Junior Cook
Background information
Birth name	Herman Cook
Born	(1934-07-22)July 22, 1934
Origin	Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Died	February 3, 1992(1992-02-03) (aged 57) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Jazz, hard bop
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instrument(s)	Saxophone, flute
Years active	1958-1992

Herman "Junior" Cook (July 22, 1934 – February 3, 1992)^[1] was an American hard bop tenor saxophone player.

Biography

Cook was born in Pensacola, Florida.^[1] A member of a musical family, he started on alto saxophone before switching to tenor during his high school years.^[2]

After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1958, Cook was a member of the Horace Silver Quintet (1958–1964); when Silver left the group in the hands of Blue Mitchell Cook stayed in the quintet for five more years (1964–1969).^[1] Later associations included Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Louis Hayes (1975–1976), Bill Hardman (1979–1989), and the McCoy Tyner big band.^[1]

In addition to many appearances as a sideman, Junior Cook recorded as a leader for Jazzland (1961), Catalyst (1977), Muse, and SteepleChase.

He also taught at Berklee School of Music for a year during the 1970s.^[1][3]

In the early 1990s, Cook was playing with Clifford Jordan, and also leading his own group. He died in February 1992 in his apartment in New York City, aged 57.^[3]

Discography

As leader/co-leader

• Junior's Cookin' (Jazzland, 1961)
• Ichi-Ban (Timeless, 1976) with Louis Hayes
• Pressure Cooker (Catalyst, 1977)
• Good Cookin' (Muse, 1979)
• Somethin's Cookin' (Muse, 1981)
• The Place to Be (Steeplechase, 1988)
• On a Misty Night (Steeplechase, 1989)
• You Leave Me Breathless (Steeplechase, 1991)

As sideman

With Horace Silver

• Live at Newport '58 (Blue Note, 1958 [2008])
• 6 Pieces of Silver (Blue Note, 1956–58)
• Finger Poppin' (Blue Note, 1959)
• Blowin' the Blues Away (Blue Note, 1959)
• Horace-Scope (Blue Note, 1960)
• Doin' the Thing (Blue Note, 1961)
• Paris Blues (Pablo, 1962, [2002])
• The Tokyo Blues (Blue Note, 1962)
• Silver's Serenade (Blue Note, 1963)
• Song for My Father (Blue Note, 1964)
• Music to Ease Your Disease (Silverto, 1988)

With Barry Harris

• Luminescence! (Prestige, 1967)

With Bill Hardman

• Home (Muse, 1978)
• Politely (Muse, 1981 [1982])
• Focus (Muse, 1982)
• What's Up (SteepleChase, 1989)

With Freddie Hubbard

• Sing Me a Song of Songmy (Atlantic, 1971) – co-led with İlhan Mimaroğlu
• Keep Your Soul Together (CTI Records, 1973)
• High Energy (Columbia, 1974)
• Polar AC (CTI Records, 1974)
• Live At Carnegie Hall 1972 (Stepper Music, 2007)

With Clifford Jordan

• Two Tenor Winner (Criss Cross, 1984)
• Play What You Feel (Mapleshade, 1990 [1997])

With Blue Mitchell

• The Cup Bearers (Riverside, 1962)
• The Thing to Do (Blue Note, 1964)
• Down with It! (Blue Note, 1965)
• Bring It Home to Me (Blue Note, 1966)
• Boss Horn (Blue Note, 1966)
• Heads Up! (Blue Note, 1967)

With others

• Kenny Burrell: Swingin' (Blue Note, 1956 [rel. 1980])
• Kenny Burrell: Blue Lights (Blue Note, 1958)
• Dave Bailey Sextet: One Foot in the Gutter (Epic, 1960)
• Roy Brooks: Beat (Jazz Workshop, 1964)
• Barry Harris: Luminescence! (Prestige, 1967)
• Cedar Walton: Cedar! (Prestige, 1967)
• John Patton: That Certain Feeling (Blue Note, 1968; Mosaic Select, 2003)
• Don Patterson: Opus De Don (Prestige, 1968)
• Louis Smith: Prancin' (SteepleChase, 1979)
• Mickey Tucker: Sojourn (Xanadu, 1977)
• McCoy Tyner: Uptown/Downtown (Milestone, 1988)
• Walter Bishop Jr.: Hot House (Muse, 1979)
• Louis Hayes: Ichi-Ban (Timeless, 1979)
• Vibration Society Hilton Ruiz Steve Turre: The Music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Stash, 1986)
• Larry Gales Sextet: A Message from Monk (Candid, 1990)
• Bertha Hope: Elmo's Fire (Steeplechase, 1991)