George "Buster" Cooper (April 4, 1929 – May 13, 2016) was an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

trombonist.

Career

A native of

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the fifth-most populous city in Florida and the second-largest city in the Tampa Bay Area, after Tampa. It is the ...

, United States, Cooper played in a

territory band Territory bands were dance bands that crisscrossed specific regions of the United States from the 1920s through the 1960s. Beginning in the 1920s, the bands typically had 8 to 12 musicians. These bands typically played one-nighters, six or seven n ...

with

Nat Towles Nat Towles (August 10, 1905 – January 1963) was an American musician, jazz and big band leader popular in his hometown of New Orleans, Louisiana, North Omaha, Nebraska and Chicago, Illinois. He was also music educator in Austin, Texas. The N ...

in Texas in the late 1940s and with

Lionel Hampton Lionel Leo Hampton (April 20, 1908 – August 31, 2002) was an American jazz vibraphonist, pianist, percussionist, and bandleader. Hampton worked with jazz musicians from Teddy Wilson, Benny Goodman, and Buddy Rich, to Charlie Parker, Charles M ...

in 1953. He played in the house band at the

Apollo Theater The Apollo Theater is a music hall at 253 West 125th Street between Adam Clayton Powell Jr. Boulevard (Seventh Avenue) and Frederick Douglass Boulevard (Eighth Avenue) in the Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan in New York City. It is a not ...

in New York City in the mid-1950s, and following this he was in

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

's band. Late in the 1950s he and his brother Steve formed the Cooper Brothers Band. From 1962 to 1969, he was a trombonist in

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

's Orchestra. In 1973, he moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, and played in jazz orchestras over the next several decades, including

Bill Berry William Thomas Berry (born July 31, 1958) is an American musician who was the drummer for the alternative rock band R.E.M. Although best known for his economical drumming style, Berry also played other instruments, including guitar, bass guitar ...

's band and

The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut is an American big band jazz ensemble, named after the 1977 album ''Juggernaut'' (Concord Jazz) by Frank Capp and Nat Pierce. The group was known equivalently as the Capp-Pierce Orchestra and the Capp-Pierce Juggernaut ...

. He led a trio at a restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida. In 1993, Cooper appeared as a jazz trombonist in the film ''

Murder Between Friends ''Murder Between Friends'' is an American murder mystery television film of 1994, directed by Waris Hussein. It is based on the true story of the murder of Janet Myers, a Louisiana woman killed in 1984 by her husband, or his best friend, or both ...

'', set in

New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

.Murder Between Friends

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...

, accessed 31 December 2022 Cooper died on May 13, 2016 of prostate cancer in St. Petersburg, Florida at the age of 87.

Discography

As leader

* ''E-Bone-Ix'' with

Thurman Green Thurman Green (August 12, 1940 – June 19, 1997) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of the Horace Tapscott Quintet and the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. Green and Hamiet Bluiett were at the Navy School of Music together in 196 ...

(Blue Lady, 1998)

As sideman

With

* ''Juggernaut'' (Concord Jazz, 1977) * ''Live at the Century Plaza'' (Concord Jazz, 1978) * ''Juggernaut Strikes Again!'' (Concord Jazz, 1982) * ''Live at the Alley Cat'' (Concord Jazz, 1987) With

* ''The Symphonic Ellington'' (Reprise, 1963) * ''Afro-Bossa'' (Reprise, 1963) * ''Ellington '65'' (Reprise, 1964) * ''Plays with the Original Motion Picture Score Mary Poppins'' (Reprise, 1964) *Harlem 1964 (Pablo, 1985) * ''Duke Ellington's Concert of Sacred Music'' (RCA Victor, 1966) * ''The Popular Duke Ellington'' (RCA Victor, 1966) * ''Antibes Concert'' (Verve, 1967) * ''The Far East Suite'' (RCA Victor, 1967) *Liederhalle Stuttgart 1967 (SWR, Jazzhaus, 2020) * ''And His Mother Called Him Bill'' (RCA, 1968) * ''Second Sacred Concert'' (Fantasy, 1968) * ''Yale Concert'' (Fantasy, 1973) * ''The Great Paris Concert'' (Atlantic, 1973) * ''Duke Ellington's Jazz Violin Session'' (Atlantic, 1976) * ''Up in Duke's Workshop'' (Pablo, 1979) * ''Concert in the Virgin Islands'' (Discovery, 1981) * ''Serenade to Sweden'' (Black Lion, 1982) * ''Harlem'' (Pablo, 1985) * ''

All Star Road Band Volume 2 ''All Star Road Band Volume 2'' is a live album by American pianist, composer and bandleader Duke Ellington recorded at the Holiday Ballroom in Chicago for radio broadcast and first released as a double LP on Bob Thiele's Doctor Jazz label in 1 ...

'' (Doctor Jazz, 1985) With

Ella Fitzgerald Ella Jane Fitzgerald (April 25, 1917June 15, 1996) was an American jazz singer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, in ...

& Duke Ellington * ''Ella at Duke's Place'' (Verve, 1966) * ''The Stockholm Concert 1966'' (Pablo, 1984) * ''Ella & Duke at the Cote D'Azur'' (Verve, 1997) With

* ''Wailin' at the Trianon'' (Columbia, 1955) * ''Lionel Hampton'' (Amiga, 1976) * ''Aurex Jazz Festival '81'' (EastWorld, 1981) * ''Ambassador at Large'' (Glad-Hamp, 1984) With

Johnny Hodges Cornelius "Johnny" Hodges (July 25, 1907 – May 11, 1970) was an American alto saxophonist, best known for solo work with Duke Ellington's big band. He played lead alto in the saxophone section for many years. Hodges was also featured on soprano ...

* ''Everybody Knows'' (Impulse!, 1964) * ''

Triple Play In baseball, a triple play (denoted as TP in baseball statistics) is the act of making three outs during the same play. There have only been 733 triple plays in Major League Baseball (MLB) since 1876, an average of just over five per season. Th ...

'' (RCA Victor, 1967) * '' Swing's Our Thing'' (Verve, 1968) With

A. K. Salim Ahmad Khatab Salim or Ahmad Kharab Salim (born Albert Atkinson on July 28, 1922) was an American jazz composer, and arranger. Biography Salim attended DuSable High School with Bennie Green, Dorothy Donegan and Gene Ammons and played alto saxop ...

* ''

Stable Mates ''Stable Mates'' is a split album by A. K. Salim and Yusef Lateef recorded in 1957 for the Savoy label.Pretty for the People ''Pretty for the People'' is an album by American jazz composer and arranger A. K. Salim featuring Kenny Dorham and Johnny Griffin recorded in 1957 for the Savoy label.Blues Suite ''Blues Suite'' is an album by American jazz composer and arranger A. K. Salim featuring Nat Adderley and Phil Woods recorded in 1958 for the Savoy label.

'' (Savoy, 1958) With others *

Cat Anderson William Alonzo "Cat" Anderson (September 12, 1916 – April 29, 1981) was an American jazz trumpeter known for his long period as a member of Duke Ellington's orchestra and for his wide range, especially his ability to play in the altissimo ...

, ''A Chat with Cat Anderson'' (Columbia, 1963) *

Billy Brooks William McKinley Brooks III (born July 22, 1953) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals 11th overall in the 1976 NFL Draft. He played college football at O ...

, ''Windows of the Mind'' (Crossover, 1974) *

Ruth Brown Ruth Alston Brown (; January 12, 1928 – November 17, 2006) was an American singer-songwriter and actress, sometimes referred to as the " Queen of R&B". She was noted for bringing a pop music style to R&B music in a series of hit songs for Atl ...

, ''Fine and Mellow'' (Fantasy, 1992) *

Milt Buckner Milton Brent Buckner (July 10, 1915 – July 27, 1977) was an American jazz pianist and organist, who in the early 1950s popularized the Hammond organ.Arwulf ArwulfMilt Buckner biography All Music. He pioneered the parallel chords styleFeathe ...

, ''The Definitive Black & Blue Sessions'' (Black and Blue, 1998) * Lawrence Brown, ''Inspired Abandon'' (Impulse!, 1965) *

Arnett Cobb Arnett Cleophus Cobb (August 10, 1918 – March 24, 1989)
accessed July 2010. was an American tenor saxophonist, somet ...

, '' Smooth Sailing'' (Prestige, 1959) * Arnett Cobb, ''The Wild Man from Texas'' (Black and Blue, 1977) *

Harry "Sweets" Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard bac ...

, ''For My Pals'' (Pablo, 1988) *

Jimmy Forrest James, Jim or Jimmy Forrest may refer to: Sports * James Forrest (rugby union) (born 1907), Scotland international rugby union player * James Forrest (baseball) (1897–1977), American baseball player * James Forrest (basketball) (born 1972), Ame ...

, ''Soul Street'' (Original Jazz Classics, 1998) *

, ''Happy Session'' (Columbia, 1959) *

Earl Hines Earl Kenneth Hines, also known as Earl "Fatha" Hines (December 28, 1903 – April 22, 1983), was an American jazz pianist and bandleader. He was one of the most influential figures in the development of jazz piano and, according to one source, " ...

, ''Once Upon a Time'' (Impulse! 1966) *

Abdullah Ibrahim Abdullah Ibrahim (born Adolph Johannes Brand on 9 October 1934 and formerly known as Dollar Brand) is a South African pianist and composer. His music reflects many of the musical influences of his childhood in the multicultural port areas of Cap ...

, ''Bra Joe from Kilimanjaro'' (The Sun, 1979) * Abdullah Ibrahim, ''Tintinyana'' (Kaz, 1988) *

Mundell Lowe James Mundell Lowe (April 21, 1922 – December 2, 2017) was an American jazz guitarist who worked often in radio, television, and film, and as a session musician. He produced film and TV scores in the 1970s, such as the ''Billy Jack'' soundtrac ...

, ''Satan in High Heels'' (Charlie Parker, 1961) * Mundell Lowe, ''Blues for a Stripper'' (Charlie Parker, 1962) *

Oscar Peterson Oscar Emmanuel Peterson (August 15, 1925 – December 23, 2007) was a Canadian virtuoso jazz pianist and composer. Considered one of the greatest jazz pianists of all time, Peterson released more than 200 recordings, won seven Grammy Awards, ...

, ''Plays Duke Ellington'' (Pablo, 1999) *

Bobby Short Robert Waltrip Short (September 15, 1924 – March 21, 2005) was an American cabaret singer and pianist, who interpreted songs by popular composers from the first half of the 20th century such as Rodgers and Hart, Cole Porter, Jerome Kern, Harold ...

, ''Guess Who's in Town'' (Atlantic, 1987) *

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Chairman of the Board" and later called "Ol' Blue Eyes", Sinatra was one of the most popular ...

, ''Francis A. & Edward K.'' (Reprise, 1988) *

O. C. Smith Ocie Lee Smith (June 21, 1932 – November 23, 2001), known professionally as O. C. Smith, was an American singer. His recording of " Little Green Apples" went to number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in 1968 and sold over one million rec ...

, ''Love Changes'' (Motown 1982) *

Billy Strayhorn William Thomas Strayhorn (November 29, 1915 – May 31, 1967) was an American jazz composer, pianist, lyricist, and arranger, who collaborated with bandleader and composer Duke Ellington for nearly three decades. His compositions include "Take ...

, ''Lush Life'' (Red Baron, 1992) *

Dinah Washington Dinah Washington (born Ruth Lee Jones; August 29, 1924 – December 14, 1963) was an American singer and pianist, who has been cited as "the most popular black female recording artist of the 1950s songs". Primarily a jazz vocalist, she performe ...

, ''Wise Woman Blues'' (Rosetta, 1984) *

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. In addition to being a ...

, ''

Calafia Calafia, or Califia, is the fictional queen of the island of California, first introduced by 16th century poet Garci Rodríguez de Montalvo in his epic novel of chivalry, ''Las sergas de Esplandián'' (The Adventures of Esplandián), written aro ...

'' (Trend, 1985)

References

;Footnotes ;General references *

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born October 4, 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author.Allmusic Biography/ref> Biography Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Since 1974, he was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles an ...

Buster Cooper George "Buster" Cooper (April 4, 1929 – May 13, 2016) was an American jazz trombonist. Career A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States, Cooper played in a territory band with Nat Towles in Texas in the late 1940s and with Lionel Hamp ...

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Buster 1929 births 2016 deaths Musicians from St. Petersburg, Florida American jazz trombonists Male trombonists Jazz musicians from Florida Duke Ellington Orchestra members American male jazz musicians The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut members