Carla Cook is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist.

A Detroit, Michigan … Read Full Bio ↴Carla Cook is a Grammy-nominated jazz vocalist.

A Detroit, Michigan native, music seized hold of Cook at an early age. As a student at Cass Technical High School she played string bass in the school orchestra, studied piano and voice on weekends, and sang in her church’s choir. An elder brother introduced her to jazz, Cook chose voice as her instrument of choice, and she became a disciple of jazz icon Eddie Jefferson, founder of a singing technique called ‘vocalese’ where a singer sings lyrics to a famous instrumental solo. During this time she and close friend Regina Carter formed dreams of becoming jazz musicians; Cook as a singer, and Carter as a violinist. At Carter’s urging she applied to and was accepted by Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts. While at Northeastern she remained in close contact with Carter (who was studying at the New England Conservatory of Music and met Cyrus Chestnut, a jazz pianist studying at nearby Berklee School of Music. After graduating from Northeastern in 1985 Cook remained in Boston preparing herself for a career singing jazz in New York. In February of 1990 she moved to New York and supported herself as a school teacher and book seller during the day, and singing at night. After five years she traveled to Europe and from 1993-1994 Cook served as a guest vocal and ensemble instructor at the Jazzschule in Basel, Switzerland, and Jazz and Rock Schule in Freiburg, Germany. She returned to New York two years later and her work included singing with Lionel Hampton’s Orchestra and George Gee’s Make Believe Ballroom Orchestra. In 1998 she signed with MaxJazz, a fledgling music label, and that year she released her first CD, ‘It’s All About Love’, to great acclaim, including a best jazz vocal Grammy nomination. Her second CD, ‘Dem Bones’ (a tribute to all the trombone players she’d worked with in the Lionel Hampton and George Gee groups), released in 2001, was also a success, and received a glowing review from Down Beat magazine, the leading jazz publication. In 2002 she released her CD ‘Simply Natural’, which was inspired by her love for the beauty found in nature.

Cook performs globally both with her own groups, most notably 'the Carla Cook Quintet', and as a guest soloist with artists including Eric Reed and old friends Regina Carter and Cyrus Chestnut (both of whom have become young luminaries in the jazz world). Her eclectic venues include the digital realm as she is featured as a character in the Sony Playstation game, ‘Parappa the Rapper II’, and she has said that it is a dream of hers to appear with her favorite characters on Sesame Street.

September Song
Carla Cook Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
But the days grow short when you reach September
When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
One hasn't got time for the waiting game

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I'll spend with you

These precious days I'll spend with you

Overall Meaning

Carla Cook's song "September Song" is a beautiful ballad that expresses the fleeting nature of time and the urgency to cherish precious moments. The opening lines, "Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December" allude to the idea that life is short, and we need to make the most of it. As the song progresses, the lyrics explore the changes that come with autumn, and how the leaves turn into fiery shades of color. These allusions to the natural course of life remind listeners that change is inevitable, and we should embrace it instead of fearing it.

The second verse highlights how the days seem to pass quickly and how little time remains. As the seasons change, there is a sense of urgency to make the most of the remaining days. The lines, "September, November, and these few precious days I'll spend with you" emphasize the importance of living in the moment and cherishing the time we have with loved ones. Overall, the song is a beautiful reminder to appreciate the present and to make the most of every moment.

Line by Line Meaning

Oh, it's a long, long while from May to December
Time seems to extend for eternity between the months of May and December

But the days grow short when you reach September
As one nears the month of September, the days quickly grow shorter

When the autumn weather turns the leaves to flame
With changing weather, autumn causes the leaves to transform into beautiful shades of orange and red

One hasn't got time for the waiting game
There is no time to waste on waiting when there are so few days left

Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
The days quickly diminish to only a few left

September, November
The months of September and November, possibly implying the time between them is equally as short

And these few precious days I'll spend with you
The remaining days are valuable and I choose to spend them with you

Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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