"A skilled interpreter of the standards. The listener is struck by the warmth and intimacy of Gill's stirring vocals."

Paul Pace - Spice of Life

"A true singer with style and charisma".

Guida De Palma - Vocalist

"Gill Cook is a true communicator, she maintains the delicate balance between the musical and lyrical content of songs."

Greta Matassa - Tula's Jazz Club Seattle, USA

"I have listened to Gill's CD and think she is a great talent...The band are excellent and could be a very successful outfit.....I have played two of the tracks on my show."

Alec Allen, Nevis Radio

"...a rich and characterful voice...I was won over by the first round..."

Brian Morton, Jazz Review Magazine.

"After years of working in rock and R&B bands across the English countryside, Gill Cook has turned her attention to jazz, and based on the result, it may be where her attention has belonged all along.

She has a strong range, though she's most effective just above her slightly smoky middle register.

More impressive than her intonation, though, is her phrasing, which elevates her efforts above pop conventions and into the true realm of jazz vocals. That's the quality that, more than anything, leads to the conclusion that whatever her background, she's a jazz natural.

The true mark of a jazz singer isn't the ability to perform a song, but the ability to take ownership of it. ...today, Gill Cook sounds very much like the future of British jazz."

Jazzreview.com, USA

"Unlike some standards interpreters, this London-based vocalist's warm, smokily poised alto comes without the saccharine."

Jazzwise Magazine

"…Phrases well and swings – go along to hear her live."

Jazz Journal Magazine

"A firm grasp of phrasing and her scat is most convincing...she swings with ample dexterity…"

Cadence Magazine (USA)

The launch of vocalist Gill Cook’s latest CD, Morning With You on the Mainstem label, one of the last of the indies that cares about quality mainstream jazz, on Sunday last at Dean Street’s Pizza Express, attracted a good crowd, despite the appeal of the continuing Summer weather and the Tour of Britain finale, over in nearby Whitehall.

It's a while since I heard anyone with a repertoire so eclectic, neither in the classic Porter/Gershwin American Songbook bag, nor edging toward the "significant" new. Songs like Carole King's Stand Behind Me, Jimmy Webb’s always beguiling Up Up And Away, and Michel Legrand’s I Will Wait For You showed a sure grasp of of post rock classics, even if they did not give the band a lot to et their teeth into - always a problem with this wish not to seem a fossilised part of a pre-war era. But on If I Were a Bell, always a favourite with singers with jazz in their soul, the splendid Nick Tomalin (piano), Dominic Howles (bass) and Matt Fishwick (drums) rhythm section were able to kick in, and Ms Cook was really flying. Which leads to the magnificent trumpeter Steve Waterman’s towering presence throughout, a wonderful player. On every song , soft rock or jazz he produced a series of textbook, lyrical, flowing improvisations that spelled out the presence of a true jazz master.

Oddly, it was on Golden Earrings, not an obvious choice as a jazz vehicle, that singer and band really did the business, with the hardest up-tempo swing of the afternoon, totally obliterating my own Family Favourites memories of a song laden with schmaltz, and in complete contrast to Gill’s own song, Morning With You, which flirted on the edge of a Celtic traditional atmosphere. Still, just to remind us of her deep jazz roots the afternoon closed with a rousing Man I Love - horrible words, great tune - with the whole team really cooking, as we used to say, and Ms. Cook, who had fronted the whole multi-faceted package with humour and style, thoroughly deserving the warm vociferous reception that the show received. 

London Jazz News 20th September 2014

Brian Blain - London Jazz News

After a gap of 7 years since her CD “Something Cool”, it is a delight to be able to write up her latest CD. And, yes, even this release is slightly later than expected (perhaps a ploy to heighten ones expectations?).

Those of you who have listened to her “live” over the intervening years, either at the Ealing Jazz Festival or in a club like Hedsor, will know that she is an accomplished performer, and this is instantly recognisable in her new CD.

The choice of material is a little less “Song Book” than many singers would choose. The songs are from a much wider musical path than many would have risked. Those titles that you have heard other singers perform are given a Gill twist. The openers “Sunday in New York” and “Black Coffee” are performed in such a way as to make you hear the words as though for the first time, you are made to think about their meaning all over again.

The musicians she has chosen to collaborate with on this release (Nick Tomalin Piano, Dominic Howles Bass, and Matt Fishwick Drums) provide a very easy light and lilting accompaniment, and they are enhanced on alternate tracks by trumpet star Steve Waterman who was, like Nick, also on the earlier CD. Steve plays some excellent licks at all the right times! You can see why he is so highly rated.

The first non-standard jazz tune to be sung is Carol King’s “Stand Behind Me”. OK you might have found this one before but I wonder how many jazz fans or singers would find material like Prefab Sprout’s “When Love Breaks Down”.

So a mixture of the unusual and the usual all performed with swing, skill and insight. It leads the listener into the unexpected and into finding music they might never have listened to before. The CD, our vehicle for the journey, has also been very well recorded at London’s “Red Gables Studio”.

Is there a negative side? Yes. It’s a shame that the last track (“If I Were a Bell”) ends in a fade. It had been tapping my feet nicely!

To start your 52 minute journey go find Mainstem Productions MSTCD0058.

Finally I’m just glad I have already booked Gill for Hedsor’s Christmas Party!

Geoff C - Jazz from Geoff