by Jonathan Widran

Although this bold and dynamic acoustic guitar giant's stock in trade is the hybrid of rhumba flamenco, he's electrified smooth jazz audiences everywhere with one of the best live shows in any instrumental based genre. What could be more exciting than a whole hour of his trademark hits and other exotic classics performed in front of an audience in his native Canada? Recorded at the Metropolis Theater during Le Festival International de Jazz de Montreal, the 14 songs offer a smart mix of the lively clapalongs that have become his best-loved works ("Rattle and Burn," "Mario Takes a Walk") and more involved, intricate and dramatic Middle Eastern-tinged works from his later recordings. While "Closer to Madness" takes a few minutes to build, it offers a more introspective side of Cook's multifaceted work as we wait for the tune to explode. Likewise "Baghdad," whose brief solo passages in between the fun stuff show off his technical prowess and solo capabilities. While most live CDs simply include audience applause between cuts, most of these tracks have the audience participating via clapping, sometimes in ecstatic rhythm with the tune ("Luna Llena"). The most exciting moments of crowd/band synergy are the wild percussion passages on "Mario Takes a Walk," which elicit crowd whoops and hollers throughout. After all the craziness, the more graceful and folksy vocal ballad "Fall at Your Feet" (featuring Danny Wilde) provides a lovely, harmony laden parting souvenir.