The Cookers

Please Note: Due to an illness, Eddie Henderson will not be performing at this concert. He will be replaced on trumpet by the SFJAZZ Collective's Mike Rodriguez. 

A multi-generational powerhouse band far greater than the sum of their legendary parts, The Cookers have each made an estimable mark on the jazz world as both leaders and sidemen since the 1960s. Founded by acclaimed trumpeter David Weiss, the band is made up of a dizzying array of jazz giants. 

Oakland-born alto saxophonist Craig Handy is a veteran of work with Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, Wynton Marsalis, and Freddie Hubbard, and is a member of the Mingus Big Band.  

Tenor great Azar Lawrence was a longtime collaborator with McCoy Tyner and released a series of masterful albums as a leader beginning in the early 70s.

Audacious trumpeter Eddie Henderson gained fame as part of Herbie Hancock’s influential electric Mwandishi group, eventually releasing over 20 sessions. 

Pianist George Cables is one of jazz’s most enduring composers and performers, leading over 20 albums and working with Dexter Gordon, Bobby Hutcherson and Joe Henderson.  

Bass legend Cecil McBee has led a storied career, recording and performing with artists ranging from Pharoah Sanders and Sam Rivers to Wayne Shorter and Charles Lloyd. Drummer Billy Hart cut his teeth with Herbie Hancock’s sextet, Eddie Harris, Miles Davis, and Stan Getz among countless others.  

From their inception and release of their 2010 debut album, Warriors, The Cookers have decidedly been a cohesive unit performing their own finely wrought compositions with more fire and passion than the generations of musicians they’ve inspired.