OCT 16-19 | 2025-26 SEASON
Oct 17, 2025
Miner Auditorium
PLEASE NOTE:
This page is an archive of a past production
Please visit our calendar for all upcoming SFJAZZ shows.
Original show description below.
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.
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.
A true band of all-stars, all leaders in their own right, including Azar Lawrence, George Cables, Cecil McBee, David Weiss and Billy Hart.
The Cookers are hard-wired into the golden era of jazz history, but they use tradition as a foundation for creative fury in the present moment.
JazzTimes
The Cookers are hard-wired into the golden era of jazz history, but they use tradition as a foundation for creative fury in the present moment.
JazzTimes
Personnel
David Weiss trumpet
Mike Rodriguez trumpet
Craig Handy alto saxophone
Azar Lawrence tenor saxophone
George Cables piano
Cecil McBee bass
Billy Hart drums
Player for player, there's no better working band in jazz than The Cookers.
Boston Globe
Personnel
David Weiss trumpet
Mike Rodriguez trumpet
Craig Handy alto saxophone
Azar Lawrence tenor saxophone
George Cables piano
Cecil McBee bass
Billy Hart drums
Player for player, there's no better working band in jazz than The Cookers.
Boston Globe
Watch & Listen
The Cookers
Traveling Lady
The Cookers
Beyond Forever
The Cookers
Traveling Lady
The Cookers
Beyond Forever