Jenavieve Cooke is a trumpeter, singer, and bandleader who brings energetic traditional jazz to Frenchmen Street and beyond. With rich vocals and an engaging personality, she puts her own sparkle on the trad and swing jazz canon, leading a band built for dancing, listening, and everything in between.
Cooke's path to the bandstand was anything but straight: she studied medicine for two years before double-majoring in advertising and psychology and working in art direction, then gave up her job, bought a guitar, and spent seven years traveling through Canada, Central America, and Europe — busking, hitchhiking, and recording music from many cultures. She spent a few months each in New Orleans in 2011, 2012, and 2013 before finally settling here and forming her band, originally the Royal Street Winding Boys.
The Winding Boys are now firmly established in the New Orleans scene, with regular sets at the Spotted Cat Music Club and Three Muses on Frenchmen Street. Their recent album Sleepy Time Dream Team includes favorites like 'When I Get Low, I Get High.' The lineup features veteran players including Alvin 'Dizzy' Rucker on bass, James Evans on clarinet and trombone, and Hunter Burgamy on banjo.
