IN CONCERT
What: Jesse Cook
When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Royal Theatre
Tickets: $70.75 at rmts.bc.ca, 250-386-6121, or in person at the Royal McPherson box office
听
The music of Jesse Cook 鈥� part flamenco, part jazz, part fretboard fireworks 鈥� is not easy to encapsulate. It is, by definition, without borders, which makes distilling it down to a few words nearly impossible.
Since his 1995 debut, Cook, 52, has endured queries from critics about where he fits into the musical landscape. But he could not have predicted the confusion that arose when he named his new album Beyond Borders. For many, it was the perfect encapsulation of his talent, which culls from several cultures.
The only problem is that the title had nothing to do with his music.
Cook, whose music is largely instrumental, used the naming of his album as an opportunity to speak his mind 鈥� to say what he can鈥檛 say in song.
鈥淲hen I named the album Beyond Borders, my expectation was that people would take it as a very political statement, and yet people who have been talking to me have been focused on the musical borders, cultural borders and boundaries,鈥� Cook said from his Toronto home.
鈥淲hen I think of borders, the only thing I think of is Trump and his stupid wall. It seems like years ago, we were tearing down those walls, and now we鈥檙e back to building them.鈥�
As someone whose profession takes him to many countries, Cook sees more of the world than most. And as much as his current mood is affected by politics, he has also seen the positive power of music first-hand. A recent trip through Florida, which has been struggling from the fallout of hurricane Irma, brought back memories for the Paris-born virtuoso of his tour through Ukraine during its revolution in 2014.
鈥淚 thought they would have a lot on their minds, and going to a concert wasn鈥檛 a priority,鈥� he said of the Florida trip.
鈥淏ut we had some sold-out shows there. Maybe people were ready to go and party.鈥�
It was almost a carbon copy of something he experienced during the Ukraine trip, Cook recalled. 鈥淭here were barricades in the streets. We called the venue and said: 鈥榃e are fine cancelling this. You guys have more important things to do.鈥� And they said no. People were coming up to us weeping. It was a very emotional experience.鈥�
In person, Cook is as passionate as they come. Music is something he regards seriously, not only its construction, but also the effect it has on his fans. He should be free from stress at the moment, having enjoyed tremendous success during his 22 years as a professional guitarist. But Cook can鈥檛 forget about the musicians he has worked with, from Colombia鈥檚 Los Gaiteros de San Jacinto to China鈥檚 Dadawa, who would be directly affected by a U.S. travel ban.
He won鈥檛 sit idle any longer. 鈥淪uddenly, the world has become fearful. We鈥檙e mistrustful of people. And I feel it鈥檚 my duty to speak out against that. But I don鈥檛 write lyrics, so I don鈥檛 really have words as a tool to address these issues.鈥�
In concert, Cook鈥檚 music is presented without politics. The emphasis is on fun, something that comes easily to the light-hearted guitarist. He has invested years in learning his craft 鈥� more than 40 years on the guitar. He attended the Eli Kassner Guitar Academy in Toronto, Boston鈥檚 Berklee College of Music and the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. His efforts have been rewarded with 11 Juno Award nominations and recording sales of more than one million.
These days, he relies more on instinct than structure. The result is a strain of world music he describes as profoundly Canadian. 鈥淧laying the Spanish guitar, that was probably to do with me being born in France and the family living in Barcelona, but I don鈥檛 remember that.
鈥淭he world music thing is about living in sa国际传媒. Growing up in Toronto, all the options were there. Whatever you want to study, all musical forms are represented. In most cities, if you want to do that, you鈥檝e got to get on a plane. Not where we live.鈥�
Beyond Borders doesn鈥檛 speak to the Canadian qualities of his music, but they are there, he said. sa国际传媒, as one of the world鈥檚 most welcoming countries, is a beacon for people such as Cook, who endeavours to make inclusiveness, not exclusiveness, a big part of his artistry.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 want to say we don鈥檛 have problems 鈥� of course, we do. The world is not perfect anywhere. But there are certain things where sa国际传媒 is doing pretty well.
鈥淎nd one of them is having a model where we embrace and celebrate the diversity of background. A society where you鈥檙e either us or them 鈥� that鈥檚 not the society that Canadians have built. We are all us.鈥�
The Beatles and Miles Davis are two of Cook鈥檚 favourites. In addition to their skills, he was drawn to their ability to constantly redefine themselves.
That鈥檚 what Cook hopes to achieve. 鈥淭hose artists end up having a certain longevity because we鈥檙e like: 鈥榃hat are they going to do next?鈥� It鈥檚 interesting to see how they develop. I want to be that kind of artist.鈥�