Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet, and flute, the latter on an album by

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. Early life Pal ...

as well as on his own recordings. As a leader, Cuber was known for hard bop and Latin jazz. As a side man, he had played with

B. B. King Riley B. King (September 16, 1925 – May 14, 2015), known professionally as B.B. King, was an American blues singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. He introduced a sophisticated style of soloing based on fluid string bending, shimm ...

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actor whose career has spanned six decades. He is one of the most acclaimed songwriters in popular music, both as a solo artist and as half of folk roc ...

, and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is often regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s list of ...

. Cuber can be heard on '' Freeze Frame'' by

the J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, harmonica and saxophone player Richard "Magic ...

, and one of his most spirited performances is on

Dr. Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith (July 3, 1942 – September 28, 2021), styled Dr. Lonnie Smith, was an American jazz Hammond B3 organist who was a member of the George Benson quartet in the 1960s. He recorded albums with saxophonist Lou Donaldson for Blue Note be ...

's 1970 Blue Note album ''Drives''. He was also a member of the Saturday Night Live Band. Cuber was in Marshall Brown's Newport Youth Band in 1959, where he switched from tenor to baritone sax. His first notable work was with

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tuba and flugelho ...

(1962) and

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

(1963–1965). Then from 1966 to 1967, Cuber worked with George Benson. He was also a member of the

Lee Konitz Leon Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American composer and alto saxophonist. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's association with the cool jazz ...

nonet from 1977 to 1979. Cuber can be heard playing in

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American musician, composer, and bandleader. His work is characterized by wikt:nonconformity, nonconformity, Free improvisation, free-form improvisation, sound experimen ...

's group in the mid-1970s, including the album '' Zappa in New York''. He was a member of the Mingus Big Band from its inception in the early 1990 until his death. He was an off-screen musician for the movie ''

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

''. Cuber died on October 7, 2022, at the age of 80.

Discography

As leader

* 1976: ''Cuber Libre!'' (

Xanadu Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan), ...

) * 1978: ''

The Eleventh Day of Aquarius Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet ...

'' (Xanadu) * 1981: ''New York Jazz'' * 1985: ''Two Brothers'' (AMG) * 1985: ''Passion Fruit'' (Electric Bird/PID) * 1986: ''Pin Point'' (Electric Bird/PID) * 1986: ''Live at the Blue Note'' (ProJazz) * 1992: ''Cubism'' ( Fresh Sound) * 1993: ''The Scene Is Clean'' ( Milestone) * 1994: ''Airplay'' (

SteepleChase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

) * 1996: ''In a New York Minute'' (SteepleChase) * 1997: ''N.Y.C.ats'' (SteepleChase) * 1998: ''Love for Sale'' (with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra) (

Koch Koch may refer to: People * Koch (surname), people with this surname * Koch dynasty, a dynasty in Assam and Bengal, north east India * Koch family * Koch people (or Koche), an ethnic group originally from the ancient Koch kingdom in north east ...

) * 2009: ''Ronnie'' (SteepleChase) * 2011: ''Boplicity'' (SteepleChase) * 2013: ''Live at JazzFest Berlin'' (SteepleChase) recorded 2008 * 2018 ''Ronnie's Trio'' (SteepleChase) * 2019 ''Four'' (SteepleChase)

As sideman

With

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter. Music career Austin was born in Harlem, New York, to Gordon Austin, a jazz trombonist. She was raised in Bay Shore, New York on Long Island. Quincy ...

* ''

End of a Rainbow ''End of a Rainbow'' is the debut album by American vocalist and songwriter Patti Austin recorded in 1976 and released on the CTI label.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 29, 2012 Track listing All compositions by Patti Austin exc ...

'' (CTI, 1976) * '' Havana Candy'' (CTI, 1977) With George Benson * ''

It's Uptown ''It's Uptown'' is the second studio album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson. Background George Benson's second album and the first of two to be produced by John Hammond. Recorded after his move to CBS. Track listing 2007 remastered CD / B ...

'' (1966) * ''

The George Benson Cookbook ''The George Benson Cookbook'' is the third studio album by jazz/soul guitarist George Benson, and the second to be produced by John Hammond. Background The Hard Bop Homepage says of the album, "This is basically the George Benson quartet, wit ...

'' (1966) * ''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic revi ...

'' (CTI, 1975) With Nick Brignola * ''

Burn Brigade ''Burn Brigade'' is an album by baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola which was recorded in 1979 and released on the Bee Hive label.Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

* ''

The New Sounds of Maynard Ferguson ''The New Sounds of Maynard Ferguson'' is an album by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson recorded in 1963 which was originally released on the Cameo label.Minn, MMaynard Ferguson discography accessed February 9, 2017 Reception AllMusic ...

'' (Cameo, 1963) * ''

Come Blow Your Horn ''Come Blow Your Horn'' is Neil Simon's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit ...

'' (Cameo, 1963) * ''

Color Him Wild ''Color Him Wild'' (also released as ''Dues'') is an album released by Canadian jazz trumpeter Maynard Ferguson featuring tracks recorded in 1964 and originally released on the Mainstream label.Edwards, D., Callahan, Eyries, P., Watts, R. & Neely, ...

'' (Mainstream, 1965) With David Clayton-Thomas * ''David Clayton-Thomas'' (1972) With

The Gadd Gang ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

* ''

'' (Columbia, 1986) * '' Here & Now'' (Columbia, 1988) * ''

Live at the Bottom Line ''Live at the Bottom Line'' is a live album by American vocalist and songwriter Patti Austin recorded in 1978 and released on the CTI label.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 29, 2012 Reception The Allmusic review states, "There' ...

'' (A Touch 1994) With Grant Green * '' The Main Attraction'' (1976) With

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, pianist and songwriter. Commonly nicknamed the "Piano Man (song), Piano Man" after his album and signature song of the same name, he has led a commercially successful career as a solo ...

* ''

An Innocent Man ''An Innocent Man'' is the ninth studio album by American singer-songwriter Billy Joel, released on August 8, 1983. The concept album is a tribute to the American popular music of Joel's adolescent years with Joel paying homage to a number of ...

'' (1983) * ''

The Bridge The Bridge may refer to: Art, entertainment and media Art * ''The Bridge'' (sculpture), a 1997 sculpture in Atlanta, Georgia, US * Die Brücke (''The Bridge''), a group of German expressionist artists * ''The Bridge'' (M. C. Escher), a lithograph ...

'' (1986) With Sam Jones * '' Something New'' (Interplay, 1979) With

* ''

Lee Konitz Nonet ''Lee Konitz Nonet'' is an album by American jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz recorded in 1977 and released on the Chiaroscuro label.Di Filippo, R.Enciclopedia del Jazz: Lee Konitzaccessed November 24, 2016 Critical reception Scott Yanow on Allmusic ...

'' (Chiaroscuro, 1977) * '' Yes, Yes, Nonet'' (SteepleChase, 1979) * ''

Live at Laren ''Live at Laren'' is a live album by American jazz saxophonist Lee Konitz's Nonet recorded in 1979 by Dutch Broadcasting, NOS -Hilversum and released on the Italian Soul Note label in 1984.Frohne, M.Soul Note label discography accessed November 2 ...

'' (Soul Note, 1979 984 With Jimmy McGriff * '' Feelin' It'' (Milestone, 2001) * ''

McGriff Avenue ''McGriff Avenue'' is an album by organist Jimmy McGriff recorded in 2001 and released on the Milestone Records, Milestone label the following year.

'' (Milestone, 2002) With

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad ( ar, إدريس محمد; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, R&B, and soul music and recorded with musicians such a ...

* '' House of the Rising Sun'' (1976) * ''

Turn This Mutha Out ''Turn This Mutha Out'' is a 1977 album by Idris Muhammad. Produced and arranged by CTI/Kudu staff arranger David Matthews, it was aimed more at the R&B/dance market than the jazz market. One of only a few Kudu albums not produced by label owne ...

'' (1977) With Horace Silver * '' The Hardbop Grandpop'' (1996) With

Lonnie Smith Lonnie Smith may refer to: * Lonnie Smith (baseball) (born 1955), American baseball player * Lonnie Smith (boxer) (born 1962), American boxer * Lonnie Smith (organist) (1942–2021), American organist * Lonnie Liston Smith (born 1940), American jaz ...

* ''

Move Your Hand ''Move Your Hand'' is a live album by American organist Lonnie Smith recorded at Club Harlem in Atlantic City, New Jersey in 1969 and released on the Blue Note label.

'' (Blue Note, 1969) * '' Drives'' (Blue Note, 1970) * '' Live at Club Mozambique'' (Blue Note, 1970; released 1995) With

Mickey Tucker Mickey Tucker (born Michael B. Tucker; April 28, 1941) is an American jazz pianist and organist. Biography Tucker was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1941. He grew up in Rankin, Pennsylvania before moving back to North Carolina aged 12. When h ...

* ''

Sojourn Sojourn may refer to: Books and periodicals * ''Sojourn'' (comics), a CrossGen comic book series * ''Sojourn'' (journal), a journal of social and cultural issues in Southeast Asia * ''Sojourn'' (novel), the 1991 novel in the Dark Elf Trilogy by R. ...

'' (Xanadu, 1977) With Gerald Wilson * '' Detroit'' (Mack Avenue, 2009) With

Rare Silk Rare Silk was an American vocal jazz group that was active during the 1980s. MaryLynn Gillaspie and her sister, Gaile, grew up in southern California. Their father played trumpet, and from an early age they heard big band music and Ella Fitzgeral ...

* ''New Weave'' (1986) With Randy Brecker * ''34th N Lex'' (2003) With

Dr. John Malcolm John Rebennack Jr. (November 20, 1941 – June 6, 2019), better known by his stage name Dr. John, was an American singer and songwriter. His music encompassed New Orleans blues, jazz, funk, and R&B. Active as a session musician from t ...

* ''

Duke Elegant ''Duke Elegant'' is a 1999 studio album by New Orleans keyboard player and vocalist Dr. John. The album was produced by the artist under his real name, Mac Rebennack, and is a collection of songs written or performed by Duke Ellington. It featur ...

'' (1999) With

* '' Graceland'' (1986) With Tom Scott * ''Bebop United'' (2006) With

* '' Harlem River Drive'' (Roulette, 1971) * '' Vamonos Pa'l Monte'' (Tico, 1971) * '' Live at Sing Sing Vol. 1 & 2'' (Tico, 1972) * ''

The Sun of Latin Music ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in ...

'' (Coco Records, 1975) * '' Unfinished Masterpiece'' (Coco Records, 1976) * '' Lucumí, Macumba, Voodoo'' (Epic, 1978) * '' Wisdom/Sabiduria'' (Ropeadope Records, 2017)

References

External links

A site with information on all the great Jazz Baritone Saxophonists and vintage horns
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuber, Ronnie 1941 births 2022 deaths Hard bop saxophonists Jazz baritone saxophonists American jazz baritone saxophonists American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz soprano saxophonists American jazz flautists Musicians from New York City Xanadu Records artists SteepleChase Records artists Milestone Records artists Jazz musicians from New York (state) 21st-century American saxophonists American male jazz musicians White Elephant Orchestra members Mingus Big Band members 21st-century American male musicians MNRK Music Group artists 21st-century flautists