Carla Cook


Carla Cook is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist.

Biography

A native of Detroit, Michigan, Cook was drawn to a life of music at an early age. As a student at Cass Technical High School she played string bass in the school orchestra, studied piano and voice on weekends, and sang in her church's choir. An elder brother introduced her to jazz, Cook chose voice as her instrument of choice, and she became a disciple of jazz icon Eddie Jefferson, founder of a singing technique called "vocalese" where a singer sings lyrics to a famous instrumental solo.
During this time she and close friend Regina Carter formed dreams of becoming jazz musicians; Cook as a singer, and Carter as a violinist. At Carter's urging she applied to and was accepted by Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. While at Northeastern she remained in close contact with Carter, released in 2001, was also a success, and received a glowing review from Down Beat magazine, the leading jazz publication. In 2002 she released her CD Simply Natural, which was inspired by her love for the beauty found in nature. In 2011 her rendition of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was featured on jazz percussionist Steve Kroon's CD Without A Doubt.
Cook performs globally both with her own groups, most notably "the Carla Cook Quintet", and as a guest soloist with artists including Eric Reed and old friends Regina Carter and Cyrus Chestnut. Her eclectic venues include the digital realm as she is featured as a character in the Sony PlayStation games, Um Jammer Lammy and Parappa the Rapper 2, and she has said that it is a dream of hers to appear with her favorite characters on Sesame Street.
Cook was the headliner at the 2018 Central Jazz Festival's September 16, 2018, show in Somerville, New Jersey.

Discography