Jerome Cooper Explained

Jerome Cooper
Birth Name:Jerome Douglas Cooper
Birth Date:December 14, 1946
Birth Place:Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Death Date:May 6, 2015 (aged 68)
Death Place:Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genre:Jazz, free jazz
Instruments:Drums

Jerome Douglas Cooper (December 14, 1946 – May 6, 2015) was an American free jazz musician.[1] In addition to trap drums, Cooper played balafon, chirimia and various electronic instruments, and referred to himself as a "multi-dimensional drummer," meaning that his playing involved "layers of sounds and rhythms".[2] AllMusic reviewer Ron Wynn called him "A sparkling drummer and percussionist... An excellent accompanist".[3] Another Allmusic reviewer stated that "in the truest sense this drummer is a magician, adept at transformation and the creation of sacred space".[4]

Career

Cooper studied with Oliver Coleman and Walter Dyett in the late 1950s and early 1960s,[5] then studied at the American Conservatory of Music and Loop College. In 1968, he worked with Oscar Brown, Jr. and Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre in the U.S. but moved to Europe before the end of the decade, where he played with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Steve Lacy, Lou Bennett (with whom he visited Gambia and Senegal),[6] the Art Ensemble of Chicago, Alan Silva, and Noah Howard.[7] After returning to the U.S. in 1971, he joined the Revolutionary Ensemble alongside Leroy Jenkins and Sirone, where he remained for several years, and played piano, flute, and bugle in addition to drums. In the 1970s, he played with Sam Rivers, George Adams, Karl Berger, Andrew Hill, and Anthony Braxton. In the 1980s he worked with McIntyre again, as well as with Cecil Taylor.

Death

Cooper died in Brooklyn on May 6, 2015, aged 68, from complications of multiple myeloma, according to his daughter, Levanah Cummins-Cooper.

Discography

As leader or co-leader

Recording dateAlbumLabelPersonnelRelease date
1978Positions 3 6 9KharmaWith Kalaparusha Maurice McIntyre and Frank Lowe1978
1978Root AssumptionsAnimaSolo percussion1982
1979For the PeopleHat HutWith Oliver Lake1980
The Unpredictability of PredictabilityAbout TimeSolo percussion1979
1987Outer and InteractionsAbout TimeWith Joseph Jarman, Jason Hwang, William Parker, and Thurman Barker1988
1995–1998Mutable MusicSolo percussion2001
2002Alone, Together, ApartMutable MusicWith Thomas Buckner2003
2007A Magical ApproachMutable MusicSolo percussion2010
2011As of NotILK MusicWith Kresten Osgood2020

With the Revolutionary Ensemble

As sideman

With Lester Bowie

With Anthony Braxton

With Ted Daniel

With Leroy Jenkins and The Jazz Composer's Orchestra

With Rahsaan Roland Kirk

With Steve Lacy

With Marcello Melis

With Roscoe Mitchell and Don Moye

With Alan Silva

With Cecil Taylor

With Clifford Thornton

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Jerome Cooper, a Multitextured Jazz Percussionist, Dies at 68 . Chinen . Nate . May 13, 2015 . . July 2, 2020.
  2. Web site: In Concert: From There To Hear: Multi-dimensional Drummer . Cooper . Jerome . MutableMusic.com . July 2, 2020.
  3. Web site: Jerome Cooper: Biography . Wynn . Ron . AllMusic.com . July 2, 2020.
  4. Web site: Jerome Cooper: A Magical Approach . arwulf . arwulf . AllMusic.com . July 2, 2020.
  5. Encyclopedia: Feather . Leonard . Gitler . Ira . Cooper, Jerome . The Biographical Encyclopedia of Jazz . 1999 . . New York . 150.
  6. Book: Wilmer . Val . As Serious As Your Life . Serpent's Tail . 2009 . 361.
  7. Encyclopedia: Porter . Lewis . Kuhn . Laura . Cooper, Jerome . . 2001 . . 2 . New York . 313884977 . 721.