Review
by Scott Yanow
Always a bit underrated, Bob Cooper (best-known for his fine tenor saxophone playing) was the first significant jazz improviser on oboe and English horn. This out-of-print LP features Coop in 1955 playing all three of his axes with a couple of overlapping all-star West Coast jazz groups. The octets consist of either Stu Williamson (on trumpet and valve trombone) or John Graas on French horn, Bob Enevoldsen tripling on valve trombone, tenor and bass clarinet, Bud Shank on flute, alto and tenor, Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet, tenor and baritone, pianist Claude Williamson, either Joe Mondragon, Max Bennett or Ralph Pena on bass, and Stan Levey or Shelly Manne on drums. The music is all arranged by Cooper and ranges from inventive reworkings of standards to jazz chamber music; despite the cool tones, the results are consistently exciting. These high-quality performances will hopefully be reissued on CD, for they feature Bob Cooper in prime form. A little-known gem, with this version of "'Round Midnight" (one of the highlights) showcasing Cooper's English horn.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/shifting-winds-mw0000871603
Biography
by arwulf arwulf
Like many West Coast tenor saxophonists of his generation, Bob Cooper's style was based upon skillful emulation of Lester Young's velvety, vetiver-scented tone, harmonic ingenuity and sinuous technique. The best introduction to this artist would be Coop! The Music of Bob Cooper, released in 1958 by Contemporary Records. Initially known as an exponent of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, he branched out and spent four decades as an all-purpose session man, serving in the reed sections of multiple studio orchestras while maintaining a steady presence on the cool, bop-inflected West Coast mainstream jazz scene.
Born on December 6, 1925 in Pittsburgh, PA, Robert Cooper studied the clarinet in high school, took up the tenor saxophone in 1941, and was soon operating under the influence of Don Byas and Lucky Thompson. He became a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra in 1945 and added the oboe to his musical equipage. In 1947 Coop was lucky enough to marry June Christy, one of Kenton's most accomplished vocalists. While with Kenton he played behind Nat King Cole and alongside Art Pepper. After cutting loose from Kenton in 1951, Cooper made himself useful as a West Coast session man, absorbing fresh new currents of bop while refining and updating his musicianship. He added the English horn and bass clarinet to his arsenal of wind instruments, as well as the flute and both baritone and soprano saxes. During this period, while making records with drummer Shelly Manne, vocalist Annie Ross and guitarist Barney Kessel, his new sax idols were Lester Young and Sonny Stitt; this placed him in league with Brew Moore, Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. By 1954 he had joined forces with Pete Rugolo and Shorty Rogers, was sitting in with mambo king Perez Prado and leading his first recording sessions on Capitol.
During the second half of the decade he gigged with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars in Hermosa Beach, accompanied June Christy on numerous recordings and toured with her through Japan, South Africa and Europe. In 1956 he collaborated with drummer Buddy Rich, alto saxophonist Bud Shank, tenor saxophonist Bill Perkins and with progressive clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre, who also joined Coop and Shelly Manne in a group backing the R&B vocal group known as the Treniers. Cooper also recorded extensively with the Buddy Bregman and Russ Garcia Orchestras backing vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Anita O'Day; with the Marty Paich Dek-tette behind Mel Tormé and in the Pete Rugolo Orchestra with Patti Page. In 1957 Cooper recorded with drummer Max Roach and with John Graas, who specialized in playing jazz on the French horn.
In 1958 Bob Cooper made inroads into what would later qualify as archetypal lounge music by assisting Juan Garcia Esquivel on his landmark album Other Worlds Other Sounds. He was involved in another flashy project of similar vintage, Shorty Rogers' Manteca: Afro-Cuban Influence. In 1959 Cooper assumed partial ownership of Lighthouse Records Inc. He was present when Russ Garcia's Orchestra recorded with pianist Oscar Peterson and helped with the realization of Elmer Bernstein's score for Otto Preminger's sensationalistic film The Man with the Golden Arm. Coop can be heard on the soundtracks of numerous motion pictures from this period, with titles like "A Building Is Many Buildings" and "Mad at the World." The 1960s began for Cooper with an appearance on Ray Brown's Jazz Cello album and more session work behind singers like Mel Tormé and Peggy Lee. In 1966 he introduced his "Solo for Orchestra" with an orchestra under the direction of Stan Kenton. That same year he was paid to operate an oboe in a studio orchestra backing the TV pop/rock group known as the Monkees.
Bob Cooper's adventures during the '70s were varied enough to include sessions with the Frank Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut band; pop singer Paul Williams; the Michel Legrand Orchestra backing jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan; Ernestine Anderson during the beginning of her U.S. comeback; vibraphonist Terry Gibbs; blues guitarist John Mooney on his very first album; Bob Florence and the Limited Edition Orchestra; alto saxophonist Gabe Baltazar with the Stan Kenton orchestra and a Lester Young tribute project with vocalist Joe Williams, saxophonist Dave Pell and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison.
During the '80s he recorded in a typically broad range of styles and settings, appearing in a group led by drummer Jeff Hamilton, with an orchestra led by Nelson Riddle backing pop singer Linda Ronstadt; with trumpeter Snooky Young, vocalist Ernie Andrews, pianist Gene Harris, the Sammy Nestico Big Band, the Charlie Shoemake Orchestra, trumpeter Paul Cacia and a massive Kenton Alumni band; tenor saxophonist Bill Holman, singing pianist Michael Feinstein, vibraphonist Jon Nagourney and a "West Coast All Star" tribute to composer Jimmy Van Heusen featuring a reunion band of sorts led by drummer Vic Lewis.
Bob Cooper inaugurated the '90s by blowing his tenor sax on Madonna's Dick Tracy-inspired album I'm Breathless, followed by a cozy date with vocalist Sue Raney, and a double barrel blowing session with Doc Severinsen's featured tenor Pete Christlieb. He was heard on the soundtrack to Neil Simon's racy romantic comedy The Marrying Man, and in studio bands backing vocalists Manhattan Transfer, Rosemary Clooney, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. The final months of his lengthy career found him characteristically busy, recording in a group led by pianist Frank Strazzeri, assisting with Frank Sinatra's commercially successful album of overdubbed Duets and accompanying vocalist Lucie Arnaz. Bob Cooper's last live recording was made during a concert performance with trumpeter Conte Candoli; weeks later, on August 5, 1993, he began to experience chest pains while driving home from a session where he'd played in a band backing vocalist Karrin Allyson. Slowing down and stopping his car on the shoulder of the Hollywood Freeway, Bob Cooper quietly succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 67.
by Scott Yanow
Always a bit underrated, Bob Cooper (best-known for his fine tenor saxophone playing) was the first significant jazz improviser on oboe and English horn. This out-of-print LP features Coop in 1955 playing all three of his axes with a couple of overlapping all-star West Coast jazz groups. The octets consist of either Stu Williamson (on trumpet and valve trombone) or John Graas on French horn, Bob Enevoldsen tripling on valve trombone, tenor and bass clarinet, Bud Shank on flute, alto and tenor, Jimmy Giuffre on clarinet, tenor and baritone, pianist Claude Williamson, either Joe Mondragon, Max Bennett or Ralph Pena on bass, and Stan Levey or Shelly Manne on drums. The music is all arranged by Cooper and ranges from inventive reworkings of standards to jazz chamber music; despite the cool tones, the results are consistently exciting. These high-quality performances will hopefully be reissued on CD, for they feature Bob Cooper in prime form. A little-known gem, with this version of "'Round Midnight" (one of the highlights) showcasing Cooper's English horn.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/shifting-winds-mw0000871603
Biography
by arwulf arwulf
Like many West Coast tenor saxophonists of his generation, Bob Cooper's style was based upon skillful emulation of Lester Young's velvety, vetiver-scented tone, harmonic ingenuity and sinuous technique. The best introduction to this artist would be Coop! The Music of Bob Cooper, released in 1958 by Contemporary Records. Initially known as an exponent of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, he branched out and spent four decades as an all-purpose session man, serving in the reed sections of multiple studio orchestras while maintaining a steady presence on the cool, bop-inflected West Coast mainstream jazz scene.
Born on December 6, 1925 in Pittsburgh, PA, Robert Cooper studied the clarinet in high school, took up the tenor saxophone in 1941, and was soon operating under the influence of Don Byas and Lucky Thompson. He became a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra in 1945 and added the oboe to his musical equipage. In 1947 Coop was lucky enough to marry June Christy, one of Kenton's most accomplished vocalists. While with Kenton he played behind Nat King Cole and alongside Art Pepper. After cutting loose from Kenton in 1951, Cooper made himself useful as a West Coast session man, absorbing fresh new currents of bop while refining and updating his musicianship. He added the English horn and bass clarinet to his arsenal of wind instruments, as well as the flute and both baritone and soprano saxes. During this period, while making records with drummer Shelly Manne, vocalist Annie Ross and guitarist Barney Kessel, his new sax idols were Lester Young and Sonny Stitt; this placed him in league with Brew Moore, Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. By 1954 he had joined forces with Pete Rugolo and Shorty Rogers, was sitting in with mambo king Perez Prado and leading his first recording sessions on Capitol.
During the second half of the decade he gigged with Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars in Hermosa Beach, accompanied June Christy on numerous recordings and toured with her through Japan, South Africa and Europe. In 1956 he collaborated with drummer Buddy Rich, alto saxophonist Bud Shank, tenor saxophonist Bill Perkins and with progressive clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre, who also joined Coop and Shelly Manne in a group backing the R&B vocal group known as the Treniers. Cooper also recorded extensively with the Buddy Bregman and Russ Garcia Orchestras backing vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Anita O'Day; with the Marty Paich Dek-tette behind Mel Tormé and in the Pete Rugolo Orchestra with Patti Page. In 1957 Cooper recorded with drummer Max Roach and with John Graas, who specialized in playing jazz on the French horn.
In 1958 Bob Cooper made inroads into what would later qualify as archetypal lounge music by assisting Juan Garcia Esquivel on his landmark album Other Worlds Other Sounds. He was involved in another flashy project of similar vintage, Shorty Rogers' Manteca: Afro-Cuban Influence. In 1959 Cooper assumed partial ownership of Lighthouse Records Inc. He was present when Russ Garcia's Orchestra recorded with pianist Oscar Peterson and helped with the realization of Elmer Bernstein's score for Otto Preminger's sensationalistic film The Man with the Golden Arm. Coop can be heard on the soundtracks of numerous motion pictures from this period, with titles like "A Building Is Many Buildings" and "Mad at the World." The 1960s began for Cooper with an appearance on Ray Brown's Jazz Cello album and more session work behind singers like Mel Tormé and Peggy Lee. In 1966 he introduced his "Solo for Orchestra" with an orchestra under the direction of Stan Kenton. That same year he was paid to operate an oboe in a studio orchestra backing the TV pop/rock group known as the Monkees.
Bob Cooper's adventures during the '70s were varied enough to include sessions with the Frank Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut band; pop singer Paul Williams; the Michel Legrand Orchestra backing jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan; Ernestine Anderson during the beginning of her U.S. comeback; vibraphonist Terry Gibbs; blues guitarist John Mooney on his very first album; Bob Florence and the Limited Edition Orchestra; alto saxophonist Gabe Baltazar with the Stan Kenton orchestra and a Lester Young tribute project with vocalist Joe Williams, saxophonist Dave Pell and trumpeter Harry "Sweets" Edison.
During the '80s he recorded in a typically broad range of styles and settings, appearing in a group led by drummer Jeff Hamilton, with an orchestra led by Nelson Riddle backing pop singer Linda Ronstadt; with trumpeter Snooky Young, vocalist Ernie Andrews, pianist Gene Harris, the Sammy Nestico Big Band, the Charlie Shoemake Orchestra, trumpeter Paul Cacia and a massive Kenton Alumni band; tenor saxophonist Bill Holman, singing pianist Michael Feinstein, vibraphonist Jon Nagourney and a "West Coast All Star" tribute to composer Jimmy Van Heusen featuring a reunion band of sorts led by drummer Vic Lewis.
Bob Cooper inaugurated the '90s by blowing his tenor sax on Madonna's Dick Tracy-inspired album I'm Breathless, followed by a cozy date with vocalist Sue Raney, and a double barrel blowing session with Doc Severinsen's featured tenor Pete Christlieb. He was heard on the soundtrack to Neil Simon's racy romantic comedy The Marrying Man, and in studio bands backing vocalists Manhattan Transfer, Rosemary Clooney, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. The final months of his lengthy career found him characteristically busy, recording in a group led by pianist Frank Strazzeri, assisting with Frank Sinatra's commercially successful album of overdubbed Duets and accompanying vocalist Lucie Arnaz. Bob Cooper's last live recording was made during a concert performance with trumpeter Conte Candoli; weeks later, on August 5, 1993, he began to experience chest pains while driving home from a session where he'd played in a band backing vocalist Karrin Allyson. Slowing down and stopping his car on the shoulder of the Hollywood Freeway, Bob Cooper quietly succumbed to a heart attack at the age of 67.
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Reseña
por Scott Yanow
Siempre un poco infravalorado, Bob Cooper (más conocido por su excelente saxo tenor) fue el primer improvisador de jazz importante con el oboe y el corno inglés. Este LP agotado presenta a Coop en 1955 tocando sus tres hachas con un par de grupos de jazz de la Costa Oeste. Los octetos están formados por Stu Williamson (trompeta y trombón de válvulas) o John Graas (trompa), Bob Enevoldsen (trombón de válvulas, clarinete tenor y clarinete bajo), Bud Shank (flauta, alto y tenor), Jimmy Giuffre (clarinete, tenor y barítono), el pianista Claude Williamson, Joe Mondragon, Max Bennett o Ralph Pena (bajo) y Stan Levey o Shelly Manne (batería). Toda la música está arreglada por Cooper y abarca desde inventivas reelaboraciones de estándares hasta música de cámara de jazz; a pesar de los tonos fríos, los resultados son siempre emocionantes. Es de esperar que estas interpretaciones de alta calidad se reediten en CD, ya que presentan a Bob Cooper en plena forma. Una joya poco conocida, con esta versión de "'Round Midnight" (una de las más destacadas) que muestra el corno inglés de Cooper.
https://www.allmusic.com/album/shifting-winds-mw0000871603
Biografía
por arwulf arwulf
Como muchos saxofonistas tenores de la Costa Oeste de su generación, el estilo de Bob Cooper se basaba en una hábil emulación del tono aterciopelado y con aroma a vetiver de Lester Young, en su ingenio armónico y en su técnica sinuosa. La mejor presentación de este artista sería ¡Coop! The Music of Bob Cooper, publicado en 1958 por Contemporary Records. Inicialmente conocido como exponente de la Stan Kenton Orchestra, se diversificó y pasó cuatro décadas como hombre de sesión polivalente, formando parte de las secciones de cañas de múltiples orquestas de estudio al tiempo que mantenía una presencia constante en la escena del jazz mainstream de la Costa Oeste.
Nacido el 6 de diciembre de 1925 en Pittsburgh (Pensilvania), Robert Cooper estudió clarinete en el instituto, empezó a tocar el saxofón tenor en 1941 y pronto estuvo bajo la influencia de Don Byas y Lucky Thompson. En 1945 se convirtió en miembro de la Stan Kenton Orchestra y añadió el oboe a su equipo musical. En 1947 Coop tuvo la suerte de casarse con June Christy, una de las vocalistas más consumadas de Kenton. Mientras estuvo con Kenton tocó detrás de Nat King Cole y junto a Art Pepper. Después de separarse de Kenton en 1951, Cooper se hizo útil como músico de sesión en la Costa Oeste, absorbiendo las nuevas corrientes del bop mientras refinaba y actualizaba su musicalidad. Añadió el corno inglés y el clarinete bajo a su arsenal de instrumentos de viento, así como la flauta y los saxos barítono y soprano. Durante este periodo, mientras grababa discos con el batería Shelly Manne, la vocalista Annie Ross y el guitarrista Barney Kessel, sus nuevos ídolos del saxo fueron Lester Young y Sonny Stitt; esto le situó en la liga con Brew Moore, Stan Getz y Zoot Sims. En 1954 ya había unido fuerzas con Pete Rugolo y Shorty Rogers, se sentaba con el rey del mambo Pérez Prado y dirigía sus primeras sesiones de grabación en Capitol.
Durante la segunda mitad de la década actuó con Howard Rumsey's Lighthouse All Stars en Hermosa Beach, acompañó a June Christy en numerosas grabaciones y realizó giras con ella por Japón, Sudáfrica y Europa. En 1956 colaboró con el batería Buddy Rich, el saxofonista alto Bud Shank, el saxofonista tenor Bill Perkins y con el clarinetista progresivo Jimmy Giuffre, que también se unió a Coop y Shelly Manne en un grupo de acompañamiento del grupo vocal de R&B conocido como los Treniers. Cooper también grabó extensamente con las orquestas de Buddy Bregman y Russ Garcia acompañando a los vocalistas Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby y Anita O'Day; con el Marty Paich Dek-tette detrás de Mel Tormé y en la Pete Rugolo Orchestra con Patti Page. En 1957 Cooper grabó con el batería Max Roach y con John Graas, especializado en tocar jazz con la trompa francesa.
En 1958 Bob Cooper hizo incursiones en lo que más tarde se calificaría como música de salón arquetípica al ayudar a Juan García Esquivel en su álbum de referencia Other Worlds Other Sounds. Participó en otro llamativo proyecto de época similar, Manteca: Afro-Cuban Influence, de Shorty Rogers. En 1959 Cooper asumió la propiedad parcial de Lighthouse Records Inc. Estuvo presente cuando la orquesta de Russ Garcia grabó con el pianista Oscar Peterson y colaboró en la realización de la partitura de Elmer Bernstein para la sensacionalista película de Otto Preminger El hombre del brazo de oro. Se puede escuchar a Coop en las bandas sonoras de numerosas películas de este periodo, con títulos como "A Building Is Many Buildings" y "Mad at the World". La década de 1960 comenzó para Cooper con una aparición en el álbum Jazz Cello de Ray Brown y más trabajos de sesión detrás de cantantes como Mel Tormé y Peggy Lee. En 1966 presentó su "Solo for Orchestra" con una orquesta bajo la dirección de Stan Kenton. Ese mismo año le pagaron por tocar el oboe en una orquesta de estudio que acompañaba al grupo televisivo de pop/rock conocido como los Monkees.
Las aventuras de Bob Cooper durante los años 70 fueron lo suficientemente variadas como para incluir sesiones con la banda de Frank Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut; el cantante de pop Paul Williams; la orquesta de Michel Legrand acompañando a la vocalista de jazz Sarah Vaughan; Ernestine Anderson durante el comienzo de su regreso a los EE.UU.; el vibraphonista Paul Williams; y el músico de jazz y música de cámara de los Monkees. UU; el vibrafonista Terry Gibbs; el guitarrista de blues John Mooney en su primer álbum; Bob Florence y la Limited Edition Orchestra; el saxofonista alto Gabe Baltazar con la orquesta de Stan Kenton y un proyecto de homenaje a Lester Young con el vocalista Joe Williams, el saxofonista Dave Pell y el trompetista Harry "Sweets" Edison.
Durante los años 80 grabó en una amplia gama de estilos y escenarios, apareciendo en un grupo dirigido por el batería Jeff Hamilton, con una orquesta dirigida por Nelson Riddle acompañando a la cantante pop Linda Ronstadt; con el trompetista Snooky Young, el vocalista Ernie Andrews, el pianista Gene Harris, la Sammy Nestico Big Band, la Charlie Shoemake Orchestra, el trompetista Paul Cacia y una multitudinaria banda de Kenton Alumni; el saxofonista tenor Bill Holman, el pianista cantante Michael Feinstein, el vibrafonista Jon Nagourney y un homenaje "West Coast All Star" al compositor Jimmy Van Heusen con una especie de banda de reunión dirigida por el batería Vic Lewis.
Bob Cooper inauguró la década de los 90 soplando su saxo tenor en el álbum I'm Breathless de Madonna inspirado en Dick Tracy, al que siguieron una acogedora cita con la vocalista Sue Raney y una sesión de soplado de doble cañón con el tenor Pete Christlieb de Doc Severinsen. Se le escuchó en la banda sonora de la picante comedia romántica de Neil Simon The Marrying Man, y en bandas de estudio respaldando a los vocalistas Manhattan Transfer, Rosemary Clooney, Jackie Cain y Roy Kral. Los últimos meses de su dilatada carrera se caracterizaron por su intensa actividad, grabando en un grupo dirigido por el pianista Frank Strazzeri, colaborando en el exitoso álbum de duetos sobregrabados de Frank Sinatra y acompañando a la vocalista Lucie Arnaz. La última grabación en directo de Bob Cooper se realizó durante un concierto con el trompetista Conte Candoli; semanas más tarde, el 5 de agosto de 1993, empezó a sentir dolores en el pecho mientras conducía de vuelta a casa tras una sesión en la que había tocado en una banda de acompañamiento de la vocalista Karrin Allyson. Redujo la velocidad y detuvo el coche en el arcén de la autopista de Hollywood, Bob Cooper sucumbió tranquilamente a un ataque al corazón a la edad de 67 años.