Jack Cooper (born John Thomas Cooper Jr., May 14, 1963) is an American composer, arranger, orchestrator, multireedist, and music educator. He has performed with, written music for and recorded by internationally known pop, jazz, and classical artists.
Intro Cooper has performed with, written music for or recorded by internationally known pop, jazz, and classical artists including Sean Ardoin, Aaron Neville, Marc Secara, Jiggs Whigham, the Berlin Jazz Orchestra, Markus Burger, Lenny Pickett, Joyce Cobb, the BBB featuring Bernie Dresel, Duffy Jackson, Donald Brown, Young Voices Brandenburg, Jimi Tunnell, Christian McBride, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, the U.S.A.F. Airmen of Note, the U.S. Army Jazz Ambassadors, the Dallas Winds, and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra.Cannon Center for the Performing Arts, September 30, 2011, The Shadow of Your Smile arranged for orchestra by Jack Cooper for Aaron NevilleSparke, Jon W. BPACC Showcase flows in with tribute to Ellington, The Commercial Appeal, August 28, 2009. Jack Cooper, musical director/arranger for Joyce Cobb and Donald BrownShew, Jazz Orchestra Bring Out Best in Each Other. Austin American-Statesman, April 28, 1997, pp. E3, Music for Shew by Jack Cooper, also on the 2001 CD ShowcaseMcBride stresses work, luck, Austin American-Statesman, April 1, 1997, Page E2. Music for McBride by Jack Cooper, also on the 2009 CD VoicesThe Westchester Jazz Orchestra , commissioned work and premiered September 24, 2005Scene for Brass commissioned by the Dallas Winds and premiered on September 14, 2004
Early life, musical education and influences Jack Cooper was born in Whittier, California on May 14, 1963; his given birth name passed down from his great-grandfather and father, John Thomas Cooper.Find a Grave, John Thomas Cooper grave site and obituary He was raised in the nearby, northeastern section of La Habra (remote, Southeastern base of the Puente Hills). He is the younger brother of artist and stylist Cathy Cooper, grandson of H.V. Cooper and also the grandson (x4) of Harriet Byron McAllisterJack Cooper's mother is Georgie Blanton Finlay Cooper from Greenville, Mississippi who is direct lineage to Harriet Blanton TheobaldBlanton-Smith Collection, University of Mississippi. Department of Archives and Special Collections. University, MS 38677, USA His mother, Georgie Cooper, was an accomplished classical pianist; his Godfather Robert Voris was a well known baritone-bass vocal soloist."Musicians Give Recital, Spring Concert Next." Georgie Cooper, piano. East Whittier Review. October 24, 1968. pp. 42"Festival of Song" LP, Georgie Cooper - pianist"Messiah at 4 PM" Robert Voris - bass. Los Angeles Times. December 17, 1966. pp. 22 Cooper's father was an amateur clarinet and sax player who gave Cooper his first instruments. He was first inspired by clarinetist Artie Shaw at age eleven, he soon was taken by Charlie Parker heard from 78's; he learned flute in college.Focus on the Arts WUMR Radio interview with D.J. Malvin Massey (reviewed from recording), talking about Cooper's background in music, February 2004Cooper's adeptness as a clarinetist is demonstrated on "Memphis Blues" and "Tiger Rag" from the CD release Ninety Years of Making Music in Memphis: The University of MemphisCooper adeptness on the alto sax is demonstrated on his composition "The Protagonist" on Youtube
After graduating from Sonora High School and having first studied with Ernie Del Fante, Cooper attended Fullerton College where he studied composition and arranging with Tom Ranier and saxophone with Dave Edwards and Don Raffell (later studied with Peter Yellin in New York).Fullerton College Music Department, Alumni Biographical page While at Fullerton College he recorded on the Down Beat award-winning LP, Time Tripping. He later transferred to California State University, Los Angeles where he received a BA in Music education and clarinet in 1987. Cooper also studied jazz composition with composers Bob Curnow and David Caffey. "Since college, when I first began studying big band musical arrangements, (I) wanted to orchestrate for jazz ensembles."Blank, Chistopher. Ballet Memphis takes a jazzy step – Choreographer Mark Godden swings to a new set of beats by Big Band jazz arranger Jack Cooper. The Commercial Appeal, February 10, 2006. Two years later he completed a MA in composition at C.S.U.L.A. and had studied with Byong-Kon Kim, George Heussenstamm and William H. Hill.Cooper, Jack. "Solace" a Three Movement Composition for Saxophone Soloist and 18 Piece Jazz Orchestra. Los Angeles: California State University, 1989. M.A. THESIS He has collaborated closely on several professional projects with CSULA classmate Luis Bonilla.April 4, 2014, recording completed at Systems Two Recording in Brooklyn, New York of Cooper's 8 adaptations/orchestrations of Charles Ives music, Luis Bonilla producer. Released August 22, 2014 on the Planet Arts Records label Early on in Cooper's life he started experiencing acute Synesthesia/Chromesthesia which would become an important part of his process to composing and arranging music.
Later composition studies were with David Baker, Gerald Wilson, Manny Albam, Karl Korte, and Richard Lawn; in 1999 he earned a DMA in composition from the University of Texas at Austin.Alumni Biographical page (jazz) , The University of Texas, Butler School of MusicCooper, Jack T. Three Sketches for Jazz Orchestra Inspired by Charles Ives Songs. University of Texas at Austin, 1999. Thesis (D.M.A.) "Gerald is 95 now, I had studied with him in Los Angeles...", Jack Cooper. interview with Kacky Walton, Checking on the Arts, Natl. Public Radio, WKNO-FM, Memphis, October 9, 2013.
His first notable professional work in Los Angeles as a multireedist was with the Kingsmen, Shari Lewis, Mateos Parseghian, the Tak Shindo Orchestra, Si Zentner, Steve Jam, the Dive, and the Last Mile.
Armed forces and the West Point Jazz Knights
At age 25 (in 1989) Cooper was hired as a saxophonist/woodwind doubler and staff arranger for the United States Army Jazz Knights, a premier musical ensemble of the United States Armed Forces.Department of the Army Enlistment and Honorable discharge records from Cooper, Jack T., orders 196–1 dated November 30, 1989 and orders 33–5, dated February 22, 1995 For 6 years he toured, performed, wrote for and recorded extensively with the West Point Band's musical group to include A&E television appearances at the Hatch Memorial Shell with the Boston Pops, jazz festivals across the Northeastern United States, backing entertainers and jazz artists. He participated in the funeral of former President Richard M. Nixon in April 1994.
While in New York he worked extensively backing entertainers and artists such as Tony Martin, The Lettermen, Clint Holmes, Fred Travalena, Dennis Wolfberg, and worked as arranger and saxophonist with the band Alma Latina. Cooper was introduced by composer Carl Strommen during this time to Columbia Pictures Publishing/Belwin and Warner Bros.; Double Helix was the first of many works published.
Professional career As instrumentalist Cooper has played woodwind instruments professionally since the 1980s. His work includes backing Jennifer Holliday, Kenny Rogers, Macy Gray, Manhattan Transfer, Glen Campbell, Mitch Ryder (and Detroit Wheels), Chris Stamey and playing woodwinds on national tours for the Producers, Sweet Charity, and A Chorus Line. He has played in saxophone sections for the Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, the Guy Lombardo Orchestra, the Temptations and on the CD Coming Through Slaughter: The Bolden Legend.Lover Man, The Memphis Jazz Orchestra, Jack Cooper, solo/lead alto sax, June 2, 2013. He has also been a featured guest artist/soloist at the Western States Jazz Festival, the Birmingham International Jazz and Blues Festival (U.K.), the 45th International Horn Symposium, and the Festival Virtuosi (2007) in Recife, Brazil. Also as a woodwind player, Cooper has been a featured classical artist and soloist with the Hot Springs Festival Orchestra, Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the IRIS Symphony Orchestra, and as a chamber soloist internationally.Ellis, Bill. Ma, Stern Resonate Far Beyond The Musical Score, The Commercial Appeal, September 20, 2000. Cooper – alto saxophone and clarinet soloist, IRIS OrchestraSparks, Jon W. 'Nut ReMix' brings energy to new Cannon Center setting; The Commercial Appeal, November 23, 2014. Cooper – tenor saxophone soloist on Ellington/Strayhorn Nutcracker adaptations, MSO Big Band
As composer (highlights) Cooper first writing music professionally in the early 1980s. He was first hired in 1992 as a staff arranger for Columbia Pictures Publishing/Belwin; his television and media music writing credits include The Jenny Jones Show, Danish Radio 2 (DR P2), E! Entertainment shows, Access Hollywood, JBVO: Your All Request Cartoon Show, American Restoration, Deal or No Deal, and Extra.IMDb Listing, Jack Cooper, also refer to Double Helix His music has been featured at numerous venues around the world to include the North Sea Jazz Festival and the Montreux Jazz Festival.UNI Jazz Ensemble Band One, playing The Cage (arr. Jack Cooper) at the North Sea Jazz Festival , July 10, 1998 He is the musical director, composer and chief arranger for the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta; in 2003 they produced the CD Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter. He also serves as the musical director and chief arranger for Kathy Kosins and her show Rhapsody in Boop. In February 2006 Cooper collaborated with choreographer Mark Godden to produce the ballet Two Jubilees commissioned by and for Ballet Memphis. His musical influence on the ballet gained critical acclaim.Blank, Christopher. Spirit of jazz sets stage for tribute – Ballet premieres divergent pieces, The Commercial Appeal, February 13, 2006.
Though his catalogue has a great deal of varied music, his work emphasizes the big band genre. His big band writing has been featured with many groups internationally on the professional and educational levels, "...this style of jazz music (sic) is my wheel house of expertise."Yokohama Aoba Jazz Band and Big Band de Sarreguemines are examples of international groups using Cooper's music. Two definitive CDs were recorded in 2014 that exemplify Cooper's adeptness as a jazz orchestra composer and arranger: Mists: Charles Ives for Jazz Orchestra and Time Within Itself.Jack Cooper Interprets Ives On New CD , U of Memphis CCFA Newsletter "Voices" Winter 2015Interview with Scott Ellsworth on jazz radio show "Scoot's Place", Saturday, May 18, 2018 Both are recognized internationally as exceptional examples of contemporary, progressive big band composition and orchestration. As a staff composer and arranger, he is featured with the BBB featuring Bernie Dresel on their acclaimed 2022 CD The Pugilist.All About Jazz review, C. Michael Bailey, Track review of "Lulu's Back In Town", The BBB Featuring Bernie Dresel: The Pugilist, July 14, 2022 Cooper serves as Composer in Residence with the Southern California based Big Band Jazz Machine.Composer in Residence - Jack Cooper, Ira B. Liss Big Band Jazz Machine
Chamber and solo works