Jesse Cook x 2

What a treat.  I saw Jesse Cook twice this week: Thursday night here in Saskatoon, and last night in Regina.  That's worth celebrating...

He released his latest album, One World.  Musically, he tries to combine music from a number of cultures, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and then adds some modern elements and sounds.  I like the result much more than his last album, but I much prefer his stuff from 10+ years ago, like Nomad or Frontiers; even The Rumba Foundation has more appeal to me than his new stuff, but still, Jesse is Jesse, and whatever he tinkers with in the studio usually comes out sounding like genius.  And he's such an amazing musician and performer.

He played the same set on both nights, and it was something along the following lines:

Cafe Mocha

Gravity

Taxi Brazil

Once

Bogota by Bus

Incantation

Gaita

Havana

Baghdad

Intermission

Shake

Bombai Diner (or was it Bombay Slam?)

Azul

Luna Llena

A lengthy medley (Mario Takes a Walk, Closer to Madness, Air, Jumpstart, Matisse the Cat, Gipsy, and I think there were at least 3 or 4 other mixed in there)

Fall at your Feet

Cecilia

Saskatoon pictures:

Regina picturres:

I am thankful that I got to see this wonderful performer not only once but twice in the past few days.  I find that his music inspires and calms me in a way that little other music does.

Here is the ending of one of his best songs, in Regina: Fall at Your Feet.  This was the second to last song they played, and they came out into the middle of the crowd to sing it.  Wonderful.