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“Packed with swinging rhythms, trenchant melodies and soulful soloes.” - 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.” - Daniel Spicer, The Wire
"a bristling collection of originals, the old feeling is newly alive.” - Giovanni Russonello, New York Times
Look Out! is the triumphant sixth album return of jazz supergroup The Cookers, due out on September 24th on double vinyl, CD, and digital. Recorded at the iconic Van Gelder studio in Englewood Cliffs and cut using a Van Gelder-era '67 Haeco Sculley lathe at Gearbox Records, the 7-track release comprises original, fresh pieces written by Cecil McBee, Billy Harper, and George Cables which channel the heady, aggressive post-bop era of the mid-60s.
Whereas the majority of the jazz tradition’s elder statesmen head their own groups, this is one of the few jazz bands to contain legacy musicians of this calibre functioning as an equitable, long-standing ensemble. Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ‘60s: Hart and Henderson were members of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi group; Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd’s great ’60s quartet alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette; Billy Harper was part of Lee Morgan’s last group, as well as being a member of Max Roach’s Quartet and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers; while George Cables held down the piano chair in numerous bands including groups led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper. David Weiss and Donald Harrison, from a more recent generation and the youngest members of the band, are experts in this forthright lingo, having gained experience performing with Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Roy Haynes and Herbie Hancock.
After 14 years together, again the incredibly high level of musicianship has only increased with the revisiting of their fresh, challenging, boundary-pushing music from these legendary, revered, veteran improvisers.
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今作『ルック・アウト！』の収録曲はいずれも過去に発表されたもので、各々のバンド・メンバーの作曲家としての能力を強調する代表的作ばかりだ。
リード・シングル「Somalia」と「Destiny is Yours」は、1990年代初頭の最上級のビリー・ハーパーのナンバー。鋼のような鋭いトーンと恍惚とした言い回しで彫刻する壮大な叙情性の才能を持っているビリーは、ジョン・コルトレーン没後のここ50年で最も特徴的なプレーヤーの一人と言えるだろう。アルバムには他にもベーシスト、セシル・マクビーの「Mutima」「Cat’s Out Of The Bag」や、ピアニスト、ジョージ・ケイブルズの「Traveling Lady」「The Mystery Of Monifa Brown」「AKA Reggie」が収録されている。こういったオリジナル作品からもわかる通り、ザ・クッカーズは自ら基準を上げ続けるグループなのだ。
Billy Harper: tenor sax
Eddie Henderson: trumpet
David Weiss: trumpet
Donald Harrison: alto sax
George Cables: piano
Cecil McBee: bass
Billy Hart: drums
Produced by David Weiss
Executive Producer: Darrel Sheinman
Recorded at Van Gelder Recording Studio by Maureen Sickler
Mixed by Katherine Miller
Mastered by Caspar Sutton-Jones and Darrel Sheinman at Gearbox Records
Patient yet curious, the compositions of trumpeter Ben Wolkins, played here by his Signal Quartet, highlight the group's connectivity. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 25, 2023
This schorching live set from legendary trumpet player Freddie Hubbard captures the bebop icon at the peak of his powers. Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 8, 2023
