Junior Cook


Herman "Junior" Cook was an American hard bop tenor saxophone player.

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 ; when Silver left the group in the hands of Blue Mitchell Cook stayed in the quintet for five more years. Later associations included Freddie Hubbard, Elvin Jones, George Coleman, Louis Hayes, Bill Hardman, and the McCoy Tyner big band.
In addition to many appearances as a sideman, Junior Cook recorded as a leader for Jazzland, Catalyst, Muse, 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 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

Junior's Cookin'

As sideman

With Horace SilverLive at Newport '58 6 Pieces of Silver Finger Poppin' Blowin' the Blues Away Horace-Scope Doin' the Thing Paris Blues The Tokyo Blues Silver's Serenade Song for My Father Music to Ease Your Disease
With Barry HarrisLuminescence!
With Bill Hardman
With Freddie HubbardSing Me a Song of Songmy – co-led with İlhan MimaroğluKeep Your Soul Together High Energy Polar AC Live at Carnegie Hall 1972
With Clifford JordanTwo Tenor Winner
With Blue MitchellThe Cup Bearers The Thing to Do Down with It! Bring It Home to Me Boss Horn Heads Up!
With others