In February 1990 she moved to New York and supported herself as a school teacher and book seller during the day, and singing at night.

After five years she traveled to Europe and from 1993 to 1994 Cook served as a guest vocal and ensemble instructor at the Jazzschule in Basel, Switzerland, and Jazz and Rock Schule in Freiburg, Germany.

In 1998 she signed with MaxJazz, a fledgling music label, and that year she released her first CD, It's All About Love, to great acclaim, including a best jazz vocal Grammy nomination.

Her second CD, Dem Bones (a tribute to all the trombone players she had worked with in the Lionel Hampton and George Gee groups), released in 2001, was also a success, and received a glowing review from Down Beat magazine, the leading jazz publication.

In 2011 her rendition of Roberta Flack's "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" was featured on jazz percussionist Steve Kroon's CD Without A Doubt.