Nick Stoner Inn: Encore! Jazz Sessions

Pianist, composer and musical director David Cook is an NYC-based musician invested in the New York scene and beyond.

Born in to a musical family based in Columbus, Ohio, David attended the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, where he studied with Ellen Rowe, Barton Polot, Gerald Cleaver and the late Donald Walden. Upon moving to New York, he continued his studies with Bruce Barth, Fred Hersch and Kenny Werner.

David has music directed and/or played for many notable artists, including 10-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Taylor Swift, Lizz Wright, Natasha Bedingfield, Thomas Rhett, Academy Award-winner Jennifer Hudson, David Guetta, Shayna Steele, Billy Porter and Utada Hikaru. As musical director for Swift, he has also played with guest artists including Mick Jagger, James Taylor, Mary J. Blige, Justin Timberlake, Carly Simon, Usher, Jennifer Lopez, Steven Tyler, Alison Krauss, Sara Bareilles, Tim McGraw, Keith Urban, Nelly, Ed Sheeran and many more.

He has also played in small groups led by bassists Chris Tarry, Francois Moutin and Michael Blanco, guitarists Greg Howe, Scott Sharrard and Al Street, saxophonists Grace Kelly, Bob Reynolds and Adam Kolker as well as drummers Mark Guiliana and Sunny Jain (Red Baraat). He has played in big bands led by trombonists Alan Ferber and JC Sanford, writer/arranger Asuka Kakatani and Travis Sullivan’s Bjorkestra. (Ferber’s “March Sublime” was nominated for a Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album Grammy in 2014.) He is currently a member of the Brooklyn Jazz Underground, an association of independent artists with a shared commitment to creativity and community. The BJU aims to build greater awareness of original music emerging from Brooklyn.

Following up on a critically acclaimed debut in 2010, Pathway, David has released his second recording as a leader in May 2015, Scenic Design. Produced by Ben Wendel of Kneebody, the record features David Smith on trumpet, Wendel on saxophone, Matt Clohesy on bass and Kendrick Scott on drums.In 2008, David represented the United States in the American Music Abroad program with the band Exegesis, sponsored by Jazz at Lincoln Center and the U.S. State Department. The ensemble traveled to Bahrain, Yemen, Oman, the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait over the course of 5 weeks, giving performance and clinics to audiences across the region.

Other musicians that David has recorded or performed with include Dennis Chambers, Quincy Davis, Shane Endsley, John Ellis, Nir Felder, Tomas Fujiwara, Eric Harland, Paul Keller, Gregoire Maret, Christian McBride, Pete McCann, Donny McCaslin, Marcus Miller, John O’Gallagher, Ulysses Owens, Rich Perry, Robert Randolph, Lew Soloff, Sachal Vasandani and Victor Wooten.