Jesse Cook | Breeze From Saintes Maries (Rumba Flamenco Guitar Music)

Breeze From Stes Maries (Rumba Flamenco Guitar Music)

Saintes-Maries-de-la-Mer is a little town on the Mediterranean Coast, about a half our drive from Arles, France, where my father lived when I was a teen. Every summer around the second half of May, Gipsies would gather from all over Europe to venerate their Saint Sara-la-Kali, "Sara the Black" who they believe guarded Romanies.

The town, which is calm and quiet the rest of the year, turns into a great centre of color and sound, when the processions, traditional gypsy music and singing are heard all over town and along the beach.

As a teen I used to drag my guitar down there with the hope of joining any impromptu jamborees I could fine. It was during those summers that I really fell in love with the Camargue form of rumba flamenco, which is hugely different from Spanish Flamenco (also beautiful in its vast complexity).

I am thrilled this week to be presenting this piece with my band: Matt Sellick, Dan Minchom, Fethi Nadjem, and Marito Marques. The recording was actually made last Fall, when we still couldn't play all together due to covid. Each musician recorded their part at home, and I filmed with my camera (and my mask). Later I had the daunting task of pulling it all together to make it seem like we played together.

Hope you enjoy it


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