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.
Regina Carter
Cook