West Cleveland News

Renowned jazz musician and composer to work with Northeast Ohio students

Emmy winner Braxton Cook not only exhibits world-class virtuosity on the alto saxophone ― he’s also a talented vocalist, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and composer who blends jazz, soul and alternative R&B.

Cook will bring those talents to Northeast Ohio as the artist-in-residence for the 44th annual Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, presented by KeyBank.

Cook’s residency includes performances, master classes and interviews. Most of these will take place at the Gill and Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts at the Metropolitan Campus of Cuyahoga Community College (Tri-C®).

"We’re excited to have Braxton share his musical range with the Cleveland area and our creative arts students,” said Terri Pontremoli, director of JazzFest. “He brings energy and creativity to his music, and his journey will surely connect with aspiring performers."

Cook studied saxophone under elite educator Paul Carr. By 18, he had made a name for himself leading his own band at venues throughout the Washington D.C. area. While at The Juilliard School, Cook was a long-term member of Christian Scott’s band and has toured and performed with Christian McBride, Jon Batiste, Marquis Hill and others.

He released his debut EP, Sketch, in 2014 and launched his solo career in 2015 with Braxton Cook Meets Butcher Brown. Cook’s first full-length album, 2017’s Somewhere in Between, amassed millions of streams and downloads on Spotify and Apple Music. No Doubt debuted at No. 2 on the iTunes Jazz Charts in 2018, while 2020’s Fire Sign garnered over 1 million streams in just a few weeks.

FADER magazine named Cook a Jazz Marvel and Jazz Prodigy in 2017, and he was one of EBONY magazine’s Top 5 Jazz Artists to Watch in 2018. Outside of the jazz sphere, he has worked alongside Rihanna, Solange Knowles and Phony Ppl and was featured on Tom Misch’s 2018 U.S. tour.

Cook returns to Cleveland in April and June for a set of workshops and a June 23 performance at Tri-C JazzFest, which promises to draw tens of thousands of music lovers downtown to Playhouse Square. Visit tri-cjazzfest.com to learn more.

Tri-C JazzFest Cleveland, presented by KeyBank, is made possible by KeyBank, the George Gund Foundation, the Ohio Arts Council, the National Endowment for the Arts, the William M. Weiss Foundation and a growing list of donors and vendors.

Original source can be found here.