The Cookers ‘Believe’ Release Party at 92Y Tribeca December 12, Broadcast live by WBGO’s The Checkout

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Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Craig Handy, David Weiss, Eddie Henderson, George Cables

The Cookers is tenor saxophonist Billy Harper, trumpeters Eddie Henderson and David Weiss, alto saxophonist Craig Handy, pianist George Cables, bassist Cecil McBee, and drummer Billy Hart.

The Cookers have been touring in support of their “cooking” release Believe since the summer, igniting crowds at major venues and festivals including the Playboy Jazz Festival, the Vancouver Jazz Festival, Caramoor Jazz Festival and more with DownBeat hailing the super-group “a must-see band on the festival circuit.”

Jazz Supergroup, THE COOKERS, Celebrate Their Fifth Anniversary With Stellar Third Release, BELIEVE, Available June 12 on Motéma Music

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African American, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Craig Handy, David Weiss, Eddie Henderson, George Cables

Featuring Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss,
Craig Handy, George Cables, Cecil McBee, and Billy Hart

LISTEN TO STREAMING TRACKS FROM BELIEVE

The Cookers, BELIEVE

“Player for player, there’s no better working band in jazz than The Cookers.” – Andy Gilbert, Boston Globe

“Rich with a mix of classic elegance and exploration, the group might reference the past by name, but it never sounds less than current.” – Chris Barton, Los Angeles Times

In an interview, drum great Billy Hart summed up his attitude toward The Cookers succinctly but emphatically: “Believe in us,” he insisted (tacking an expletive onto the end that served to press the point home). Over the course of two albums, The Cookers have given jazz audiences plenty of reason to believe, and their Motéma Music debut, bearing the simple but eloquent title Believe, finds the all-star septet continuing to keep the faith in swinging fashion – their third release, celebrating their fifth anniversary as a working ensemble.

THE COOKERS Celebrate The Release Of CAST THE FIRST STONE (Plus Loin)

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Azar Lawrence, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Craig Handy, David Weiss, Eddie Henderson, George Cables, Jazz, The Cookers

THE COOKERS Celebrate The Release Of
CAST THE FIRST STONE (Plus Loin), Hard-Hitting Follow-Up to Acclaimed WARRIORS On April 12, 2011

@ The Iridum – May 14 & 15!
1650 Broadway, NYC (at 51st Street), Tel 212 582 2121, Showtime is 9:00 PM, tkts are $30
http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com

The Cookers - Cast The First Stone

Billy Harper (Tenor Sax), Eddie Henderson (Trumpet), David Weiss (Trumpet), Craig Handy (Alto Sax), George Cables (Piano), Cecil McBee (Bass), Billy Hart (Drums) & Special guest Azar Lawrence (Tenor & Soprano Sax)

Experience counts, especially in jazz. The more time musicians spend interpreting tunes and interacting with others, the more articulation an audience can expect. You can hear the fruits of such work in the expressive language the Cookers bring to the material on Cast the First Stone. Here’s a group of veteran improvisers approaching their current songbook with both ardor and eloquence.

Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ’60s. It was a period that found the dimensions of hard bop morphing from their original designs, and each these guys helped facilitate the process. David Weiss and Craig Handy, from a more recent generation and the youngest members of the band, are experts in this forthright lingo as well. Their feisty solos parallel those of their elders. Together, the septet throws a mighty punch.

THE COOKERS Release CAST THE FIRST STONE (Plus Loin), Hard-Hitting Follow-Up to Acclaimed WARRIORS On April 12, 2011

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Azar Lawrence, Billy Harper, Billy Hart, Cecil McBee, Craig Handy, David Weiss, Eddie Henderson, George Cables

The Cookers CD Release Celebration
May 14 & 15 @ The Iridium, NYC!
http://www.iridiumjazzclub.com

Cast The First Stone Features: Billy Harper (Tenor Sax), Eddie Henderson (Trumpet), David Weiss (Trumpet), Craig Handy (Alto Sax, trks 1-5), George Cables (Piano), Cecil McBee (Bass), Billy Hart (Drums) & Special guest Azar Lawrence (Tenor Sax, trks 4, 6 & 7, Soprano Sax, trk 3)

The Cookers - Cast The First Stone

Experience counts, especially in jazz. The more time musicians spend interpreting tunes and interacting with others, the more articulation an audience can expect. You can hear the fruits of such work in the expressive language the Cookers bring to the material on Cast the First Stone. Here’s a group of veteran improvisers approaching their current songbook with both ardor and eloquence.

Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ’60s. It was a period that found the dimensions of hard bop morphing from their original designs, and each these guys helped facilitate the process. David Weiss and Craig Handy, from a more recent generation and the youngest members of the band, are experts in this forthright lingo as well. Their feisty solos parallel those of their elders. Together, the septet throws a mighty punch.

“There’s no doubt that these guys hit it hard,” says Weiss. “Unquestionably that’s the signature of the band.” The trumpeter produced Cast the First Stone; he’s also the group’s straw boss. “I love Warriors, our previous disc, but some considered it a kinder and gentler Cookers record. This one has a great balance. There’s pretty stuff, smart stuff, and tough stuff – a few really rugged pieces in fact. It’s one of those records that grabs you from the first note and doesn’t let go.”

EDDIE HENDERSON PAINTS CHILDHOOD MEMORIES ON HIS FURTHERMORE RECORDINGS DEBUT, FOR ALL WE KNOW

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African American, Eddie Henderson, Jazz, Trumpet

Eddie Henderson - For All We Know

Charlie Parker said that “if you don’t live it, it won’t come out of your horn,” and on Eddie Henderson’s soulful, sublime and swingin’ new CD For All We Know (Furthermore Recordings, October 12) you can hear all of the inventions, dimensions, places and spaces of his artistry, which, like fine wine gets better as time goes by. Joining Henderson on this dynamic pianoless date are guitarist John Scofield, bassist Doug Weiss, and drummer Billy Drummond, moving and grooving on eight tracks of standards and original compositions.

“I didn’t use a piano this time, because John Scofield hired me a couple of years ago,” Henderson says, “and just the way he comps … you know he’s such a talented accompanist – it felt like a symphony orchestra. So I had no qualms about not using a piano. And then there’s Billy Drummond – he teaches at Julliard with me – I’ve known him for years. And he’s on a couple of my CD’s. He’s a wonderful player. And Doug Weiss, the bassist; I worked with him for many years. He was a staple in the Al Foster Quartet, and I worked with Al for three tours. I knew that the chemistry of John Scofield, Doug Weiss, and Billy Drummond would work. I learned this kind of awareness from Miles Davis: You listen before they even get together – whether one person plays ahead or behind the beat.”