By Request by Matthew Cook

With a heady mix of unique arrangements and emotional playing Cook takes his audience on an eclectic journey through some of the great songwriting of 20th Century America. Drawing on a Classical background and his experiences with Rock and Roll, Country and Reggae bands, Cook has developed a refreshing, melodic approach that showcases his love of this wonderful instrument.

With a repertoire ranging from Scott Joplin to Eric Clapton, George Gershwin to John Lennon, Duke Ellington to David Crosby, Cook treats every song with care, drawing the most out of the melody before taking it to new heights.

In his extensive CD collection Matthew Cook gives a nod to many great songwriters and songs of the last Century. Of the six albums, four of them cover 41 renditions of songs that range from the familiar to the obscure. The titles, Stormy Weather, The Rose, Summertime and By Request, give some idea of the range of material represented but don't tell the whole story. Also included are Eric Clapton's Wonderful Tonight, Ellington's Satin Doll, Denny Sarokin's Sanibel, No Frontiers from Jimmy McCarthy and the Beatles' Dear Prudence.

In addition to songs we all know and love, Cook's performances and recordings also include things not commonly found in the piano repertoire. Storm Warning is one such song written by Terry Britten and Lea Maalfrid and previously performed by Bonnie Raitt. Other examples would be The Dance from Garth Brooks and Wooden Ships from Crosby, Stills & Nash.

One album, Redwood Reflections brings us 12 original piano compositions by the artist. Fostered in the redwoods of Northern California, warm and rich sounds evoke images of nature in this remarkable piano work. A little new age, a little jazz, latin, rock and ragtime sparkle from the pastiche as this hour of delightful music plays through. The ballad If I Could Fill Your Cup and the upbeat El Cuervo are highlights of Cook's live concerts.

The Sounding Joy is a collection of Christmas music. From popular carols to more contemporary songs this album rings in the spirit of the season beautifully.

My life is my art and my art is my life. It has always been thus for me and I have had interesting and rich experiences for it. I have been fortunate to be able to share pieces of that through my music.

Over the years I have developed my own piano style, 'Folk-Jazz' , combining the simplicity, accessibility and personableness of folk music with some of the heady elements of modern jazz.

All of my CDs are high-quality recordings of Yamaha Grand Pianos. 'Summertime' 'The Rose' and 'By Request' were recorded live on a Yamaha C-3. 'Redwood Reflections', 'Stormy Weather', and 'Moondance' were recorded in the studio on a Yamaha C-7.

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