Featuring Billy
Harper (tenor sax), Craig Handy (alto sax), Eddie Henderson
(trumpet), David Weiss (trumpet), George Cables
(piano), Cecil McBee (bass), & Billy Hart (drums)
This exciting new all-star septet summons up
an aggressive mid '60s spirit with a potent collection of expansive post-bop
originals marked by all the requisite killer instincts and pyrotechnic playing
expected of some of the heaviest hitters on the scene today. This Saturday and
Sunday the band will take the stage at The Iridium for a not to be missed
two-night engagement in anticipation of recording their new album for Motema
Music, forthcoming this September, and to be supported by amajor international
tour.
Billy
Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up
in the heady era of the mid '60s. It was a period that found the dimensions of
hard bop morphing from their original designs, and each of these guys helped
facilitate the process as members of some of the most important bands of the
era. Hart and Henderson were members of Herbie Hancock's groundbreaking
Mwandishi group; Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd's great '60s quartet
alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette; Billy Harper was part of Lee
Morgan's last group, as well as being a member of Max Roach's Quartet and Art
Blakey and the Jazz Messengers; while George Cables held down the piano chair
in numerous bands including groups led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie
Hubbard, Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper.
David
Weiss and Craig Handy, from a more recent generation and the youngest members
of the band, are experts in this forthright lingo, having gained experience
performing with Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Roy Haynes
and Herbie Hancock. Each member of the Cookers has spent time leading his own
series of groups as well, and each has a keenly individual sound. But it's the
unmistakable power of teamwork that makes this music so commanding and
resonates with a kind of depth and beauty that speaks of the seasoned track
record of its principals (combined, the group has over 250 years of experience
in the jazz world and has been a part of over 1,000 recordings). You can feel
the collective weight of that experience in their CDs and especially in their
live performances. Since this version of the band was solidified in 2007 the
group has performed at venues around the world, including headlining the New
Orleans Jazz Fest, Playboy Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz Festival, Umbria Jazz
Festival, Northsea Jazz Festival, Chicago Jazz Festival, The Jerusalem Jazz
Festival, The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, The Charlie Parker Jazz Festival,
The Burghausen Jazz Festival, Jazz Terrassa,The Healdsburg Jazz Festival, Jazz
Viersen, Ronnie Scott's and Yoshi's.
"Talk
about truth in advertising: The Cookers, an eye-popping septet, offers the
promise of broiling intensity ... the blend of experience and youth, the rich
orchestration possibilities offered by four horns, and especially the
distinctive collection of personalities gives the band a unique
complexion."
- Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press
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