The Perlich Post: Cecil McBee

Tuesday, May 19, 2026

Sunday, September 10, 2023

Thursday, August 19, 2021

The Cookers feat. Eddie Henderson preview new Look Out! album

Trumpeter Eddie Henderson and saxophonist Donald Harrison are featured on The Cookers' hard-bop swinger "Traveling Lady"

Here's the scoop from Gearbox Records...

Look Out! is the triumphant sixth album return of jazz supergroup The Cookers, due out on September 24th on double vinyl, CD, and digital. Recorded at the iconic Van Gelder studio in Englewood Cliffs and cut using a Van Gelder-era '67 Haeco Sculley lathe at Gearbox Records, the seven-song release comprises original, fresh pieces written by Cecil McBee, Billy Harper, and George Cables which channel the heady, aggressive post-bop era of the mid-60s.

Whereas the majority of the jazz tradition’s elder statesmen head their own groups, this is one of the few jazz bands to contain legacy musicians of this calibre functioning as an equitable, long-standing ensemble. Billy Harper, Cecil McBee, George Cables, Eddie Henderson, and Billy Hart all came up in the heady era of the mid ‘60s: Hart and Henderson were members of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi group; Cecil McBee anchored Charles Lloyd’s great ’60s quartet alongside Keith Jarrett and Jack DeJohnette; Billy Harper was part of Lee Morgan’s last group, as well as being a member of Max Roach’s Quartet and Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers; while George Cables held down the piano chair in numerous bands including groups led by Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Dexter Gordon and Art Pepper.

David Weiss and Donald Harrison, from a more recent generation and the youngest members of the band, are experts in this forthright lingo, having gained experience performing with Art Blakey, Bobby Hutcherson, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Tolliver, Roy Haynes and Herbie Hancock.

After 14 years together, again the incredibly high level of musicianship has only increased with the revisiting of their fresh, challenging, boundary-pushing music from these legendary, revered, veteran improvisers.

Pre-order a copy of The Cookers' new Look Out! album directly from Gearbox right here. Listen to "Traveling Lady" following the track listing and credits.

The Cookers – Look Out! (Gearbox Records)

1. The Mystery of Monifa Brown

2. Destiny Is Yours

3. Cat's Out The Bag

4. Somalia

5. AKA Reggie

6. Traveling Lady

7. Mutima

The Cookers:

Billy Harper: tenor sax

Eddie Henderson: trumpet

David Weiss: trumpet

Donald Harrison: alto sax

George Cables: piano

Cecil McBee: bass

Billy Hart: drums

Produced by David Weiss

Executive Producer: Darrel Sheinman

Recorded at Van Gelder Recording Studio by Maureen Sickler

Mixed by Katherine Miller

Mastered and cut at Gearbox Studio by Caspar Sutton-Jones and Darrel Sheinman

Mastered using all-valve Decca equalisation and Telefunken limiters. Lacquer discs cut on a Haeco Scully lathe with Westrex RA1700 series amps, Westrex 3DIIA cutting head. Monitored on Audio Note equipment

Monday, February 15, 2021

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

That time Pharoah Sanders performed in Nice, 1971

Here's an 87 second video of Pharoah Sanders performance at the Festival International de Jazz de Nice followed by the audio of the entire 1971 show.

July 18th, 1971 tracklist:
1 The Creator Has A Masterplan 00:00
2 Jameela 21:35
3 Let Us Go in the House of the Lord 27:32

Pharoah Sanders (ts, as, ss)
Lonnie Liston Smith (p)
Cecil McBee (b)
Jimmy Hopps (dr)
Lawrence Killian (perc)