Bob Cooper

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...

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Bob Cooper Albums

6 records

Albums featuring Bob Cooper

67 records