George "Buster" Cooper (April 4, 1929 – May 13, 2016)[1][2] was an American jazz trombonist.

Career

A native of St. Petersburg, Florida, United States,[3] Cooper played in a territory band with Nat Towles in Texas in the late 1940s and with Lionel Hampton in 1953.[3] He played in the house band at the Apollo Theater in New York City in the mid-1950s, and following this he was in Benny Goodman's band.[3] Late in the 1950s he and his brother Steve formed the Cooper Brothers Band.[3] From 1962 to 1969, he was a trombonist in Duke Ellington's Orchestra.[3] In 1973, he moved to Los Angeles, and played in jazz orchestras over the next several decades, including Bill Berry's band and The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut.[3] He led a trio at a restaurant in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In 1993, Cooper appeared as a jazz trombonist in the film Murder Between Friends, set in New Orleans.[4]

George "Buster" Cooper died on May 13, 2016, of prostate cancer in St. Petersburg, Florida, at the age of 87.[1][2]

Discography

As leader

As sideman

With The Capp-Pierce Juggernaut

With Duke Ellington

With Ella Fitzgerald & Duke Ellington

With Lionel Hampton

With Johnny Hodges

With A. K. Salim

With others

References

Footnotes
  1. ^ a b Vacher, Peter (May 26, 2016). "Buster Cooper obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  2. ^ a b Cridlin, Jay (May 13, 2016). "Jazz icon, trombonist Buster Cooper dies at 87 in St. Petersburg". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved September 30, 2016.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Colin Larkin, ed. (1992). The Guinness Encyclopedia of Popular Music (First ed.). Guinness Publishing. p. 556. ISBN 0-85112-939-0.
  4. ^ Murder Between Friends, Library of Congress, accessed 31 December 2022
General references
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