Be warned -- this is an album that will grow on you very quickly.
Jesse Cook
is a Canadian flamenco guitarist who took the world fusion route at
some point, basing his playing against a wonderful mix and match of
percussion, synthesizers and samplers. It's easy to spot some of the
artificial elements, but many more of them have been blurred into the
total sound, making it impossible to separate live players from the
computer-driven tracks -- excellent work indeed (Cook also produced and engineered the tracks, which makes the result all the more impressive).
Tempest
is a subtle album, very seductive, getting one's attention without
demanding it, through a clever phrase, a particularly soulful vibrato, a
nice effect in the rhythm tracks, and so on. Intent listening to this
album is a very rewarding experience indeed. (by Steven McDonald) A substantial part of the album's publicity was gained after the tracks
Tempest and Breeze from Saintes Maries were used by a local Ontario
cable TV operator as a background music for their 'TV Guide' listing
channel. The tracks were played in a loop for many months "growing" on
many viewers to the point they called the cable operator to inquire
about it. (by wikipedia)
Personnel: Jesse Cook (guitar, palmas, synthesizer, percussion) Blake Manning (percussion) Mario Melo (percussion) Andrew Morales (bass, palmas)
