Band elevates after close to a decade and a half playing together
Formed for a one-off Freddie Hubbard tribute concert in New York, The Cookers—the band consisting of jazz veterans who have played in bands with the likes of Lee Morgan, Art Blakey, Herbie Hancock, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard, and Miles Davis—are still pushing one another to greater heights nearly a decade and a half later. As their sixth album, the masterful Look Out! came out last Friday on Gearbox Records, the band is seeing new success.
The National Endowment for the Arts named two band members as 2022 Jazz Masters: Billy Hart and Donald Harrison, Jr. Amazon Music’s Fresh Jazz playlist featured the Cookers on its cover with the single “Traveling Lady” included, as it was on Spotify’s All New Jazz playlist. Three 2021 concerts will be livestreaming (more info below) and available to the public and a 2022 tour is in the works as well.
Here’s what we’re reading about Look Out!:
“The Cookers, a group of luminaries mostly now in their 70s and 80s, have managed to retain the rough-and-tumble spirit of their old work, while accepting the laurels that have rightfully come to them. On their new album, Look Out, a bristling collection of originals, the old feeling is newly alive.”
–Giovanni Russonello, New York Times
“Forward-leaning post-bop veterans… Packed with swinging rhythms, trenchant melodies and soulful soloes, hard-edged originals.”
–Andy Cowan, MOJO Magazine
“One of the hardest working groups in contemporary jazz… originals that plug effortlessly into the spirit and lexicon of those milestones… The fact that all of this comes across as a living music, and more than a mere exercise in nostalgia, speaks volumes about The Cookers’ considerable chops as both composers and performers of bona fide deep jazz.”
–Daniel Spicer, The Wire
“Post-bop goodness… a veritable supergroup of jazz heavyweights.”
–Matt Micucci, Jazziz
“Mostly incendiary performances… the Cookers can still deliver.”
–Perry Tannenbaum, Jazz Times
“Fierce… If you’re looking for a take-no-prisoners approach to improvisation performed by living masters of our music, then look no further than The Cookers… Could rival any superhero squad for extraordinary powers, esprit de corps, and a burning sense of purpose. The all-star group.”
–Nate Chinen, WBGO.org
★★★★
–Shindig!
“Hard-bop maestros”
–J to Z, BBC 3
“Jazz supergroup.”
–Jon Solomon, Westword (CO)
The Cookers Tour Dates
November 5-7 – Baltimore, MD – Keystone Korner (also livestreaming)
February 19 – Pittsburgh, PA – Kente Arts Center
February 23 – Oakland, CA – Yoshi’s
February 24 – Santa Cruz, CA – Kuumbwa Jazz Center
March 1-5 – New York, NY – Birdland
The Cookers are:
Billy Harper (sax)
Billy Hart (drums)
Eddie Henderson (trumpet)
Cecil McBee (bass)
George Cables (piano)
David Weiss (trumpet)
Donald Harrison (sax)
