Herman " Junior" Cook (July 22, 1934 – February 3, 1992)
Biography
Cook was born in Pensacola, Florida.
A member of a musical family, he started on alto saxophone before switching to tenor during his high school years.
After playing with Dizzy Gillespie in 1958, Cook was a member of the Horace Silver Quintet (1958–1964); when Silver left the group in the hands of Blue Mitchell Cook stayed in the quintet for five more years (1964–1969).
In addition to many appearances as a sideman, Junior Cook recorded as a leader for Jazzland (1961), Catalyst (1977), Muse Records, and SteepleChase.
He also taught at Berklee School of Music for a year during the 1970s.
In the early 1990s, Cook was playing with Clifford Jordan, and also leading his own group. He died in February 1992 in his apartment in New York City, aged 57.
Saxophonist Courtney M. Nero authored "Have Horn, Will Travel: The Life and Music of Herman "Junior" Cook," the first full-length biography of Cook's life and career. The book was published in November 2025 by University of North Texas Press and sheds additional light on Cook's beginnings in Pensacola, his pre-Horace Silver career, and his impact on a generation of young jazz musicians in New York City, especially in the 1980s New York City jam session scene.
Discography
As leader/co-leader
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Junior's Cookin' (Jazzland, 1961)
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Ichi-Ban (Timeless Records, 1976) with Louis Hayes
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Pressure Cooker (Catalyst, 1977)
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Good Cookin' (Muse Records, 1979)
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Somethin's Cookin' (Muse, 1981)
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The Place to Be (Steeplechase, 1988)
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On a Misty Night (Steeplechase, 1989)
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You Leave Me Breathless (Steeplechase, 1991)
As sideman
With Horace Silver
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Live at Newport '58 (Blue Note, 1958 2008)
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6 Pieces of Silver (Blue Note, 1956–58)
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Finger Poppin' (Blue Note, 1959)
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Blowin' the Blues Away (Blue Note, 1959)
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Horace-Scope (Blue Note, 1960)
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Doin' the Thing (Blue Note, 1961)
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Paris Blues (Pablo Records, 1962, 2002)
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The Tokyo Blues (Blue Note, 1962)
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Silver's Serenade (Blue Note, 1963)
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Song for My Father (Blue Note, 1964)
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Music to Ease Your Disease (Silverto, 1988)
With Barry Harris
With Bill Hardman
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Home (Muse, 1978)
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Politely (Muse, 1981 1982)
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Focus (Muse, 1982)
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What's Up (SteepleChase, 1989)
With Freddie Hubbard
With Clifford Jordan
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Two Tenor Winner (Criss Cross, 1984)
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Play What You Feel (Mapleshade, 1990 1997)
With Blue Mitchell
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The Cup Bearers (Riverside, 1962)
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The Thing to Do (Blue Note, 1964)
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Down with It! (Blue Note, 1965)
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Bring It Home to Me (Blue Note, 1966)
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Boss Horn (Blue Note, 1966)
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Heads Up! (Blue Note, 1967)
With others
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Kenny Burrell: Swingin' (Blue Note, 1956 rel.)
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Kenny Burrell: Blue Lights (Blue Note, 1958)
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Dave Bailey Sextet: One Foot in the Gutter (Epic Records, 1960)
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Roy Brooks: Beat (Jazz Workshop, 1964)
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Cedar Walton: Cedar! (Prestige, 1967)
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John Patton: That Certain Feeling (Blue Note, 1968; Mosaic Records, 2003)
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Don Patterson: Opus De Don (Prestige, 1968)
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Louis Smith: Prancin' (SteepleChase, 1979)
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Mickey Tucker: Sojourn (Xanadu Records, 1977)
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McCoy Tyner: Uptown/Downtown (Milestone, 1988)
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Walter Bishop Jr.: Hot House (Muse, 1979)
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Louis Hayes: Ichi-Ban (Timeless, 1979)
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Vibration Society Hilton Ruiz Steve Turre: The Music of Rahsaan Roland Kirk (Stash Records, 1986)
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Larry Gales Sextet: A Message from Monk (Candid Records, 1990)
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Bertha Hope: Elmo's Fire (Steeplechase, 1991)
External links
