Mick Cooke
Encyclopedia
Mick Cooke is the trumpet
player of the Scottish
indie band Belle & Sebastian
. Besides trumpet, Cooke plays other brass instruments, including the French horn, and occasionally plays electric guitar
and bass
live. Since the departure of Stuart David
, the role of bass player in Belle & Sebastian is shared between Cooke and David's direct replacement Bobby Kildea
who also plays lead guitar.
Whilst he is known to sing at some concerts (including a rendition of This Guy's In Love With You
), the only official release with Cooke on lead vocals is The Monkeys Are Breaking Out of The Zoo on the charity compilation Colours Are Brighter
spearheaded by Cooke himself. He is a founding member of the band, although he did not officially join until their third album
(he was prevented from doing so because his other band, Hardbody, was under contract with Sony
). Cooke also plays in the ska
band The Amphetameanies and recently appeared on the 2007 Idlewild album, 'Make Another World'
Cooke is said to have had an influence on other Scottish based bands, including Franz Ferdinand
(who incidentally were given a bass guitar by Mick, leading to the formation of the band), whose members appeared in Belle & Sebastian's enigmatic early promotional photographs. According to Belle & Sebastian's website, he has a degree in pharmacology
.
Cooke also composes music for films and animations.
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
player of the Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
indie band Belle & Sebastian
Belle & Sebastian
Belle and Sebastian are an indie pop band formed in Glasgow in January 1996. Belle and Sebastian are often compared with influential indie bands such as The Smiths, as well as classic acts such as Love, Bob Dylan and Nick Drake. The name Belle & Sebastian comes from Belle et Sébastien, a 1965...
. Besides trumpet, Cooke plays other brass instruments, including the French horn, and occasionally plays electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
live. Since the departure of Stuart David
Stuart David
Stuart David is a Scottish musician, who formerly was a bassist with Belle & Sebastian and then went on to front Looper . He is the author of the novels Nalda Said and The Peacock Manifesto published by I.M.P. Fiction in 1999 and 2001...
, the role of bass player in Belle & Sebastian is shared between Cooke and David's direct replacement Bobby Kildea
Bobby Kildea
Bobby Kildea is a musician from Northern Ireland. He currently plays bass and guitar in the Scottish indie pop band Belle & Sebastian, after joining in 2001 to replace departing bassist Stuart David, and had previously been in V-Twin...
who also plays lead guitar.
Whilst he is known to sing at some concerts (including a rendition of This Guy's In Love With You
This Guy's in Love with You
"This Guy's in Love with You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David, and recorded by Herb Alpert. Although known primarily for his trumpet playing as the leader of the Tijuana Brass, Alpert sang lead vocals on this solo recording, arranged by Bacharach.The recording's origin occurs, as...
), the only official release with Cooke on lead vocals is The Monkeys Are Breaking Out of The Zoo on the charity compilation Colours Are Brighter
Colours Are Brighter
Colours Are Brighter is a charity record which was released on Rough Trade Records on 16 October 2006, all proceeds going to Save the Children...
spearheaded by Cooke himself. He is a founding member of the band, although he did not officially join until their third album
The Boy with the Arab Strap
The Boy with the Arab Strap is the third album from the Scottish band Belle & Sebastian. The inspiration for the album's name came from the band Arab Strap, who are also from Scotland and briefly toured with Belle & Sebastian. An Arab strap is a sexual device for retaining an erection.Arab Strap...
(he was prevented from doing so because his other band, Hardbody, was under contract with Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
). Cooke also plays in the ska
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
band The Amphetameanies and recently appeared on the 2007 Idlewild album, 'Make Another World'
Cooke is said to have had an influence on other Scottish based bands, including Franz Ferdinand
Franz Ferdinand (band)
Franz Ferdinand are a Scottish post-punk revival band formed in Glasgow in 2002. The band is composed of Alex Kapranos , Bob Hardy , Nick McCarthy , and Paul Thomson .The band first experienced chart success when their second single, "Take Me Out", reached #3 in...
(who incidentally were given a bass guitar by Mick, leading to the formation of the band), whose members appeared in Belle & Sebastian's enigmatic early promotional photographs. According to Belle & Sebastian's website, he has a degree in pharmacology
Pharmacology
Pharmacology is the branch of medicine and biology concerned with the study of drug action. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between a living organism and chemicals that affect normal or abnormal biochemical function...
.
Cooke also composes music for films and animations.