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Epicurus.com - Free Fall
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List Price: $16.98
Our Price: $16.98
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Manufacturer: Narada
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Average Customer Rating:  
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Binding: Audio CD
EAN: 0724384929008
Format: Enhanced
Label: Narada
Manufacturer: Narada
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Narada
Release Date: 2000-09-26
Studio: Narada
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Editorial Reviews:
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Already one of the most appealing talents among contemporary flamenco guitarists, Jesse Cook skillfully expands his discography with a spirited, satisfying recording (his fourth) that reconfirms his position as one of the elite composer/performers in the genre. Specializing in "rumba flamenco," Cook (born in Paris to Canadian parents) here embellishes his vibrant playing with well-crafted arrangements and imaginative instrumental colors, from the gypsy violin of the title track to the involving Middle Eastern mystery of "Incantation" to the fascinating mix of Arabic strings and subtle hip-hop rhythms on the disc's most distinctive piece, "On Walks the Night." Cook's playing is intricate, challenging, and rewarding, bringing expressive flair even to his subdued ballads ("Virtue," "All That Remains"). He tacks on a vocal selection near the disc's conclusion, a modest reworking of Neil Finn's "Fall at Your Feet" (Danny Wilde of the Rembrandts, close to a Finn clone, is the singer), then closes the disc with an uncredited live track, the percussion-heavy "Mario Takes a Walk." That piece, along with "Rattle and Burn," is also presented in video form as part of an enhanced-CD package. Good listening. --Terry Wood
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Spotlight customer reviews:
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Customer Rating:
Summary: Purely Stunning!
Comment: What Jesse is able to accomplish is jaw droppingly inhuman. His command of the fretboard surpasses maniacal practice and trancends into something only the gifted are capable of, and which leaves the rest of us scorned and ready to burn our instruments. And again he demonstrates nonchalently that Flamenco has so many ancestors that's it's perfectly fluent in virtually any style. Years from now when historians and educators look back on the procession of Flamenco scions and I think this generation will be his.
Customer Rating:
Summary: great cd!
Comment: I'm enjoying this cd and will probably order another one of Jesse Cook's cds soon.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A hybrid built on a hybrid
Comment: I had to chuckle at the irony of reviewers who criticized this recording for not being flamenco-ish enough. Flamenco itself is a fusion of Spanish, Gypsy, Moorish, and Jewish musical influences, not a pure-bred style. In addition, Cook is not from the old school of Sabicas, Serrano, or Heredia. Cook plays nouveau flamenco, which is itself an update of the traditional style and instrumentation. So, why is an futher experimentation by a modernizer of a hybrid music an artistic faux pas?
I love the stylistic explorations and fusions on this CD, just as I do on Ottmar Liebert's "Solo Para Ti." I like this recording better than Gravity, which had too much flashy technique masking the passion of flamenco for my taste. Here, Cook's technical skills are evident, but so is the soul of the music. The silences in the slow pieces frame emotional music. The slow, spare beginning of "Free Fall," for example, evokes the cool pre-dawn of the Arabian desert, while the busier passages reminded me of belly dances, with coins clinking against against each other on the dancers' costumes. By the middle of the piece, I was swaying, my energy rising and falling in sync with the progression of the song. "Incantation" is exactly that, a pensive, meditative mood-setter. The melancholy in "All That Remains" is palpable, and I wondered whether Cook was mourning a lost love or a grand city reduced to rubble. And I enjoyed "At Your Feet" for what it is: a fine, latin-tinged pop song.
I can understand that some reviewers don't like the middle-eastern flavors in some of the songs. Perhaps Cook's composition and playing is too derivative for the most discerning of listeners. But to criticize the artist for going beyond his stylistic roots is just plain close-minded. Not only has this CD passed the "one-week" test, it will get regular play in my stereo, computer, and car.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Best Jesse Album
Comment: In two words: truly awsome.I have all of Jesse's albums, and this one has by far the highest quality of musical essence. I've read a number of negative reviews for this album, and that urged me to give my 2c's, as I felt they were grossly unfair to this genius piece of art. I've enjoyed this album for almost 2 years already, and it is still the one I listen to the most and cannot get tired of repeated listening. Not flamenco, some say. Well, they apparently have not listened to the CD even though they say they have, because that claim is a gross exagaration. It is true that there are a couple of (5 to be exact) songs that stray from the well-established genre, but I commend Jesse for his brave exploration of unfamiliar territory. The non-flamenco tracks are great for certain mood-setting occasions and are still carry JC's signiture guitar virtuoso. These tracks are Free Fall, Incantation, All That Remains and On Walks The Night and the vocals song, Fall at your Feet. But, before bashing this CD, think of its gems, the truly unique and best songs I have ever listened to: Air, Virtue, Paloma, Viva. Just these 4 songs alone justify paying 3x the price of the CD.
Customer Rating:
Summary: A departure for Jesse Cook, but not a good one.
Comment: I am a Jesse Cook fan - or at least I am a fan of his earlier work. I was quite excited to receive his Free Fall CD, but it is a big disappointment. Although he appears to be attempting to expand his sound and appeal, the departure from his guitar/flamenco base with the addittion of a taste of India, just doesn't work. Gone is the demonstration of his true guitar talents and of a sound that lifted and motivated.
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