Carla Cook

Carla Cook (c. 1962 in Detroit, Michigan) is an American jazz singer.

Cook sang in the church choir as a child of a Methodist church of her hometown. She took private singing and piano lessons and played double bass in the orchestra of her high school. She then went to Boston University where she studied Speech Science at Northeastern. Here she also formed her first jazz band.

In 1990 she went to New York, where she was active in the jazz club scene of Manhattan and taught at a junior high school social studies. In 1993 she taught jazz singing in Basel and Freiburg im Breisgau. In 1998 she signed a contract with the jazz label MAXJAZZ, where in 1999 their debut album All About Love was released. The CD was nominated for a Grammy performance in the Best Jazz Vocal category in 2000 and received the AFIM Indie Award.

Cook sings alongside jazz and rhythm and blues, rock and other titles, such as the English folk song Scarborough Fair, Marvin Gaye's Inner City Blues, Bobbie Gentry's Ode to Billie Joe and Neil Young's Heart of Gold.

Disco Graphical Notes

• It's All About Love ( MAXJAZZ, 1999) with Daryl Hall, Kenny Davis, Regina Carter, Cyrus Chestnut, Andy Milne, George Gray, Jeff Haynes, Billy Kilson
• Dem Bones ( MAXJAZZ, 2001) with Craig Harris, Fred Wesley, Tyrone Jefferson, Cyrus Chestnut, James Genus, Jeff Haynes, Billy Kilson
• Simply Natural ( MAXJAZZ, 2002) with Kenny Davis, Bruce Barth, Cyrus Chestnut, Billy Kilson, Steve Kroon