THE RECORDINGS OF HARRY COOPER An Annotated Tentative Personnelo - Discography COOPER, Harry R. born: Lake Charles, Louisiana, 1903; died: Paris, France, 1961 Left Louisiana as a child and moved with family to Kansas City, Missouri. Attended Lincoln High School and took up trumpet in Reserve Officers´ Training Corps Band. Whilst at high school gigged with Bennie Moten, George E. Lee, and bassist James Smith. Left Kansas City in 1922; whilst studying architecture at Hampton Institute, Virginia, gigged with local bands, then moved on to Baltimore, Maryland. Joined band accompanying singer Virginia Liston and went with this group to New York for first recordings (OKeh). With augmented personnel this band became the Seminole Syncopators (led by pianist Graham Jackson), they played a three-month residency at the 81 Theatre in Atlanta, Georgia, then Cooper returned to New York and joined Billy Fowler (late 1924). Gigged with Elmer Snowden, also led own band at the Blackbottom Club and worked with violinist Andrew Preer´s Cotton Club Orchestra (1925). With Billy Fowler (1926), worked on and off with Duke Ellington in 1926, led own band before joining Leon Abbey. Worked in Europe with Leon Abbey from early 1928, joined Sam Wooding in late 1929. Remained in Europe for the rest of his life, occasionally worked for other leaders but usually led own bands. Recorded in Paris during the Nazi occupation. (John Chilton, Who´s Who in Jazz) The following statements and the resulting list of recordings only reflect the opinion of this writer/listener and are open to discussion. More so, discussion is eagerly invited. Corrections, amendments and controversial opinions are much appreciated. The reader/listener is urgently recommended to try to get hold of a copy of the LP Collectors Items 006 „HARRY COOPER, R.Q. DICKERSON & THE COTTON CLUB ORCHESTRA“ as issued by John Holley of England in about 1980. This LP with its magnificent and attentively researched text booklet by Chris Hillman, is one of the most perfectly made LP I have had the pleasure to see and purchase. And it is one of the most stylish and tasteful ones. In its booklet the story of Harry Cooper, R.Q. Dickerson and the Cotton Club Band is most comprehensively told. The following list of Harry Cooper recordings is based on Rust 6th edition and the Harry Cooper list by Ben Kragting, Jr. In Storyville 142 and its revised issue in Storyville 144, incorporating additional information by Olivier Brard, Harold Flakser and Daniel Nevers. STYLISTICS STYLE Harry Cooper was born in Louisiana, but grew up in Kansas City where he was a pupil of very famous music teacher Major N. Clark Smith. Consequently, his musical style was built on the influence he was exposed to in that city. His style is dominated by a strong emphasis on instrumental technique, sounding somewhat academic. But he is well equipped to use off-beat and free phrasing, combined with good bluesy phrasing and some growl tones. TONE Cooper´s natural trumpet tone cannot be recognized conclusively as he commonly uses a straight mute throughout in his 1920s recordings. In later recordings of the 1930/40s he shows a clean, not very voluminous tone, but strong and elegant. VIBRATO His vibrato is strong, narrow, fast and regular. TIME Cooper tends to an antiquated light 6/8th phrasing, combined with a light tendency to hurry up and hasten. This tendency disappears in the course of time. In his solos with the Wooding band he really swings in classic manner. The more so in his later recordings of the 1930s and 1940s. PHRASING His phrasing is narrow and detailed, different from the wide phrasing Armstrong or other “Western” trumpeters use. Cooper later assimilates his phrasing to other Swing trumpeters, yet remaining in the retained but elegant musical style of a Joe Thomas or Doc Cheatham. This personnelo-discography is based on RUST, JAZZ AND RAGTIME RECORDS 1897 - 1942. Personnels are taken from this source, but modified in the light of earlier or subsequent research or on the strength of my own listening, discussed with our listening group or other interested collectors. 2 - Documented, most certain and aurally absolutely obvious identifications are listed thus: Harry Cooper - Probable, generally agreed, but not documented identifications are listed in italics, thus: Harry Cooper - Not attributable identifications – although the musician in question might be an otherwise well-known person – are listed thus: unknown - If a possible identification for an otherwise unknown musician is suggested by the author without the possibility to prove the factual evidence, it is listed thus: (Harry Cooper) When feeling certain without a musician´s documented presence, I have not refrained from altering Rust´s statements without using italics. In any case, my statements are open to discussion and I would appreciate any contribution - pro or contra! As always in my discographies on this website I have written recording sessions with their headings, dates, titles and names of musicians in italics, whenever I am convinced that the eponymous musician of this discography is not part of the accompanying group of this session! Documented names of musicians if known – in recording ledgers or on record labels – are listed in bold letters. This discography still is - and will certainly be - a work in progress for a long time, if not eternally. Yet, on the way to a definite discography of all jazz recordings before 1942 - which certainly will never be possible - it is intended to fill some gaps that have not been treated before. HARRY COOPER 001 VIRGINIA LISTON her Jazz Trio New York, c. Jan. 07, 1924 Virginia Liston – voc; Harry Cooper – tpt; Prince Robinson – alt; Graham Jackson – pno 72258-D I Don´t Love Nobody OK 8138, Document DOCD-5446 72259-D ´Tain´t A Doggone Thing But The Blues OK 8138, Document DOCD-5446 Copying the Cooper biography above I learned of Cooper´s first recordings with Virginia Liston in New York. This then caused my immediate listening to Liston´s session of c. Jan. 07, 1924. And indeed, the trumpet player should well be Harry Cooper by his tone, his attack, his vibrato and his overall musical concept. Clarence Williams certainly is not the pianist, but the group´s personnel is recounted by Harry Cooper naming Graham Jackson as pianist (see below). The altoist´s sweet and smooth performance then has to be played by the young Prince Robinson, yet not on clarinet or tenor sax, but on alto sax. These musicians later formed the Seminole Syncopators on a permanent basis. Notes: - Storyville 15: unknown (cnt); unknown (alt); Clarence Williams (pno). “The unknown cornet and alto players may be Thomas Morris and Bob Fuller respectively. The piano sounds somewhat unlike Williams´ normal style but we are satisfied that this is he.” - Lord, Clarence Williams p77: unknown (cnt); unknown (alt); poss Clarence Williams or Porter Grainger (pno) “The unknown cornet and alto players may be Thomas Morris and Bob Fuller respectively. The piano sounds somewhat unlike Williams´ normal style, but the team (Storyville team – KBR) is satisfied that it is he. However, in view of the composer credits for both compositions, I think the possibility of Porter Grainger as pianist should be considered.” - Storyville 142-126, Ben Kragting Jr., Harry Cooper (1903-1961): “The band that accompanied Virginia Liston had Harry Cooper on trumpet, Prince Robinson on clarinet, piano player Graham Jackson, banjo player Bernard Addison and Happy Williams on drums.” - BGR*2: poss Tom Morris, cnt; unknown clt/alt; Clarence Williams, pno - BGR*3,*4: unknown, c; unknown, as; poss Clarence Williams or Porter Grainger, p. - Rust*3: ? Tom Morris -c; unknown -cl -as; Clarence Williams -p. - Rust*4,*6: unknown c; unknown as; Clarence Williams or Porter Grainger -p. 002 SEMINOLE SYNCOPATORS New York, Apr. 24, 1924 Harry Cooper – tpt; Prince Robinson – clt; Graham Jackson – pno; Bernard Addison – bjo; Harry Williams – dms 72484-A Blue Grass Blues OK 40228, Frog DGF 69 The three-part rhythm section of this group is documented by the photo published with the very excellent LP edition on Collectors Classics 006. Also documented are Harry Cooper on trumpet, Joe Garland on saxes and Prince Robinson on tenor sax and clarinet. Yet, Chris Hillman in his equally splendid cover text to the LP states that Joe Garland joined the band on saxophone when they returned south, i.e. from New York where this single side obviously had been recorded. Accordingly, Garland would not have been the saxophonist on this New York session, but possibly Wayman Carver (see notes below). But: I do not hear any saxophone on this side, but at times the clarinet plays in low register! The faint notes played by a reed instrument at the beginning of the piano solo (Chorus 3) is played by the clarinetist who possibly started to play erroneously, just to stop again after two bars. Therefore, the notice in Jazz Journal as below should be read as a hint to other musicians temporarily with the band. Harry Cooper plays rather “raggy” here, using much 6/8 phrasing, but plays very assured and with plenty of drive. And he plays the whole tune in the key of D natural, very uncommon, and not so easy for a young brass player. Notes: - Jazz Journal Jan. 1979, p. 61: “Incidentally, trumpeter George Winfield told me that the unknown alto player with the Seminole Syncopators may well be Wayman Carver. This fits in well with the Tidewater theory mentioned in the notes (of LP Collectors Items 006 – KBR), as Carver was also born in Portsmouth, Virginia.” - Rust*2,*3,*4,*6: Harry Cooper, t; Prince Robinson, cl; unknown as; Graham Jackson, p; Bernard Addison, bj; Harry Williams, d.