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Henry Cooke

I bizarrely attended a live performance by English punk band 'The Damned' at the tender age of 5.

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My Jazz Story

Arguably my love of jazz was born of my first gig experience. I bizarrely attended a live performance by English punk band 'The Damned' at the tender age of 5. My undeveloped ears immediately longed for something more considered.. My first experience of jazz was a mix-tape I appropriated / stole from a friend, whilst it only contained Dizzy Gillespie Big Band performances, it was enough to hook me in for life. Thanks to my parents and siblings love of Monk, Gillespie and Coltrane - I naturally gravitated towards established names, unashamedly refusing to deviate from my path. However, an introduction to Evan Parker at the Vortex club, north London rapidly made me reconsider my trajectory...instead throwing me into a world of brash, uncompromising music that I'm still attempting to get my head around...but that's been half the fun.

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