The Rumba Foundation (Koch Records, 2009)
Canadian guitarist Jesse Cook was interested in recording an album that captured the history of rumba. Back in the 1800’s, sailors arrived in Spain with a new rhythm from Cuba known as rumba. Adopted by Spanish gypsies, a new flamenco style was created that mixed the festive, danceable rhythms of the Caribbean with the passion of flamenco. It became known as “rumba flamenca.” The Rumba Foundation, Cook’s latest record, intended to explore rumba flamenca, but the final concept ended up going beyond rumba. Cook recorded The Rumba Foundation in Colombia, where he picked up the hybrid sounds of Colombian music.
In Colombia, Cook worked with traditional cumbia and vallenato group Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto. Cook wrote or co-wrote a dozen pieces, mixing smooth jazz, light flamenco rumba and Colombian rhythms. Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto specialize in the preservation of gaitero music, traditional cumbia and other Colombian roots music.
The Rumba Foundation will please Jesse Cook music fans with his popular signature guitar sound augmented with the fiery beats of Colombia.
Buy Jesse Cook’s recordings on CD and MP3:
- In North America: The Rumba Foundation, Frontiers, Tempest, Gravity, Montréal, Free Fall, Vertigo and Nomad. Also asvailable, the DVD One Night at the Metropolis.
- In Europe: The Rumba Foundation, Frontiers, Montréal, Tempest, Vertigo, Free Fall, Gravity
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
