in other pop music," Cook said. "I would put his CD on and my whole family would dance around the living room. I wanted that."

It was enough to get Cook to fly to Bogotá instead of Havana. Los Gaiteros took a bus down from their remote village north of the city to meet him there.
 
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