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Published: Thursday, August 28, 2008
Flamenco Fabulous / Unique music heats up the pier in Ocean City
By JEANNE DONOHUE For At The Shore, 609-272-7017

Jesse Cook, a rumba guitar flamenco master, heats up the summer night with his concert at the Ocean City Music Pier at 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 25.

If you're like me, you might be asking, "What the heck is flamenco rumba?" Log on to www.jessecook.com and you'll quickly find out it is both lively and hauntingly beautiful. It is a style with roots in Cuban rumbas. Cook mixes it with influences from other cultures to make it uniquely his own.

Cook's new album, "Frontiers," is described as blending African percussion, Cajun accordion, classical cello and pop vocals with his rumba flamenco style.

In a telephone interview from his home in Toronto, Cook says anyone who likes to have fun will enjoy the show.

"We try to have a bit of a rumba party," Cook says. "It's not serious world music. I think music should be a celebration. When you pull out the instruments, there should be a party."

Cook's shows are notorious for drawing throngs of fans who sing and dance along with the entire performance, as he thrills them with his intoxicating, passionate guitar work, Moorish rhythms and smoldering onstage charisma.

Cook's four-piece band includes another guitarist, a Cuban percussionist, and Chris Church, a violinist who mixes the sound with electronics.

At 43, Cook says he is only recently beginning to understand how his life influenced his art.

Born in Paris, Cook first picked up a toy guitar at the age of 3 and desperately tried to mimic the sounds he heard on his mother's records, particularly Gypsy guitarist Manitas de Plata, who lived in the Camargue, a region in southern France.

Rumba flamenco is very popular in the Carmargue, where Cook's father, John, a filmmaker, retired, and where the young Cook spent summers. It just so happened that John Cook lived next door to Nicolas Reyes, who later became famous as lead singer of flamenco group the Gipsy Kings. Cook spent hours soaking up the atmosphere and wandering the streets among the gypsies who inhabit the area.

"The music that I do is a hybrid, not traditional flamenco, but with a new world take," Cook says - which might explain its appeal to so many.

"My demographic seems to be all over the place, from 7 to 70," Cook says. "It's a bit off the beaten path."

Which seems to be just the way Cook likes it.

Seaview goes tropical

Seaview Resort and Spa in Galloway Township is transformed into a tropical paradise for Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 23 and 24. The weekend is highlighted by a golf tournament, authentic island music and cuisine. Saturday events include a tropical buffet dinner, beach volleyball and glow-in-the-dark golf. Sunday starts out with a shotgun scramble golf tournament on the Bay Course, which will be decorated with tiki huts and a 19th hold tropical BBQ with fruity drinks and tasty snacks from the grill. Sunday's golf tournament is $95 per person, including barbecue. Room rates start at $191 per night with Saturday and Sunday night stays required. Call Linda Simpkins at 609-748-7606 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.

Festival benefits parks

The Pinelands Folk Arts Festival features crafters, music, folk dancing, refreshments and more, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23, at the Atlantic County Park, Route 50 in Estell Manor. The festival is sponsored by Friends of the Parks Inc., a non-profit group dedicated to the Atlantic County Park System. Admission is free, but a $1 donation is asked for parking. Call Joan, 609-965-2889.

Last International Night

Atlantic City Free Public Library's last International Night of the summer features Taiko Masala, traditional Japanese drummers, from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 27, in Kennedy Plaza, Atlantic City. Taiko Masala combines training and discipline of Japanese martial arts with the precision and power of complex drumming. The performance is visually stunning and breathlessly exciting. Handmade instruments range from eight-inch hand-held drums to five-foot barrel drums - and the giant 250-pound O-daiko. The show is free. Go to www.cityofatlanticcity.org or call Mimi Lee, 609-345-2269, ext. 3115.

Visit Ralph's World in O.C.

Ralph's World, below, is coming to Ocean City. That's a zany place former indie rocker, now kiddie rocker Ralph Covert who creates his zippy songs for the smaller set. The concert at the Ocean City Music Pier, 4 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 21, benefits the Wetlands Institute. Tickets are $12 for kids and $15 for adults. Kids and their parents will love tunes like "Gitarzan," "At the Bottom of the Sea," and "M-O-M-M-Y Needs C-O-F-F-E-E." Covert used to be front man for The Bad Examples. For tickets, go to www.ocnj.us or buy them at the Music Pier, Moorlyn Terrace and the Boardwalk.

WHEN: 8 p.m. Monday Aug. 25

WHERE: Ocean City Music Pier, Moorlyn Terrace and Boardwalk, Ocean City

TICKETS: priced at $20, can be purchased at the Music Pier Box Office at 609-525-9248 or online at www.ocnj.us

MORE INFO: www.ocnj.us

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