Bob Cooper

Like many West Coast tenor saxophonists of his generation, Bob Cooper’s design was based on skillful emulation of Lester Young’s velvety, vetiver-scented shade, harmonic ingenuity and sinuous technique. The very best introduction to the artist will be House! The Music of Bob Cooper, released in 1958 by Modern Records. Initially called an exponent from the Stan Kenton Orchestra, he branched out and spent four years as an all-purpose program man, offering in the reed parts of multiple studio room orchestras while preserving a steady existence over the great, bop-inflected Western world Coastline mainstream jazz picture. Born on Dec 6, 1925 in Pittsburgh, PA, Robert Cooper examined the clarinet in senior high school, used the tenor saxophone in 1941, and was shortly operating consuming Don Byas and Lucky Thompson. He joined up with the Stan Kenton Orchestra in 1945 and added the oboe to his musical equipage. In 1947 House was fortunate to marry June Christy, among Kenton’s most achieved vocalists. While with Kenton he performed behind Nat Ruler Cole and alongside Artwork Pepper. After reducing loose from Kenton in 1951, Cooper produced himself useful being a Western world Coast session guy, absorbing fresh currents of bop while refining and upgrading his musicianship. He added the British horn and bass clarinet to his arsenal of blowing wind instruments, aswell as the flute and both baritone and soprano saxes. During this time period, while making information with drummer Shelly Manne, vocalist Annie Ross and guitarist Barney Kessel, his fresh sax idols had been Lester Youthful and Sonny Stitt; this positioned him in little league with Brew Moore, Stan Getz and Zoot Sims. By 1954 he previously joined causes with Pete Rugolo and Shorty Rogers, was seated along with mambo ruler Perez Prado and leading his 1st recording classes on Capitol. Through the second fifty percent of the 10 years he gigged with Howard Rumsey’s Lighthouse All Celebrities in Hermosa Seaside, followed June Christy on several recordings and toured with her through Japan, South Africa and European countries. In 1956 he collaborated with drummer Friend High, alto saxophonist Bud Shank, tenor saxophonist Expenses Perkins and with intensifying clarinetist Jimmy Giuffre, who also became a member of House and Shelly Manne in an organization support the R&B vocal group referred to as the Treniers. Cooper also documented extensively using the Friend Bregman and Russ Garcia Orchestras support vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Bing Crosby and Anita O’Day; using the Marty Paich Dek-tette behind Mel Tormé and in the Pete Rugolo Orchestra with Patti Web page. In 1957 Cooper documented with drummer Maximum Roach and with John Graas, who specialised in playing jazz around the French horn. In 1958 Bob Cooper produced inroads into what would afterwards meet the criteria as archetypal lounge music by helping Juan Garcia Esquivel on his landmark record Other Worlds Various other Noises. He was involved with another flashy task of similar classic, Shorty Rogers’ Manteca: Afro-Cuban Impact. In 1959 Cooper assumed incomplete possession of Lighthouse Information Inc. He was present when Russ Garcia’s Orchestra documented with pianist Oscar Peterson and contributed to the realization of Elmer Bernstein’s rating for Otto Preminger’s sensationalistic film THE PERSON using the Golden Arm. House can be noticed for the soundtracks of several motion pictures out of this period, with game titles like “A Building Can be Many Structures” and “Mad on the Globe.” The 1960s started for Cooper with an appearance on Ray Brown’s Jazz Cello record and more program work behind performers like Mel Tormé and Peggy Lee. In 1966 he released his “Single for Orchestra” with an orchestra beneath the path of Stan Kenton. That same season he was paid to use an oboe within a studio room orchestra backing it pop/rock and roll group referred to as the Monkees. Bob Cooper’s escapades through the ’70s had been varied enough to add sessions using the Frank Capp/Nat Pierce Juggernaut music group; pop vocalist Paul Williams; the Michel Legrand Orchestra support jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan; Ernestine Anderson through the starting of her U.S. return; vibraphonist Terry Gibbs; blues guitarist John Mooney on his initial recording; Bob Florence as well as the Small Release Orchestra; alto saxophonist Gabe Baltazar using the Stan Kenton orchestra and a Lester Youthful tribute task with vocalist Joe Williams, saxophonist Dave Pell and trumpeter Harry “Sweets” Edison. Through the ’80s he documented inside a typically wide range of designs and settings, showing up in an organization led by drummer Jeff Hamilton, with an orchestra led by Nelson Riddle support pop vocalist Linda Ronstadt; with trumpeter Snooky Youthful, vocalist Ernie Andrews, pianist Gene Harris, the Sammy Nestico Big Music group, the Charlie Shoemake Orchestra, trumpeter Paul Cacia and an enormous Kenton Alumni music group; tenor saxophonist Expenses Holman, performing pianist Michael Feinstein, vibraphonist Jon Nagourney and a “Western Coast All Superstar” tribute to composer Jimmy Truck Heusen having a reunion music group of kinds led by drummer Vic Lewis. Bob Cooper inaugurated the ’90s by blowing his tenor sax on Madonna’s Dick Tracy-inspired record I’m Breathless, accompanied by a cozy time with vocalist Sue Raney, and a increase barrel blowing program with Doc Severinsen’s highlighted tenor Pete Christlieb. He was noticed in the soundtrack to Neil Simon’s racy intimate humor The Marrying Man, and in studio room bands support vocalists Manhattan Transfer, Rosemary Clooney, Jackie Cain and Roy Kral. The ultimate a few months of his extended career discovered him characteristically active, recording in an organization led by pianist Frank Strazzeri, helping with Frank Sinatra’s commercially effective record of overdubbed Duets and associated vocalist Lucie Arnaz. Bob Cooper’s last live saving was produced throughout a concert efficiency with trumpeter Conte Candoli; weeks afterwards, on August 5, 1993, he begun to knowledge chest aches and pains while driving house from a program where he’d performed inside a music group support vocalist Karrin Allyson. Slowing and preventing his car around the shoulder from the Hollywood Freeway, Bob Cooper silently succumbed to a coronary attack at age 67.