Ali Cook is a classical double bassist turned musical alchemist and singer-songwriter described as having a crystalline voice—reminiscent of Norah Jones and Gillian Welch’s expressive warmth. She took with her the precision of the orchestral stage to the unbound string sounds and storytelling of Americana and Tango.
A freelance veteran of the National, Detroit, and Baltimore symphonies, she channels her classical precision into genre-spanning collaborations: the cosmic Americana storytelling of Barton Hollow, the fiery passion of international tango ensemble Quintango, and virtuosic band of string players in her project Ali & The Wild Geese (featured on KUTX Austin and Americana UK). Her debut album Next embodies this leap featuring her voice, guitar, violin, piano, and bass.
Her arrangement of Dance Me to the End of Love by Leonard Cohen has been featured in dance programs and her original composition Aspiration was featured in the documentary Tango Fine which won multiple awards, including for its soundtrack.
Ali has earned degrees in music performance from Michigan State University, Indiana University, and Manhattan School of Music as well as winning a Tanglewood fellowship under the Boston Symphony, toured and performed with the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, Spoleto Festival USA, and has received numerous awards for her orchestral work.
Ali and the Wild Geese is a modern string band that weaves together the raw storytelling of Americana with the precision of chamber music and the energy of indie-folk rock. At its heart is Ali’s crystalline, soulful voice anchored by virtuosic interplay between bass, guitar, violin, mandolin, accordion. Like Crooked Still’s boundary-pushing roots or Punch Brothers’ bluegrass-meets-Bartók inventiveness, the band’s sound is both timeless and unexpected.
News
January 22nd, 2025
Americana Highways reviews Next, here.
“Throughout the album you’re captivated – the vocals are easily diverse enough to hold your attention and the arrangements follow each song’s true intention.” – Americana Highways
June 16th, 2025
Next is available for purchase on Bandcamp, here.
Why Buy Direct on Bandcamp?
Because music shouldn’t be a commodity—and artists shouldn’t work for pennies.
Streaming platforms like Spotify have rigged the system. They pay artists $0.003–$0.005 per stream—meaning you’d need 250,000 streams just to earn $1,000 (before labels, taxes, or splits). Meanwhile, CEOs pocket billions. It’s a broken model that devalues art and forces musicians into unsustainable hustle.
Jan. 10th, 2025
Debut album, Next, was released on all major platforms.
YouTube | Apple Music | Spotify | Amazon | Deezer
Jan. 6th, 2025
Austin’s KUTX 89.9 featured the song Bad Detective and is part of debut album, Next, which was released on January 10th. Taylor Wallace-Riegel wrote, “with Cook’s arrangement, each member shines through. The story’s whir of a journey through the fruitless effort of trying to answer the question, ‘where did it all go wrong?’ is embellished by the song’s own whir of time signature changes and quick solo exchanges.”
January, 2022
Jason Heath interviews Ali, here.
Episode 869: Ali Cook on moving to Austin and high-level subbing
