The Cookers: Music on Jazz at Lincoln Center:
Jazz veterans, colleagues, and kindred spirits Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, George Cables, Cecil McBee, Billy Hart, and David Weiss forge a world-class union. Taking their group name from a 1965 Freddie Hubbard album, The Night of the Cookers: Live at Club La Marchal, this exciting all-star sextet summons an aggressive mid-1960s spirit. Their repertoire includes a potent collection of expansive post-bop originals, marked by the requisite killer instincts and pyrotechnic playing expected of the scene’s heaviest hitters. Trumpeter and bandleader Weiss says of the group: “They came up at a time when this music was at its most vital and exciting and was part of something epic and historic, yet they are still going strong, playing with the same freedom, passion, and intensity that encompassed this great music." The depth and power of their music speaks of the seasoned track record of its members, who, combined, have over 250 years of experience in the jazz world and have been a part of over 1,000 recordings.
EDDIE HENDERSON - trumpet
DAVID WEISS - trumpet
BILLY HARPER - saxophone
KIRK LIGHTSEY - piano
CECIL McBEE - bass
BILL HART - drums