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Bob Cooper (musician)

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Bob Cooper
Cooper, c. 1947
Cooper, c. 1947
Background information
Born(1925-12-06)December 6, 1925
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedAugust 5, 1993(1993-08-05) (aged 67)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentSaxophone
Formerly ofStan Kenton

Bob Cooper (December 6, 1925[1] – August 5, 1993)[2] was a West Coast jazz musician known primarily for playing tenor saxophone, but also for being one of the first to play jazz solos on oboe.

Career

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Cooper worked in Stan Kenton's band starting in 1945 and married the band's singer, June Christy, two years later.[1] The union produced a daughter, Shay Christy Cooper (September 1, 1954 – February 21, 2014), with the marriage lasting 44 years, until Christy's death in 1990.[3] His last studio recording was on Karrin Allyson's album Sweet Home Cookin' (1994) on which he played tenor saxophone.

Cooper died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California, at the age of 67. He was found in his car, which had pulled over to the side of the road.[2]

Bob Cooper and June Christy, ca. 1947

Selected discography

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As leader

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As sideman

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With Chet Baker

With Elmer Bernstein

With Buddy Bregman

With June Christy

With Maynard Ferguson

With Jimmy Giuffre

With Stan Kenton

With Barney Kessel

With Shelly Manne

With Jack Nitzsche

With Art Pepper

  • Showcase for Modern Jazz (Brunswick, 1958)

With Shorty Rogers

With Pete Rugolo

With Bud Shank

References

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  1. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Who's Who of Jazz (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 103. ISBN 0-85112-580-8.
  2. ^ a b Folkart, Burt A. (7 August 1993). "Bob Cooper; a Shaper of West Coast Jazz". Los Angeles Times.
  3. ^ "Bob Cooper Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 October 2012.
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