Experience counts, especially in jazz. You can hear the fruits of such work in the expressive language The Cookers bring to the bandstand and to their six critically acclaimed recordings. This legendary and exciting 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.
Billy Harper (Tenor Saxophone), Cecil McBee (Bass), George Gables (Piano), Eddie Henderson (Trumpet), and Billy Hart (Drums) 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. David Weiss (Trumpet) and Donald Harrison (Alto Sax), the youngest members of this talented band, are from a more recent generation.
Billy Hart and Eddie 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 Donald Harrison are experts in this forthright lingo, having gained experience performing with Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Roy Haynes and Herbie Hancock.
The Cookers, who "embody the serious-as-death commitment that it took to thrive on the New York scene some four decades ago" (The Boston Globe), released their sixth acclaimed album, Look Out! in 2021. On Look Out! the incredibly high level of musicianship has only increased with fresh, challenging, boundary-pushing music from these revered veteran improvisers.
Each member of The Cookers has also spent time leading his own series of groups, 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 music, and especially in their live performances.
Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club's 2022 Schedule of Shows now includes 9 NEA Jazz Masters, 52 GRAMMY® Award-Winning Artists, 46 Blues Music Award-Winners, and a comprehensive list of talented musicians with 575+ GRAMMY® Award Nominations amongst them. The mission of Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club is to provide guests a one-of-a-kind, world-class experience featuring serious jazz and blues music served with exceptional cuisine. Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club features a spectacular and visually breathtaking environment engineered to deliver the highest quality acoustics while utilizing state-of-the-art production, sound and lighting technologies. Jimmy's Jazz & Blues Club is located within a beautifully restored 1905 building at 135 Congress Street in the heart of historic downtown Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
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