Video: Ian Cooke on TEDxMileHigh

Ian Cooke is a Denver treasure, a musician whose lengthy career here has proven him as talented as he is creative. The cellist and band leader has always been an ambitious writer, but he took his story telling to new levels with "Cassowary & Fruit Bat," a song with an...

By Kiernan Maletsky

December 29, 2014

[
        {
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Inline Content - Mobile Display Size",
          "component": "12017618",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "17242653",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - MediumRectangle - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261320",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "18838239",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Air - Leaderboard Tower - Combo - Inline Content",
          "component": "17261321",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Ian Cooke is a Denver treasure, a musician whose lengthy career here has proven him as talented as he is creative. The cellist and band leader has always been an ambitious writer, but he took his story telling to new levels with "Cassowary & Fruit Bat," a song with an accompanying short film and book.

His next album, which comes out in the spring, will focus on dinosaurs -- a project sure to be particularly thoughtful and elaborate in his hands. For a recent appearance on TEDxMileHigh, however, Cooke focused on older songs: "Monster," "Music" and "Fortitude." Watch the performance below.

Cooke joins a short list of musicians to appear on the local version of the venerable TED Talk program. Others include Esme Patterson, Gregory Alan Isakov and the Water Girls (a bluegrass super-group of sorts from Lyons).

The next time you can catch him live will be January 15 at Syntax Physic Opera. Buy tickets here.

• BACKBEAT'S GREATEST HITS •
- 50 Photos That Prove Red Rocks Is the Most Beautiful Venue on the Planet
- Photos: Musicians Buying (Legal) Weed in Denver
- The Ten Most Underrated Guitarists in the History of Rock
- 50 Ways to Support Your DIY Music Community

Follow @Westword_Music

KEEP WESTWORD FREE... Since we started Westword, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of Denver, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.