RBC Jazz department Special Guest Artist: Carla Cook

RBC Jazz Dept are delighted to invite Carla Cook to the Conservatoire for masterclasses and this performance.

Everything Carla Cook sings swings.

There’s a reason for that: Cook has been influenced by the jazz vocal masters, but equally influenced by phenomenal instrumentalists, like Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery and The Crusaders. The Detroit native also finds inspiration in R&B, Motown, pop, gospel and country. In fact, she has put her unique phrasing on everything from Marvin Gaye’s Inner City Blues to Bobbie Gentry’s Ode to Billie Joe to Neil Young’s  Heart of Gold.

As a result, Cook has an improvisational style that’s steeped in the swing tradition yet eclectic, and brimming with fresh interpretations. “Although I’ve been influenced by all the masters, I’ve been maturing into my own sound, “says Cook. “Today, I sound exactly like me.” That sound is a warm contralto with a remarkably wide range of colours; known for her interpretive gifts, Cook can sing in a hefty, bluesy timbre, reach crystal clear high notes, then scat with sure-footed richness; and she does it all with an acute sense of rhythm and timing. As a result, says jazz critic John Murph of The Washington Post. “She has sass that enlivens her impeccable diction, and tremendous soul that lets her swagger with gutbucket finesse, but it’s all buttressed with sparkling optimism and innocence.”

Carla Cook vocals
Ross Stanley piano
Mark Hodgson bass
Stephen Keogh drums

Support: Jazz Vocal Department
Lucy Mellenfield
Lucy-Anne Daniels
Julie Clare

Doors open at 6pm
6.30pm Support
7.15pm interval
7.45pm Carla Cook - set 1
9pm Carla Cook - set 2