Guitarist Jesse Cook Announces Four-Month US Tour, Jan-April 2013

On September 25, award-winning guitarist JESSE COOK, who has sold over a million albums during the course of his recording career, released his eighth studio album, The Blue Guitar Sessions. Cook's independently produced television special "Jesse Cook - Live in Concert" airs this fall on Public Television stations throughout the U.S., and he will embark on a five-month U.S. tour beginning this January, in over 60 markets. Click HERE for January-April US tour dates.

Cook refers to his new album as a "blue mood" record, a product that has long been a personal objective of his. "I wanted to make a record that was more personal", says Cook, "something intimate with more space to it than my previous work." Cook has steered clear of anything resembling flamenco on this recording, producing a sound that allows listeners to appreciate each contributing musician's style. "I feel the role of an artist is to change, to constantly push forward and try and come up with something new," he says. The album will also feature several other artists in collaboration with Cook. "Broken Moon" features cellist Amy Laing, while Tom Szczesniak adds accordion to "Witching Hour," a melodic composition hinting at Cook's Parisian roots. Toronto vocalist Emma-Lee makes an appearance on "I Put a Spell on You", a cover of the song written by Screamin' Jay Hawkins and popularized by Nina Simone and Jeff Beck, and long-time collaborator violinist Chris Church makes several appearances throughout the album. The 14-track album was recorded on a pair of vintage microphones, in order to replicate the mood of recordings from the Miles Davis era.

Based in Toronto, Jesse Cook has been recording and performing music internationally for over seventeen years. Among his many accolades, in 2008, Cook won the silver medal in Acoustic Guitar magazine's prestigious Players' Choice Awards behind the legendary Paco De Lucia. He is a JUNO Award-winning artist and three-time recipient of the Canadian Smooth Jazz Award for "Guitarist of the Year". His previous release, The Rumba Foundation, debuted at #1 on iTunes Canada and the DVD for the release premiered on PBS. The past two years have seen Cook tour extensively to sold-out crowds throughout the world, performing at both the Singapore and Dubai Jazz Festivals, the Cumbre Tajín Festival in Mexico, and electrifying audiences from the U.S. to Italy to Lebanon. With over one million album sales worldwide, Jesse Cook has spawned a truly global fan base.

Cook will embark on a five-month U.S. Tour beginning in January 2013, which includes dates in New York, Los Angeles, Miami and Atlanta among many others. The live shows will include songs from his more familiar work, as well as material from the new album. Joining Cook on stage are Chris Church, Rosendo "Chendy" Leon, Nicholas Hernandez and Dennis Mohammed, musicians that have become very familiar to Cook's fans. Additionally, "Jesse Cook - Live in Concert" will air on select Public Television stations in the U.S., from August through to December.

For more information, visit www.jessecook.com.

The Blue Guitar Sessions Track Listing:

1. I Put A Spell On You
2. Broken Moon
3. Witching Hour
4. Toybox
5. Fields of Blue
6. Miles Shorter
7. Gone
8. Ne Me Quitte Pas
9. Diminished
10. The Road
11. Ocean Blue
12. You
13. When Night Turns
14. Midnight

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