and who knows where that may lead...
...and i fall...

Even though I do not have formal dance training, I felt confident in my dance.  I just let the music infect my soul and listen to the rhythms to guide my movement.  At that moment, I was truly myself.  No inhibitions – just an expression of my passion for music.  Jesse Cook's music is flawless.  The performance was spectacular.  I was later joined by Flamenco dancers and other members of the audience.

Listen to Tempest from YouTube.com. 

My love of Spanish music motivates me to dance whenever I hear it.  So much, I decided to register for a Latin dance class at a local community centre.   It will be different learning the proper moves rather than just feeling the music and unleashing a rhythmic artistic impression.  Regardless, it will be fun and a workout.  Can’t wait to start.

Stef

Słowo wstępu: La Llorona to w tradycji latynoamerykańskiej Płaczka - kobieta chodząca po lasach wraz ze swym martwym dzieckiem-niemowlęciem w objęciach. Różne podania podają różne przyczyny zgonu - od zarazy i głodu, po utopienie dziecka, gdyż było z nieprawego łoża, a małżonek-żołnierz właśnie wrócił z frontu. Dość rzec, iż według kolumbijskich rolników są tylko dwie rzeczy, których się boją: tygrysów i płaczu Llorony. W Meksyku zaś jest ona jedną z trzech najbardziej znanych postaci, po Matce Bożej z Guadalupe i indiańskiej kochance Corteza.

Todos me dicen el negro, llorona / Wszyscy zwą mnie Czarnym, Llorona
negro pero cariñoso / czarny, ale czuły
Yo soy como el chile verde, llorona / I jestem jak zielone Chile
picante pero sabroso. / pikantny ale smakowity

Ay! de mi, llorona / Ach, o mnie, Llorona
llorona de ayer y hoy / Płaczko wczorajsza i dzisiejsza
ayer maravilla fui, llorona / Wczoraj byłem cudem, Llorona
y ahora ni sombra soy / A teraz nie jestem nawet cieniem

Dicen que no tengo duelo, llorona / Mówią, że nie jestem w rozpaczy, Llorona
porque no me ven llorar / bo nie widzą, jak płaczę
Hay muertos que no hacen ruido, llorona / Zmarli nie czynią hałasu, Llorona
y es mas grande su penar / i to jest największa z ich strony kara

Ay! de mi, llorona / Ach, o mnie, Llorona
llorona de azul celeste / Płaczko z niebiańskiego błękitu
y aunque la vida me cueste, llorona / Choćby mnie życie miało nie wiem ile kosztować, Llorona
no dejare de quererte / Nie przestanę cię kochać

this might be my favourite series. one of the first of three moments that always make me cry is in here. when carrie tells aidan that she's been sleeping with big at charlotte and trey's wedding. my friends and i are always divided on the big vs aidan debate. i think big is the one but the movie may yet prove me wrong.

this, for me, is the series where the girls' friendship comes into its own. i love the way each character reacts to carrie and big's affair. i love how they all end up alone by the end of the series but never seem happier.

cosmopolitans, as carries cocktail of choice, feature heavily, and we are introduced to the flirtini - pineapple, vodka and champagne. yum. i made some strawberry cosmopolitans in honour of rewatching this series. for research purposes, obviously.

download here

amber - object of your desire

andrea true connection - more more more

carol douglas - doctor's orders

de la soul - thru ya city

de la soul and chaka khan - all good

donna summer - bad girls

groove armada - sex and the city theme

incognito - parisienne girl

jesse cook - that's right

nick gilder - hot child in the city

steppenwolf - magic carpet ride

talvin singh - traveller

do you remember the frenzy for diamante horseshoe necklaces during season 2? i got mine from fenwick - which saved me about £170 as i was fully prepared to go pay £200 for the liberty version, i was that desperate. i don't even wanna know how much the real thing cost...it wasn't an option at the time but later i did fork out for the adina circle necklace as worn by jennifer aniston and eva longoria.

this is one of my favourite series. sorry, seasons.

i even like the twentysomething women episode - let's get one thing straight though. natasha was most definitely sleeping with someone at ralph lauren. no 26 year old is as far up the career ladder as she was portrayed to be. but, there was a little irony in skinny, self-obsessed carrie calling her the 'idiot stick figure with no soul'.

the soundtrack for season one is here

download here

diana krall - devil may care

diana ross - love hangover

fatboy slim - praise you

fatboy slim - rockafeller skank

four piece suit - bombasteroid

frank sinatra - it was a very good year

jesse cook - tempest

montefiori cocktail -gne gne

ozomatli - como ves

right said fred - i'm too sexy

tchaikovsky - dance of the sugar plum fairy

voo doo phunk - point of view

For Frontiers, his sixth studio album, Cook pushed himself in entirely new ways. In search of inspiration, the Paris-born, Toronto-based musician and his wife moved to Seville, Spain - "the source, the Mecca of flamenco music," he calls it - to absorb the influences. "I'd been to Seville before, but never to live" explains Cook. "Spain produces virtuoso guitarists the way Canada produces hockey players. Waking up there each day, meeting incredible musicians day and night, it was very exciting. I felt like a student again, picking up all these new techniques."

With their creative batteries recharged, Cook and his wife flew back to Toronto to resume work - she to her flamenco dancing and teaching, he to begin writing his next album. It was then that they discovered that another frontier loomed ahead: parenthood. "I'd never been a parent before and had no idea what I was getting into," recalls Cook. "We cocooned at home through the winter, with me just writing and waiting for Luc to be born," he says (Lucas arrived on March 14, 2005). "It was a really happy time."

That sense of anticipation helps to make Frontiers Cook's most personal album to date. Instrumental tracks like the moody "Turning," the thoughtful "Waiting" and the introspective "Come What May" conjure up visions of days spent reflecting on the past and contemplating the future. But the album also boasts some joyous night music, from the fiery opener "Matisse the Cat" and the propulsive "Vamos" to the sultry swing of "Cafe Mocha." "Upbeat rumba flamenco is what I'm known for," concedes Cook. "That's what gets crowds on their feet. But I wanted to introduce people to another side of me, with quieter and slower numbers as well."

Recorded at Cook's studio, Frontiers is also marked by some memorable vocal numbers. Egyptian-Canadian singer Maryem Tollar, who toured with Cook and sang on "Qadduka-l-Mayyas," from Cook's 2003 Nomad album, rejoins him on the dreamily hypnotic "Europa." And Latin-Canadian vocalist Amanda Martinez contributes a haunting interpretation of the tragic Mexican folk song "La Llorona."

But the album's most surprising track is Cook's cover of Bob Dylan's "It Ain't Me Babe", sung by rising Canadian songstress Melissa McClelland. It puts a refreshing world music spin on a lesser-known classic that Cook stumbled on while listening to a Dylan compilation. "My first thought when I heard it," recalled Cook, "was 'wow, what a beautiful song.' Then I wondered if it would work as a rumba. So I got out my guitar and strummed along to Bob, and it sounded great." Added Cook, who previously rumba-fied Crowded House's "Fall at Your Feet" with The Rembrandts' Danny Wilde: "I loved the idea of this Dylan song being sung from a female perspective, so I invited Melissa to sing it and she did an amazing job."

Cook's adventurous approach to music began at a young age, when trips to Europe to see his father exposed him to a variety of exotic sounds-including the music of the legendary Gipsy Kings, with whom he shared a now famous jam session on a rooftop in the French city of Arles. After releasing his independent debut Tempest in 1995, Cook was signed to Narada Records and has since sold more than one million albums worldwide and won a Juno Award in 2000 for his album Free Fall. His tours, from concert halls to appearances at major events like the Montreal Jazz Festival, are typically sold-out affairs. And reviewers routinely praise what one critic called his "uncompromising musicality and ferocious guitar prowess."

For Cook, Frontiers is a reflection of how music, like life, is rich in discovery and constantly evolving. "It's all about new ground, personally and artistically," he says. "Rumba has come to be my house, it's where I live. But there's no limit to where you can take the music. The possibilities really are endless."

Editorial Reviews

Jesse Cook is a worldbeat musician in the truest sense of the word; he doesn’t just pick a style and repackage it, he is respected both by listeners and players alike for constantly seeking inspiration and tutelage from all over the world. A longtime fan of music from Spain, Africa, Egypt, Brazil, France and Cuba, Jesse Cook’s Montreal evokes each of those countries and then some on this, his sixth CD and first live disc.

Cook has a history of hooking up with talented players; previous contributors to his million-selling catalogue include cellist Ofra Harnoy, fellow Canuck Holly Cole, and Brazillian jazz phenom Flora Purim. His choice of players for Montréal are equally talented; that point is made clear right from the opening cut, "Beloved." Fellow Canadian, Maryem Tollar sets the stage with her incredible, ghostly Arabic vocals; from that romantic, moody brilliance right to the disc’s undulating climax of "Baghdad," the perpetual motion of Gypsy Kings-meets-Cirque du Soleil sounds resonate throughout the disc. The audience’s adoration of the performer and his wonderfully percussive live show (recorded at Le Festival International de Jazz de Montréal) allows the feverish applause to carry the enthusiasm over to the live disc itself.

There will always be a debate among purists as to whether accessible worldbeat or jazz is too easy-listening; ultimately, Cook is one part gifted guitar player, another part masterful showman. Even in the context of listening to a live CD, the energy that he gives to and subsequently receives from his fans on Montréal is contagious and musically rewarding.--Denise Sheppard

The show was very good. The style (as he mentioned during) was a successful attempt to fuse the gaps between Rumba and Indian. For the most part you can imagine (as Mike suggested) it as the soundtrack to a movie like 'Once Upon a Time In Mexico' or 'Desperado'. There are some great samples on his site, just go surf around and it'll start playing whether you like it or not! just make sure your sound is on.

Unbelievably quick and accurate with the guitar. This was an unbelievable show - and the EPAC was a great venue for it.