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Home , Art Pepper, Azar Lawrence, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Charles Tolliver

THE COOKERS

A dream team of forward-leaning hard-bop. — Nate Chinen, The Times

Player for player, there’s no better working band in than The Cookers. — Andrew Gilbert, Globe www.davidweissmusic.com“ 212.477.3647 [email protected] ” THE COOKERS

xperience counts, Eespecially in jazz. The more time musicians spend interpreting tunes and interacting with others, the more articulation an audience can expect. You can hear the fruits of such work in the expressive language The Cookers bring to the bandstand and to their three critically acclaimed recordings, Warriors, Cast the First Stone and Believe. This exciting new all-star septet summons up an aggressive mid ‘60s spirit with a potent collection of expansive post-bop are experts in this forthright lingo, having gained originals marked by all the requisite killer instincts experience performing with , and pyrotechnic playing expected of some of the , , heaviest hitters on the scene today. and .

Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, , Eddie Each member of the Cookers has spent time Henderson, and all came up in the leading his own series of groups as well, and heady era of the mid ‘60s. It was a period that each has a keenly individual sound. But it’s the found the dimensions of morphing from unmistakable power of teamwork that makes this their original designs, and each of these guys music so commanding and resonates with a kind of helped facilitate the process as members of some depth and beauty that speaks of the seasoned track of the most important bands of the era. Hart and record of its principals (combined, the group has Henderson were members of Herbie Hancock’s over 250 years of experience in the jazz world and groundbreaking group; Cecil McBee has been a part of over 1,000 recordings). You can anchored Charles Lloyd’s great ’60s quartet feel the collective weight of that experience in their alongside and Jack DeJohnette; Billy CDs and especially in their live performances. Harper was part of ’s last group, as Since this version of the band was solidified in well as being a member of ’s Quartet 2007 the group has performed at venues around and and ; while the world, including headlining the New Orleans George Cables held down the chair in Jazz Fest, Playboy Jazz Festival, Vancouver Jazz numerous bands including groups led by Sonny Festival, Umbria Jazz Festival, Northsea Jazz Rollins, , Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Festival, Jazz Festival, The Jerusalem Gordon and . Jazz Festival, The Guinness Cork Jazz Festival, The Jazz Festival, The Burghausen and , from a more recent Jazz Festival, Jazz Terrassa,The Healdsburg Jazz generation and the youngest members of the band, Festival, Jazz Viersen, Ronnie Scott’s and Yoshi’s. www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 [email protected] THE COOKERS

A hard-bop wrecking crew — Nate Chinen,

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 offered by four horns, and especially the distinctive collection of personalities gives the band a unique complexion. — Mark Stryker, Detroit Free Press

With Believe, The Cookers hooked me from the first horn blast on the first tune, “Believe, For It Is True.” This masterpiece , composed and arranged by tenor genius , should be enough for jazz fans to buy the whole darn album. (They) are some of the best composers, arrangers and musicians we have in jazz, and they’re working together in one of the most exciting super-groups we’ve seen in a long, long time. The , handled by Harper and Weiss, are outrageously wonderful. And the musicians just kill it on every tune. This is a group of the world’s best musicians who have nothing to prove to anyone, but they prove it all on Believe. — Frank Alkyer, Down Beat Magazine

The Cookers are hard-wired into the golden era of jazz history, but they use tradition as a foundation for creative fury in the present moment. “ — Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times

This hard-hitting septet wears its name like a mission statement. Rich with a mix of classic elegance and exploration, the group might reference the past by name, but it never sounds less than current. — Chris Barton, Los Angeles Times

Believe it: The new Cookers CD is amazing. It’s one of those rare albums that come along a handful of times a year, that will blow you away the first time you give it a close listen. This one has gravitas, rich melodic beauty and all sorts of deep playing and interplay. Interestingly, much as this band is all about power and fiery chops, it’s the compositions here that absolutely slay. — Lucid Culture

Believe is a cooker, indeed. Consisting of seven originals and a tune (“Free For All”) and featuring rich, thick, smart arrangements by Weiss, Believe bristles with fiery conviction from start to finish. — Paul de Barros, Seattle Times www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 ”[email protected] THE COOKERS

“Priestess” launches Harper like a slingshot: There is no tenor saxophonist in current jazz whose entrance can create such a jolt of adrenaline. (There was once one named Coltrane.) — Thomas Conrad, Jazz Times

If you wondered what has happened to all the passion and intensity, once such essential ingredients of great swinging jazz and now virtually non-existent in so much of today’s outpourings, you’ll find it all in The Cookers. — Tony Hall, Jazzwise Magazine

The Cookers reunites several musicians whose decades-long associations affirm the progressive spirit of early ‘70s straight-ahead jazz, one which is always needed now more than ever. Subsequently, the veterans’ consistently sterling work is presented within a context that is organic, the polar opposite of most all-star band schemes. — Bill Shoemaker, Point of Departure

This lineup that has jelled magnificently, and their new CD, Believe (Motema Music), may even surpass last year’s Cast the First Stone in terms of drive and camaraderie. But everyone here is giving it their all, and it shows. The fire burns as much now as it did then, and the music on Believe is both a tribute to the veterans in the group and a contemporary life force. — Denver Post

On this second release, Blue Note values prevail: hard-driving rhythms; soulful solos; exuberant ensemble work; “ a feeling that jazz is a serious, meaningful calling but also fun. The composer’s raw, impassioned lead and the ensemble’s intense, jabbing responses quickly indicate that this is a special session. A slower section expands the horn harmony, and there’s that old revered Blue Note sound hitting you in your head-to-heart circuitry. — Owen Cordle, Jazz Times

This is the perfect album for anyone who says they don’t record jazz albums like they used to. — Jack Garner, Democrat and Chronicle

You’re not likely to hear a better set of straight-ahead jazz at a local club this year. — Time Out New York

Cast the First Stone cooks like crazy. Its seven tracks feature a lot of righteous bashing from veteran jazzmen who play with remarkable vigour and risk-taking. Drawing equally on the wall-of-sound horn section of an Art Blakey Messengers band and on the maximum drums/modal fury esthetic of the great Quartet, The Cookers raise the bar for intensity in this style of jazz. You could think of this disc as a sequel of sorts to the seminally powerful Blakey disc Free For All. — Peter Hum, Ottawa Citizen www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 ”[email protected] THE COOKERS

Believe begins with one of Harper’s preaching thunderbolt tunes, “Believe, For It Is True.” He rips through his solo; his sound could shred burlap. Then Henderson goes sky-walking through “Free for All,” the Art Blakey anthem. He’s the hippest of trumpeters, and this is one very hip band. — San Jose Mercury News

The Cookers deliver straight-ahead jazz with brains and brawn and Believe is beautifully rendered. The magnificent seven ride again! — ICON

Believe, the latest effort from The Cookers, is their most enjoyable to date. A working unit since 2007, the Cookers have a depth to their interplay that cannot be faked — the difference between 10-year old and 18-year old whiskey. At 69, Harper is somehow playing better than ever: His tone is clear and bottomless, his ideas brandished with black-belt assurance and formidability. — eMusic

This is the nitty-gritty stuff — technically adept, soulfully alive; calling up the spirits of jazz past and incarnating them in the Now through the medium of these exciting musicians. This smokes! Yes, this is music for the hard core and music that bites into the core of the sweet apple of jazz. Solid! “ — Rick Erben, 91.5 KIOS FM This isn’t a band reliving its heyday; it’s living it. — Chris Smith, Winnipeg Free Press

On Warriors, this mighty seven wields instruments like sonic weapons as they stir up a fiery jazz that harmonizes, improvises, takes chances and creates turbulent energy. These older cats still know how to wail and purr, creating cutting-edge, melodic, compelling jazz. — Eric Feber, The Virginian Pilot

This is a must for the many lovers of pure hard bop. What are the prime ingredients? Intensity, passion and great beauty. — Ken Franckling, Jazz Notes

Harper breaks out on one of his extraordinary solo flights, his sound is huge and bold, swooping like a powerful eagle over the musical landscape. It’s great to see these experienced musicians getting a chance to play with each other and create vital and interesting music. — Tim Niland, Music and More www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 ”[email protected] THE COOKERS

The Cookers, a dream group made up of jazz royalty, each a leader in their own right, has continued to prove that egos can be set aside when the joy of making strikingly original music is accomplished. — Audiophile Audition

There’s a sense of twilight on most tracks, which stylistically are firmly based in the intense and adventurous modal post-bop of the mid-’60s, a style which has aged so well that I’d even say it hasn’t aged at all. — Culture Catch

These guys aren’t merely masters of their instruments; they’re also composers and arrangers. Everything is beautifully arranged and swings wonderfully. ... This is pure jazz, as played by master artists. I loved it. — Ric Bang, Jazz Scan

Talk about a blast out of the starting gate: Billy Harper’s tenor just about jolts you out of your seat from note one of his Cast the First Stone. “Peacemaker” owns a beautifully off-centered melody, one that enchants but is uncommon in its workings. It is a piece of art. They own a full sound throughout — and this is in no small part because of the level of expertise we are dealing with here. They swing hard, and they improvise to the hilt, yet “Cast the First Stone” really sounds quite beautiful. In the last 35 years, I’ve had my jazz ears bent quite a bit. What I love about this music is that a top-to-bottom, “ top-shelf ensemble such as The Cookers allows that to happen yet again. — Jon Poses, The Columbia Daily Tribune

Pretty accurate to call this a jazz supergroup. All the members of this ensemble have been a vital part of the jazz landscape for decades, and based on their collaborative album Believe, that ain’t gonna change anytime in the near future. Their third album as the Cookers ensemble, and it has all the pure jazz buoyancy, swing, and musicianship that symbolize so much of what is great about Jazz. — Bird is the Worm

A cohesive and focused effort that lives up to its all-star billing, Cast the First Stone transcends the clichés that hinder many similar sessions. These legends play a vivacious strain of muscular acoustic jazz that establishes a historical through-line to the innovations of past masters, keeping the faith with passion and grace. — Troy Collins, All About Jazz

The entire album delights, really. It’s old-school jazz without in any way being old. And reminds us that jazz, at it’s best, is both energetic and substantial. — Matt Marshall, Jazz Inside www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 ”[email protected] THE COOKERS

The Cookers blazed in a brainy, heartfelt show at New Orleans Jazz Fest By Chris Waddington On a blustery evening at New Orleans Jazz Fest, The Cookers raised temperatures to thermonuclear levels in the WWOZ Jazz Tent. In fact, the brainy, heartfelt Ameri- can music conjured by this all-star septet tempts me to reach for the “Best of Fest” ribbon with two days left to go at the Fair Grounds. If you’re not a jazz fan, (or a #BAM fan), this blaz- ing band was also the biggest sleeper of the weekend. Jazz acolytes knew bet- ter. Every artist on stage had already led notable abilities to support a soloist. On Friday he also bands, recorded widely, and performed with the embraced the history of his instrument in solos grandmasters of improvising music. that mixed crashing octaves, trills, gospel chords Talk to most drummers on the Fair Grounds, and keyboard spanning arpeggios: a pan-stylis- for example, and they will have a story about tic feast that was, in the end, pure Cables. Billy Hart: his impeccable time, his dramatic Bassist Cecil McBee once tread the sun with sense and the astounding range of colors he pulls icon Pharaoh Sanders, and he played from the kit. Hart added a few new stories at musical chess with that master of harmony, Jazz Fest, whether setting the incantatory mood Wayne Shorter. One understood why on Friday, of with tom-tom rolls and cymbal as he provided the same services -- and an oce- crashes, or feeding the pulse in a modern waltz. anic pulse -- for a powerful front line of two Mention George Cables to a pianist, and and two reeds. McBee also contribut- they’ll tell you something about his telepathic ed some of the concert’s most compelling tunes,

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including a devastating contemporary . The quality didn’t fall off with the young- The front line winds were just as distin- sters in the band. Craig Handy conjured slippery guished as the rhythm section. lines on , reaching deep into the Tenor sax dynamo Billy Harper used to go baritone range with expressive honks and artic- head-to-head with Lee Morgan. He reprised ulating cascades of notes in the stratosphere. some of the melodically memorable tunes he Trumpeter David Weiss is a mean impro- wrote for the late-great brave, including viser, as full-throated as Henderson, but a little the medium tempo jazz waltz, “Croquet Ballet.” tarter in his harmonic choices. That piquant har- Harper’s horn dodged through the musical maze monic sense also pervades his smart arrange- like a halfback, muscling the band with a burly, ments for The Cookers. He helped to make a broad-shouldered sound and effective use of ex- seven-piece band sound like an orchestra. Even pressive distortions. in thickly scored sections, he allowed individu- Eddie Henderson once played trumpet in al voice to shine. (I guess that’s why Weiss used Herbie Hancock’s pioneering electric bands, to write charts for and Freddie and he brought the same burnished brass sound Hubbard). to Jazz Fest. This trumpeter can take a wiggy in- Put all those elements together and you terval and a minor theme and transform it into a have much more than an all-star jam. You have cubist poem, complete with bullfight flourishes, a remarkable band at the height of its collective speedy runs and dramatic pauses. powers.

Bill Cosby makes more Playboy Jazz Festival memories By Chris Barton backed legends such as Lee Morgan, Andrew But it was the veteran jazz group Cookers Hill and Art Blakey) swirled around a power- that offered one of the weekend’s highlights ful solo from trumpeter David Weiss, Cosby with a hard-hitting set that seemed to catch walked onstage and said a few quiet words Cosby’s ear. “This is the Playboy jazz festival,” with Weiss and saxophonist Billy Harper. As Cosby yelped from his usual position at stage the musicians laughed and the song continued right, emphasizing the music that inspired the to build around them, Cosby walked off the weekend-long party in the first place. bandstand and back to his post, never looking After the band (composed of players who back.

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The Cookers’ front line, from left: tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, trumpeter David Weiss, trumpeter Eddie Henderson and alto saxophonist Craig Handy. Bassist Cecil McBee is behind them. Experience and Youth Make A Noteworthy Combo in the Cookers By MARK STRYKER ist Cecil McBee and drummer Billy Hart. The Talk about truth in advertising: The Cook- band, whose name descends from a pair of cel- ers, an eye-popping septet led by the accom- ebrated mid-’60s Blue Note LPs by trumpeters plished trumpeter, composer and arranger Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan, lives at the David Weiss, offers the promise of broiling in- mainstream intersection of hard bop and post- tensity when it appears this weekend at the Jazz bop. The music is swinging, in touch with the Café at Music Hall. blues and girded by sturdy structures and so- The Cookers pairs Weiss, 45, and alto saxo- phisticated harmony but also willing to explore phonist Craig Handy with five stalwarts from an looser forms and freer rhythmic and harmonic older generation still at the top of their games: conceptions. tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, trumpeter Ed- The blend of experience and youth, the die Henderson, pianist George Cables, bass- rich orchestration possibilities offered by four

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horns and especially the distinctive collec- bard, helping the innovative trumpeter find a tion of personalities gives the band a unique comfortable creative outlet for his music as he complexion. The veterans are insider favor- struggled with embouchure trouble in the last ites known for their fierce energy and indi- years of his life. vidual character. Hart in particular is among Mostly, Weiss’ varied career illustrates the most majestic drummers in contemporary one man’s answer to the central dilemma fac- jazz, and the band is stocked with imaginative ing contemporary jazz musicians (actually, all composers. artists in our post-modern age): How does one “I wanted to put a band develop a healthy relationship together of all these veterans with the past? It’s an especially I admired and wanted to work tricky riddle for well-schooled with and feature their music Best known musicians assimilating their in the best possible light,” for the gleaming love for the pantheon and the says Weiss. “No one of my talisman-like pull of classic generation or younger plays professionalism he brings recordings while still search- with the intensity and passion ing for their own voice. Weiss’ and freshness of these guys, to all his endeavors, approach has been to develop so I would be foolish not to as well as his something of a split personal- want to get a piece of that.” ity, on the one hand leading Best known for - entrepreneurial spirit, bands of his peers to fulfill his ing authority and profes- passions as a composer, trum- sionalism he brings to all Weiss has carved out peter and bandleader and on his endeavors, as well as his his own niche the other pursuing repertory entrepreneurial spirit, Weiss projects and bands with per- has carved out his own niche on the New York sonnel best-suited to the spe- on the New York scene. He’s cific material and conception. always got something intrigu- scene. When it comes to the ing up his sleeve — from the Cookers, whose personnel Cookers to ensembles of his Weiss solidified about three peers like the New Jazz Composers Octet, to years ago, the point was to engage his elders on thoughtful tribute projects dedicated to Lee their terrain. Morgan and Wayne Shorter, to his Point of “I don’t think I would have any interest in Departure Quintet that explores landmark but playing this music with my peers or anyone overlooked music from the ‘60s, including younger,” he says. “It just doesn’t make any gems by the late Detroit pianist Kenn Cox and sense to me. That would really be looking back the Contemporary Jazz Quintet. as opposed to playing this sort of music with Weiss has contributed arrangements and the guys who are part of it. They don’t look transcriptions to some 80 recordings, including back. They play this music fresh and with pas- those by Freddie Hubbard, and Ab- sion and intensity every day, and I feel I am part bey Lincoln. He also developed a particularly of something that is moving the music forward significant working relationship with Hub- — or striving to all the time.”

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The Cookers at Jazz Alley — the real thing By Paul de Barros “Like it or not, that era produced the best The ‘50s and ‘60s were the golden age of musicians we’ve seen,” explained Weiss in a jazz, then everything went to hell. phone interview from the airport, That’s the orthodoxy, right? Sure, but you after the band sold out two nights at Yoshi’s in know what? It’s wrong. Oakland. “But they got short shrift, that genera- For anybody who was listening — and the tion. When it was their time to be stars, the la- problem was, not many were — the ‘70s ranks bels were gone.” at the very least as a silver decade, a time There’s a label for them now — Motema when a new bop mainstream coalesced from — and the band’s new album, aptly titled “Be- the old. It was the period when piano players lieve,” is a cooker, indeed. Consisting of seven regularly began to navigate two keys at the originals and a Wayne Shorter tune (“Free For same time, offering floating modal harmonies All”) and featuring rich, thick, smart arrange- and altered scales all about color; when drum- ments by Weiss, “Believe” bristles with fiery mers implied two, sometimes three meters si- conviction from start to finish. The two com- multaneously, swinging easily in time signa- positions by Cables — the lightly Latinish “Eb- tures beyond 4/4; and when slinky melodies ony Moonbeams” and an easy waltz, “But He stopped and started and twisted and turned, Knows” — are special attractions. But the band often with intertwining horns and layered also takes the Shorter tune to the precipice and rhythms churning beneath. back, with the locomotive Harper referencing If that sounds like something you like, get late Coltrane, Handy kissing his solo goodbye yourself down to Jazz Alley Tuesday or Wednes- with a wiggling gliss and Cables skittering over day for the Seattle debut of The Cookers. Start- the keys like a mosquito with a mission. ed five years ago by New York trumpeter David “Tight Squeeze” gives and Weiss as a Freddie Hubbard tribute band (the Shorter veteran McBee welcome space to shine, name comes from Hubbard’s famous album), as Hart serves up a narrative on drums and cym- this all-star group plays with the coherence and bals that plays like a little story. Hart’s celebra- abandon of a seasoned ensemble. It consists of tory closer, “Naaj,” is that rare jazz tune you George Cables (piano), Cecil McBee (bass), walk away from whistling. Billy Hart (drums), Billy Harper (tenor saxo- For fans who grouse that Jazz Alley doesn’t phone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet) and Weiss book enough “real jazz” these days, here’s your himself. (Alto saxophonist Craig Handy had to chance. miss this gig because of a conflict.) Show up or shut up.

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THE REAL DEAL: The Cookers make for one serious jazz combo

By Andrew Gilbert Player for player, there’s no better working band in jazz than the Cookers. Showcasing a cast of masters who came of age in the 1960s, the group started as a high-concept proj- ect and eventually developed its own identity, built upon de- cades of intertwining ties and a repertoire of brilliant original compositions. The rhythm section alone is a formidable force with pia- nist George Cables, bassist Ce- cil McBee, and drummer Billy Hart, players who define the progressive post-bop contin- uum. While never a working trio, they recorded a gorgeous album under Cables’s name in 1991, “Night and Day’’ tory in Herbie Hancock’s band personal relationships for many (DIW). Mwandishi and Harper and Ca- years and have a lot of shared Trumpeter Eddie Hender- bles toured with Art Blakey’s memories.’’ son and tenor saxophonist Billy Jazz Messengers. For Harper, who grew up Harper hail from roughly the “We came up together and in Jim Crow Texas, the bond same generation, and the Cook- shared a lot of personal, musi- uniting the Cookers was forged ers embody the serious-as- cal, and conceptual experienc- equally off the bandstand, in death commitment that it took es,’’ says Cables, 66, whose ex- the crucible of the civil rights to thrive on the New York scene quisite lyricism led altoist Art movement. Possessing a huge, some four decades ago, when Pepper to dub him Mr. Beau- iron-hard sound and spiritually Henderson and Hart made his- tiful. “We’ve had musical and charged sensibility inspired by

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John Coltrane, he generates fearsome momen- of material, including a sumptuous McBee bal- tum in solos that can arc from the pews to the lad “Close to You Alone,’’ an entrancing Cables barricades. waltz “Spookarella,’’ and Harper’s numinous “We went through the firåe coming up in scorcher “Capra Black,’’ the title track of his America,’’ says Harper, 68. “We had similar ex- classic 1973 Strata East debut featuring Cables. periences dealing with those times. It makes you “We have a balance between what we know will a lot tougher, and that’s what makes the group as be incredibly intense from Billy Harper and prettier driving as it is. We had to have a driving force in music from the other guys,’’ Weiss says. “It’s al- life even before we became musicians.’’ ways about finding the right balance of both: the A septet, the Cookers include two musicians go-for-the-jugular and the dazzling pretty stuff.’’ who came up in the 1980s, saxophonist Craig Harper is the band’s secret weapon, the play- Handy, best known as a long- er whose notoriety in the Unit- time member of the Mingus The rhythm section ed States is farthest afield from , and trumpeter-ar- his rarified accomplishments. ranger David Weiss. An invet- alone is a formidable After paying dues with such erate organizer of bands, Weiss heavyweights as , first assembled the ensemble force. , and Morgan, he es- about 10 years ago for a concert tablished himself as a leading commemorating “The Night of the Cookers,’’ force in jazz’s 1970s black consciousness move- two classic 1965 Blue Note albums document- ment. Harper’s spiritual bent was so captivating ing a fiery jousting session between trumpeters that his 1975 album “Black Saint’’ became the Freddie Hubbard and Lee Morgan. first release on Black Saint, lending the celebrat- He rounded up most of the surviving players ed Italian label its name. from the album, and the bandstand chemistry was “Outside of having a good potent enough to lead to several festival appear- night, there’s nobody playing more saxophone ances. But after a few years, Weiss decided to than Billy Harper,’’ Weiss says. “He comes out recruit a new cast of players from Hubbard’s gen- of the church. He’s got avant-garde touches, but eration who could transform the Cookers from a everything he plays is so deeply rooted.’’ tribute project into an independent ensemble. Like his peers, Harper is a singular player “I got tired of the Lee Morgan-Freddie Hub- at the peak of his powers. At 76, McBee is the bard angle,’’ says Weiss, whose latest album, only Cooker senior enough to attain the late-ca- “Point of Departure,’’ features some of the most reer glow that sometimes marks a player’s pas- compelling younger players on the scene. “I sage out of jazz’s dreaded middle-age doldrums. wanted to bring in new music.’’ That is not to say that Cables, Hart, and Hender- The first player he hired was Harper, with son are not working regularly, just that the red whom he was playing in Charles Tolliver’s big carpet they have earned is not often offered. band. After recruiting the rest of the cast, Weiss “Pound for pound you just can’t get any bet- introduced the new lineup at the 2007 Healds- ter than these cats,’’ Weiss says. “We’ve been burg Jazz Festival in . doing it for four years, so it’s a real band, not On the band’s 2010 debut “Warriors’’ (1-2-3- just a concept. And these guys know what being 4 GO!), the group explores an impressive array in a band is about.’’

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The Cookers’ Book A “supergroup” maintains the standard By JON GARELICK When does a one-off gim- mick turn into a “real” band? On the face of it, the Cook- ers, who come to Scullers next Thursday, June 16, could eas- ily have become a gimmick that outlived its usefulness — a handful of wily veterans egged on by a couple of younger cats as a way to trade on the collec- tive power of their names and score some gigs. But they’ve turned into more than that — an imposing band with an im- pressive book of original tunes, playing hard. The Cookers is a cross- generational mix with a bias First Stone (Plus Loin), they’re provisations. Its two trumpet towards heroic progenitors. here for keeps. (They play the players, Freddie Hubbard and Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, Scullers gig with one substi- Lee Morgan, were still in their George Cables, Cecil McBee, tution — formidable young 20s and at the height of their and Billy Hart are all on the trumpeter , in for powers. With alto saxophonist far side of offi cial retirement Henderson.) , pianist Har- age. Trumpeter David Weiss, The band takes its name old Mabern Jr., bassist Larry the band’s musical director, is — and its origins — from The Ridley, drummer , easily 20 years younger than Night of the Cookers, a classic and conga-player Big Black, it anyone else in the group aside Blue Note disc of the hard-bop burns from start to fi nish. But from his North Texas State era, recorded live at Brook- it’s in the fi erce sparring of the contemporary, saxophonist lyn’s Club La Marchal in 1965. two brass players (it was es- Craig Handy. Now working off The two LPs from that session sentially Hubbard’s band plus their second release, Cast the featured just four side-long im- Morgan) that the album sus-

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tains its reputation. classic blues line “Ladybug,” as well as (from Weiss — who worked closely with Hubbard the new album) his meditative “Peacemaker.” in the last decade of the trumpeter’s life — put a Weiss says that Harper’s Capra Black album version of the Cookers together at the request of was a touchstone for him in college. “I listened another Brooklyn club owner in the early ‘00s. The to it to death.” And, , he leaned heav- anniversary of the original Night of the Cookers ily on Harper for the Cookers’ sound. “Billy was coming up, which also happened to coincide Harper is unbelievable — one of the most in- closely with Hubbard’s birthday. Weiss was able tense, impassioned players to reconvene Ridley, Spaulding, and La Roca, with ever. I don’t think anyone’s playing like that the addition of Ronnie Matthews — another hard- now — maybe Sonny Rollins on a good night. bop keyboard stalwart — filling in for Mabern. But that impassioned, go-for-the-jugular, loud, “It sounded amazing,” recalls Weiss on the full, intense. . . ,” He pauses. His problem as phone from his home in New York, “and it was a a bandleader was, “How do we balance this? lot of fun. I was like, ‘How do Like, five straight tunes of Bil- I get to do this again?’ “ There ly Harper and someone’s head were a few more club dates ... an imposing might explode. And I can’t af- around New York and a fes- ford a lawsuit!” The solution tival gig here and there. “But band with an was to bring in pieces by other like anything, at some point band members. McBee is “the it became, ‘What can I really impressive book most open composer,” Weiss make this into?’ It’s fun to play of original tunes, says. “He has his foot in all Lee Morgan and Freddie Hub- camps at all times,” and his bard’s music, but that’s not playing hard. credits include important con- how you get to whatever Holy tributions as a composer to the Grail we’re looking for.” records of Charles Lloyd and Personnel evolved, with various former asso- Keith Jarrett. And Weiss describes Cables as not ciates of Hubbard and Morgan coming and going, only a leavening agent as a composer but “one as well as the trumpeter Charles Tolliver. Even- of the most beautiful pianists out there.” tually, the band settled into its current line-up. I mention how hard Hart and McBee have Aside from Harper having played in Morgan’s last been playing lately, in bands like the Cookers band, and Cables being a regular with Hubbard, and Saxophone (another “supergroup” there were previous playing connections among that’s also a real band — fronted by , everyone. The repertoire would comprise pieces Davie Liebman, and ). Hart, like by Harper, Cables, and McBee. “I went through McBee, teaches at New England Conservatory their old records and found the tunes I liked,” and he’s always showing up in the bands of says Weiss, “and they brought in their own tunes, young Boston players. “He’s got an eternal curi- and eventually we had a pretty good book.” osity,” says Weiss. “He wants to try everything. That book includes Harper’s driving, Col- And he’s of two opinions: on the one hand he’ll trane-tinged hard-bop anthem “Capra Black,” complain about working too much, but then a the shapely, semi-comic start-stop of Cables’s younger band of mine will be playing a $50 gig medium-groove “Spookarella,” and McBee’s and he’ll ask me why I didn’t call him for it.”

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The Cookers, Ronnie Scott’s London By Mike Hobart The fi rst set opened with the four horns The Cookers are an all-star band of seasoned swelling over an ominous pedal, morphed to New York modernists who name themselves af- a storytelling theme and threw in a few lines ter a Blue Note-recorded mid-60s , of bop. With a quick burst of improv to round when modernism, modality and free jazz met on things off, Billy Harper’s “Capra Black” neatly equal terms. displayed the band’s stylistic Then the music was exper- palette in , un- imental, optimistic and tinged derpinning each segment with with rage, but at this gig, the In less fi rm rhythms and harmonies to four horns developed the long bite into. In less experienced themes and complex structures experienced hands, structures like this be- with a knowing, technical hands, structures come hurdles to climb, but here edge. Cross-rhythms jittered, they were landscapes to ex- tensions rarely resolved and like this become plore, with each musician tak- the idiosyncratic sat next to the ing a different path. common stock. And as each hurdles Cecil McBee’s “The soloist navigated the treacher- to climb, but here they Peacemaker” followed, the ous waters, with a handful of rhythm section spacious themes spread over two long were landscapes around the bassist’s off-kilter sets, this intense and thought- thrums. As before, the theme provoking gig increasingly to explore, evolved through mood and seemed to capture the temper with each musician motif, and pensive and pur- of the times. poseful solos were urged on As on the recording there taking a by riffs and ominous sustains. are two contrasting trumpeters Later, angular lines deceler- – at this gig Dave Weiss, poised diff erent path. ated to a smoky blues, three and technical; Eddie Hender- beats were built into a con- son, urbane and lustrous-toned certo and a sweet a cappella – a fi ery saxophonist – Billy riff slowly lost notes on the Harper on tenor sax – and a pulsating piano-led nod – it ended as a single short stab. The fi nale rhythm section. The Cookers add an extra horn, covered Freddy Hubbard’s up-tempo “Free for alto-saxophonist Craig Handy, and draw on a All”, an abrasive climax of exploding modes, repertoire of tightly arranged in-style originals jagged runs and a melodic thrash from drum- that sit well beside the occasional cover. mer Billy Hart.

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Hard bop heroes the Cookers return for brace of UK dates By Stephen Graham ally non-existent in so much of today’s outpour- Sometimes the word ‘supergroup’ is just un- ings, you’ll find it all in The Cookers.” avoidable. No matter which way round you want With Weiss there’s ‘conscious’ tenor saxo- to call it, ‘band’ or “all-star” line-up, just won’t phone hero Billy Harper, trumpeter Eddie Hender- do. The Cookers, who return to London for two son of Mwandishi fame, tenor saxophonist Craig dates next week, is definitely and unashamedly Handy, like Henderson known for his work with a supergroup. And, into the bargain, it’s an ag- Herbie Hancock and who has played with David gregation that digs deep into the heartland of Weiss in their own band, classy pianist George hard bop without coming off second best. It pays Cables who played keyboards on the Hubbard al- tribute but there’s no cynicism involved and the bum Liquid Love in the 1970s, legendary Charles band members contribute tunes that stand up Lloyd Quartet bassist Cecil McBee, and the great well on their own merits as well as returning to drummer Billy Hart, like Henderson a stalwart of some of their own compositions from differing Herbie’s Mwandishi band in the 70s. times in their own careers as leaders. The great thing about hard bop as opposed The Cookers take their name from a Freddie to certain period styles, and the UK’s Empirical Hubbard double LP set The Night of the Cook- prove this as an example that springs immediately ers: Live at Club La Marchal, which the late to mind, is that the style is adaptable enough to not great trumpeter recorded in Brooklyn with fellow sound terribly dated when young players come to horn man the jazz clubbers-favourite Lee Mor- it with their own ideas. Compare it to say early jazz gan, James Spaulding (who guested on Gregory styles from the 1930s and 40s like stride, boogie- Porter’s Water more recently), woogie or swing, even orthodox , and you’ll Jr, , Pete LaRoca and Big Black get the idea. And when the veterans play it: you’re back in 1965 for . Trumpeter into another dimension. Hard bop always sounded and bandleader David Weiss, who was a friend modern and when its main building blocks are put and playing colleague of Hubbard’s in the latter into a blender with the passage of time and new years of his life, put The Cookers together partly twists as the active ingredients it always comes up in name at least to pay homage to Hubbard and trumps. Players like the members of The Cookers the music he stood for, but also as a showcase for were never ones to stick to the orthodox in any some fine players who have the right chemistry case, and that’s partly why their London shows are as well as the supreme musicianship to play in a so exciting a prospect. If you’re going along, keep band together. As Tony Hall has written in Jazz- an ear out to see if they play ‘The Core’ from their wise: “If you wondered what has happened to ear-catching album Warriors, and Harper’s ‘Cap- all the passion and intensity, once such essential ra Black’ the spiritual title-track from his famous ingredients of great swinging jazz and now virtu- thought provoking black consciousness album.

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The Cookers live up to their name, namesakes on new CD By Jon Poses Henderson and Craig Handy, one of the most ver- Talk about a blast out of the starting gate: satile and gifted reed players who now serves as Billy Harper’s tenor saxophone just about jolts musical director of the , plays as you out of your seat from note one of his “Cast a member of trombonist ’s Latin the First Stone,” the title track from The Cookers’ Side All-Star Band and works with vocalist Dee latest disc (Plus Loin), an album that follows the Dee Bridgewater. Handy is heard here on alto group’s well-received “Warriors” (Jazz Legacy saxophone on five of the session’s seven pieces. Productions). The group is an ebullient ensemble Meanwhile, the rhythm section boasts an A-plus composed of supreme veterans, each who is a contingent of George Cables on piano, Cecil leader in his own right, virtu- McBee on bass and Billy Hart ally has total command of his on drums. Just for good mea- instrument and, in varying de- The Cookers sure, veteran of- grees, is at the pinnacle of his fers a second tenor saxophone technical prowess. are much more on three cuts and soprano saxo- The Cookers take their phone on another operating as a name from one of Blue Note than a septet; “special guest.” Records’ classic recordings, a rather, the group As I listened to the disc, 1965 live release, “Night of the with all of its engaging, re- Cookers,” that came out un- is tantamount markable solos that are at der the late trumpeter Freddie times outdone by the wonder- Hubbard’s name but housed to a small orchestra ful arrangements and ensemble an all-star ensemble, includ- playing, I was reminded of an- ing Lee Morgan, a legendary other cooperative group where trumpet counterpart, alto saxophonist/flutist McBee had shouldered the bass piece — The James Spaulding and a tremendous rhythm sec- Leaders, who, like this outfit, had the capability tion composed of pianist Harold Mabern, bass- of pounding notes inside and out, playing the ist Larry Ridley and drummer Pete LaRoca. The blues, stopping and turning on a dime and serv- session consists of only four tunes, each running ing as a powerhouse. In fact, the second tune more than 20 minutes in length. Can you say here is a nearly 11-minute reading of McBee’s “radio-friendly”? Who cares when you’re lay- “Peacemaker.” When it came on, I realized I ing it out like that? knew the tune. It struck me he had recorded the The present-day group matches its prede- selection on two previous Leaders’ discs — one cessor’s power and complex intensity. Joining as a sextet and one as a trio. “Peacemaker” owns producer/trumpeter David Weiss and saxophon- a beautifully off-centered melody, one that en- ist Harper on the front line are trumpeter Eddie chants but is uncommon in its workings. It is a www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 [email protected] THE COOKERS

piece of art. this is in no small part because of the level of Coltrane-esque in much of their approach, the expertise we are dealing with here. They swing members of The Cookers have managed to put hard, and they improvise to the hilt, yet “Cast the together a kind of “crash-and-burn” approach, First Stone” really sounds quite beautiful. I think selections that have a density and a kind of tone- they saved the best for the last cut, “The Chief,” poem quality at myriad passages. Yet there also that, by the way, was written by Mabern circa are truly scintillating solos set throughout “Cast 1970 when he was a member of original Cooker the First Stone.” Equally important is the fact Morgan’s quintet. Not surprisingly, it showcases all the harmonic playing and interplay between Cables, who lays out a spectacular piano solo. the individuals gives one the sense The Cookers In the last 35 years, I’ve had my jazz ears bent are much more than a septet; rather, the group is quite a bit. What I love about this music is that tantamount to a small orchestra. a top-to-bottom, top-shelf ensemble such as The They own a full sound throughout — and Cookers allows that to happen yet again.

Now that’s what I call cooking By Peter Hum Of the disc’s seven tracks, three are from the When the veteran all-star septet The Cook- distinctive pen of Harper. His title track and his ers released its disc Warriors last year, I com- The Seventh Day are dark, dramatic plained that there wasn’t enough cooking. De- and built to spur furious,committed solos. He and spite the abilities and proclivities of some of trumpeter David Weiss in particular deliver on the the band’s storied members — gale-force tenor promise of these tunes even as the rhythm sec- man Billy Harper, the gloriously thrasher of tion expands and contracts mightily behind them. drummer, Billy Hart, Warriors was just a little Harper also wrote the waltzing Croquet Ballet, too tepid — almost mystifyingly so. which is slightly prettier — especially thanks to Good news: Cast the First Stone — which Weiss’ — but still hard-hitting. is on the laissez-faire French label Plus Loin The band’s pianist George Cables contrib- as opposed the Jazz Legacy label that put out uted two tunes — the 3/4 tune Look to the Light Warriors — cooks like crazy. Its seven tracks and his well-known Think on Me. They are not feature a lot of righteous bashing from veteran quite as volcanic as Harper’s songs but they are jazzmen in their late 60s and early 70s who play still sturdy vehicles for forthright expression. with remarkable vigour and risk-taking. Draw- Cecil McBee’s Peacemaker is in relative terms ing equally on the wall-of-sound horn section a more sedate straight-eighths tune, affording of an Art Blakey messengers band and on the space for Eddie Henderson’s muted horn, Craig maximum drums/modal fury esthetic of the Handy’s alto saxophone and the composer’s great John Coltrane Quartet, The Cookers raise own pliant bass.. The closing tune, The Chief the bar for intensity in this style of jazz. You by pianist Harold Mabern, is breakneck fast, could think of this disc as a sequel of sorts to the with bracing solos by Harper, and Cables. Does seminally powerful Blakey disc, Free For All. it cook? It boils over. www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 [email protected] THE COOKERS

At Healdsburg Jazz Festival, the tradition is untraditional

By David Rubien Sometimes conversations about jazz start to sound like the debate be- tween evolutionists and creationists. In the evolution corner, advo- cates point out that, duh, jazz has evolved at breathtaking speed from the and stride of the early 20th century to the post- post-what- ever that exists today, and argue that without constantly transforming into the next new thing, jazz ceases to exist in a meaningful way. In the creationism corner, advo- cates, using Ellington or Monk as stand-ins for the Lord, sayeth, “In the beginning there was the blues, and there was swing, and, verily, it was good.” Anything that deviates from those two fundamentals is the work of pagans and heathens, not The Cookers’ horn players consist of (clockwise from top left) real jazz, easily dismissed. Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss and Craig Handy. This is an argument that the cre- ationists won a long time ago. The top creationist, early 20th century to the post- post-what- , rules the roost, and the evolu- ever that exists today, and argue that without tionists have had to make accommodations. constantly transforming into the next new The Cookers’ horn players consist of thing, jazz ceases to exist in a meaningful way. (clockwise from top left) Billy Harper, Eddie In the creationism corner, advocates, using Henderson, David Weiss and Craig Handy. Ellington or Monk as stand-ins for the Lord, Sometimes conversations about jazz start sayeth, “In the beginning there was the blues, to sound like the debate between evolutionists and there was swing, and, verily, it was good.” and creationists. Anything that deviates from those two funda- In the evolution corner, advocates point mentals is the work of pagans and heathens, out that, duh, jazz has evolved at breathtak- not real jazz, easily dismissed. ing speed from the ragtime and stride of the This is an argument that the creationists www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 [email protected] THE COOKERS won a long time ago. The top creationist, Wyn- giants,” but who are brilliant players nonethe- ton Marsalis, rules the roost, and the evolution- less, and who were engines of important move- ists have had to make accommodations. ments in the music? And significantly enough, The institutional focus of jazz since 1980 many of them are still alive and performing. has been relentlessly on tradition, on exalting Witness the current version of the Cook- and studying -- the evolutionists would say, ers, who play Friday night at the Healdsburg “copying” -- the masters. This year, during SF- Jazz Festival, which is in its ninth year -- no Jazz’s Spring Season, the subject was Theloni- mean feat. The festival’s marquee gig on Sat- ous Monk. In the recent past across the country urday is a duet of guitarist and bassist we’ve seen cottage industries spring up around -- two giants of jazz by anyone’s John Coltrane and . standard. But the Cookers’ show, as well as That’s all fine, as far as it goes. But if jazz Sunday’s closer, pianist George Cables’ Proj- is going to look backward, why not take a less ect, are more emblematic of this idiosyncratic predictable route? Why not consider some of the festival and are a window into the jazz tradi- dozens of artists who may not be considered “the tion that’s, well, less traditional.

Brilliant Line-Up at the SummerStage Charlie Parker Jazz Festival By Annie Wu On a late summer after- noon in the city, tempera- tures outside were probably enough to melt asphalt, but that did not stop local jazz lovers from leaving the com- fort of their air-conditioned homes and congregating at Tompkins Square Park in East Village for the Charlie Parker Jazz Festival, an annual two- day musical festivity in cel- ebration of the bebop legend Charlie “Yardbird” Parker. *** Hard bop ensemble The Cookers wows audiences with their Next, The Cookers per- incredible musical prowess. (Annie Wu/The Epoch Times) formed, with each artist showing incredible Weiss on trumpet, Craig Handy on alto saxo- prowess in their playing. Billy Harper was on phone, George Cables on piano, Cecil McBee on tenor saxophone, Eddie Henderson and David bass, and Billy Hart on drums. www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 [email protected] THE COOKERS

Culture Watch: The Cookers’ ‘Cast the First Stone’ CD

By Chris Barton .... Primarily composed of jazz warhorses who backed ‘60s giants such as Lee Morgan, Herbie Hancock and Charles Lloyd, this hard- hitting septet wears its name like a mission state- ment. Inspired by the Blue Note live album series “Night of the Cookers,” this taut, seven-song set carries the freely developing yet sympathetic in- terplay of a late-night jam session, offering plen- a graceful to “Looking for ty of room for each soloist to stretch. the Light,” one of several moments in which the Saxophonist Billy Harper sets the tone with group turns down the heat but maintains a steady the album-opening title track, which features a boil. Rich with a mix of classic elegance and ex- tough bit of soloing between an insistent melo- ploration, the group might reference the past by dy, and fellow jazz veteran Azar Lawrence lends name, but it never sounds less than current.

Four More Recommended New Releases By Patrick Jarenwattananon of underrecognized veterans, many of whom David Weiss is a trumpeter with an clear af- have been on the scene since the ‘60s and ‘70s. fection for the later generations of hard bop. He As The Cookers, Billy Harper, Eddie Hen- maintains a band called Point of Departure (after derson, George Cables, Cecil McBee, and the Andrew Hill album, ostensibly) inspired by Billy Hart — joined by Weiss and saxophonist the spirit of the late ‘60s; there and otherwise, Craig Handy — have this one disc out now, his compositions and arrangement start from and another already in the can. These are their that hard-driving feel and harmonic richness. original tunes, and they all burn, conveying in- And he’s the organizing force behind this band tensity with a loose, ragged feel.

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Editor’s Picks By Frank Alkyer long, long time. Believe is the third, and my per- With Believe, The Cookers hooked me from sonal favorite, Cookers record. Founded and orga- the first horn blast on the first tune, “Believe, For nized by Weiss, the group has settled into a tight It Is True.” This masterpiece alone, composed and comfort zone that comes from working together arranged by tenor genius Billy Harper, should be over the long haul. The arrangements, handled by enough for jazz fans to buy the whole darn al- Harper and Weiss, are outrageously wonderful. bum. It is everything, in a snapshot, that makes And the musicians just kill it on every tune. “Free The Cookers a must-see band on the festival cir- For All,” a Wayne Shorter composition, offers a cuit this summer. The musicians in The Cookers perfect example of what makes The Cookers so are ringers who take no prisoners. Harper, Cecil special. Weiss’ arrangement provides a driving, McBee on bass, George Cables on piano, David up-tempo romp. The horn-section work is precise Weiss and Eddie Henderson on trumpet, Craig and impeccably power-packed. Then comes a se- Handy on alto and Billy Hart on drums are some ries of mind-bending solos by Harper, Henderson, of the best composers, arrangers and musicians we Handy, Cables and Hart. This is a group of the have in jazz, and they’re working together in one world’s best musicians who have nothing to prove of the most exciting super-groups we’ve seen in a to anyone, but they prove it all on Believe.

Moment’s Notice: Reviews of Recent Recordings by Bill Shoemaker

The Cookers, Warriors Instigated by trumpeter David Weiss, one than ever. There are very few musicians that of the more determined flame-keepers of recent embody this notion as persuasively as tenor years, The Cookers reunites several musicians saxophonist Billy Harper, and it’s telling that whose decades-long associations affirm the most of the septet worked with him at critical progressive spirit of early ‘70s straight-ahead junctures: Pianist George Cables played on jazz, one which is always needed now more Harper’s classic ’73 Strata East album, Cap-

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ra Black. Billy Hart was the drummer of another stellar en- semble that debuted on Strata East – Great Friends, the col- lective rounded out by , and . Trumpeter Eddie Henderson, who first played with Harper in the Jazz Messengers’ front line, joined Harper on his under-heralded Somalia (Evidence), the pal- pable ’93 plea to end famine and violence in the failed East African state. Hart and Hen- derson blazed one of the more significant trails in fusion with Herbie Hancock’s Mwandi- shi sextet; the drummer also performed on bassist Cecil McBee’s ’74 debut as a leader – , also on Strata-East. However, the sum of the music far exceeds the total of following a classic exclamato- nimbly on the pianist’s lissome discographical connections ry Harper solo on “Priestess,” “Spookarella” while his alto between the five veterans; one of his signature anthems; projects vulnerable warmth on to this end, the presence of another is “Capra Black,” on the bassist’s ballad, “Close to Weiss and Craig Handy, heard which Weiss again follows You Alone.” Subsequently, on both alto saxophone and Harper in the solo order. Both the veterans’ consistently ster- flute, cannot be overstated. the trumpeter and the altoist ling work is presented within They beef up the ensembles understand the key to Harp- a context that is organic, the to fully realize the distinguish- er’s pieces is the specificity of polar opposite of most all-star ing details of Cables, Harper his phraseology, which draws band schemes. and McBee’s compositions upon everything from gospel Had they not already settled (it’s disappointing that none of to traditional Japanese music, on “The Cookers,” a perfectly Hart’s are included); the vigor as much as their thunderous tailored name for the septet and fluency of their solos com- locomotion. would have been the title of pare well with the veterans’. Weiss also deftly arranges the fiery Freddie Hubbard tune Respectively, Weiss and Han- Cables and McBee’s compo- they nail to lead off the album dy have the unenviable task of sitions; Handy’s flute capers – “The Core.”

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The Cookers Believe By Thomas Conrad execution is edgier. Harper’s “Believe, For It Few all-star groups are also working bands. Is True” is portentous. The start-and-stop ten- The personnel of the Cookers has been stable sion is released when its composer blasts in for for half a decade. They play 30 to 40 gigs a year a raw, caterwauling solo. McBee’s asymmetri- and have now made three albums. They are Billy cal “Tight Squeeze” provokes jagged responses Harper (tenor saxophone), Craig Handy (alto from Harper, Weiss and Hart. Even a cooler, saxophone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), George more lyrical piece like Cables’ “But He Knows” Cables (piano), Cecil McBee (bass) and Billy inspires a hot, fierce reaction from Handy. Hart (drums). David Weiss, who conceived, or- The Cookers are hard-wired into a golden ganized and administers this project, also plays era of jazz history, but they use tradition as a trumpet and handles most of the arrangements. foundation for creative fury in the present mo- These are major players who have not quite ment. Wayne Shorter’s “Free for All” is the only become household names. Perhaps that is why, tune not written by a member of the band. For for all their solo firepower, there is a selfless- 12 minutes, the solos are passionate mountain- ness in their dedication to the ensemble cause. top calls to the multitudes. After Harper’s gut- Most of the tunes are composed by Harper, Ca- tural, commanding summons and Handy’s sing- bles or McBee and were first recorded 20 to 40 ing cries, Hart breaks time loose and scatters it years ago. The first two albums contained their around as only Hart can. All the while, “Free for strongest songs, but the pieces on Believe are All” is tied together by the recurrent explosive interesting because they are more open and the riffs of Weiss’ arrangement.

THE COOKERS • Warriors (JLP) five major but somewhat overlooked heavy hitters, best known from the 1960s and ’70s, By Thomas Conrad who can still play their butts off: Billy Harper David Weiss’ most important contributions (tenor saxophone), Eddie Henderson (trumpet), to jazz have been the projects he conceives and George Cables (piano), Cecil McBee (bass) and coordinates. His latest undertaking is the Cook- Billy Hart (drums). ers, whose members have 250 years of collec- The Cookers is not a typical all-star group tive experience and more than 1,000 recording but a tight working band. They have been to- credits. Weiss plays trumpet and Craig Handy gether since June 2007 and play 20 to 30 gigs plays alto saxophone and flute. Then there are a year. Warriors is their first recording. On the

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opening track, Freddie Hubbard’s “The Core,” Morgan. On this second release, Blue Note val- the solos are fierce and keep coming. But even ues prevail: hard-driving rhythms; soulful solos; with all the solo firepower here, Warriors is not exuberant ensemble work; a feeling that jazz is a blowing session. The other seven tracks, all a serious, meaningful calling but also fun. The originals by band members, include a ballad cast includes ’60s- and ’70s-era veterans Billy and two graceful, light-footed waltzes. Weiss’ Harper (tenor saxophone), arrangements, with their horn backgrounds and recurring themes, treat the septet like a little big *** band. The title cut, by Harper, opens the album. McBee’s “Close to You Alone,” like all the The composer’s raw, impassioned lead and the best ballads, balances emo- ensemble’s intense, jabbing tional exposure with digni- responses quickly indicate fied reserve. It is a feature for that this is a special session. Handy, whose tone on alto “Priestess” launches A slower section expands the saxophone is luminous but too horn harmony, and there’s that human to be entirely pure. He Harper like a slingshot: old revered Blue Note sound searches passionately through hitting you in your head-to- the song and the other horns There is no tenor heart circuitry. Two other come in quietly behind him to saxophonist in Harper compositions, “The reinforce the crescendos. Seventh Day” and “Croquet Billy Harper’s “Capra current jazz whose Ballet,” appear later in the pro- Black” and “Priestess” are gram. Harper’s spirituality as a both dramatic anthems, with entrance can create player and writer is galvaniz- tumultuous solos from the such a jolt ing. composer. On “Capra Black” Other cuts include he announces himself with of adrenaline. McBee’s “Peacemaker,” Ca- a guttural roar. Likewise, bles’ “Looking for the Light” “Priestess” launches Harper and “Think on Me,” and Har- like a slingshot: There is no old Mabern’s “The Chief.” tenor saxophonist in current jazz whose entrance There’s not a lackluster solo on the album, can create such a jolt of adrenaline. (There was and McBee and Hart ably hold the group to- once one named Coltrane.) gether while also accentuating and inspiring the soloists. Cables’ fluid runs and springy THE COOKERS • Cast the First Stone beat counterbalance the heavier steps of his (Plus Loin) rhythm mates. In the solo department, Weiss is more Hubbard (as heard on “The Seventh By Owen Cordle Day”) and Henderson more Miles Davis This band takes its name from The Night (“Peacemaker”). Handy and Lawrence cook of the Cookers, the 1965 Blue Note live set re- as well. Simply put, this album speaks the corded by trumpeters Freddie Hubbard and Lee real gospel of jazz.

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Lucid Culture The Cookers Heat Up, Oldschool Style Soul radiates from the grooves here – or with a deftly polyrhythmic solo. The understat- from whatever a mp3 is made of. The Cook- edly sexy boudoir ballad Close To You Alone lets ers’ new album Warriors also has cameraderie, Handy state his case expansively on alto while and chemistry, and purism. These jazz veterans the ambience grows almost imperceptibly behind – Billy Harper on tenor, Craig Handy on flute him – he’s got something up his sleeve and he and alto, Eddie Henderson and David Weiss on makes it worth your while. Priestess works varia- trumpet and flugelhorn, George Cables on piano, tions on a hook that sounds suspiciously like the Cecil McBee on bass and Billy Hart on drums one from SOS by Abba, a showcase for a gruffly – mine a rich, oldschool 60s vein, alternately lightning solo from Harper, Weiss playing the slinky, contemplative, joyous and adrenalized, voice of reason and Handy upping the ante once often nocturnal but sometimes not. The band again with some sizzling doublestops before take their name from the leg- what’s left of the hook returns endary Freddie Hubbard album at half the speed, worn out from Night of the Cookers – imagine ...it’s hard to believe everything that just happened. the Jazz Passengers without Live at the Charlie Parker Blakey overdoing it, and you’d sometimes that this Jazz Festival last month, the be somewhere in the vicinity jazz waltz Sweet Rita Suite 2 of what this sounds like. The is only a septet took on an ominous glimmer; ensemble passages blaze, or of- and not a big band. here, the darkness is limited fer lush ambience – it’s hard to to Cables furtively shadowing believe sometimes that this is Handy’s cheery flute. But Capra only a septet and not a big band. Black is every bit as potent as Melody is everywhere, in the central themes and the version they played there, rich with ambience in the solos, and it isn’t just solos around the behind the solos, Weiss again playing wiser buddy horn, either: it’s all about the songs. And they are to Harper’s fearless exuberance, Henderson feel- songs in the purest sense of the word. ing the electricity in summer night air, Cables The opening track The Core builds with the man half-behind the curtain, guiding the en- simple gravitas and eventually catches fire, lit tire thing with judiciously sparse intensity. They by a tersely majestic Cables motif, aggressive close on a high note with the methodically swing- hard-charging solos from Henderson and Harper, ing, vividly noirish Ladybugg, Cables and McBee Weiss bringing the band back. Spookarella is less stepping out of the shadows and then back in, fol- spooky than cinematic, its ensemble intro reach- lowed by the powerhouse, aptly titled U Phoria, ing a blithe crescendo, Handy’s carefree flute solo ablaze with trumpets, a stinging minor blues solo juxtaposed with Cables’ subtly shifting, almost by Cables and matter-of-factly unstoppable inci- hypnotic block chords. The pianist is the star of siveness from Hart on the cymbals. Count this as this cut (and in an unostentatious, methodical way, one of our top ten jazz favorites for 2010. It’s out perhaps the star of the entire album), in this case now on Jazz Legacy. www.davidweissmusic.com 212.477.3647 [email protected]