George Andrew Cables (born November 14, 1944) is an American

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

pianist and composer.

Early life

Cables was born in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, United States. He was initially taught piano by his mother. He then studied at the

High School of Performing Arts The High School of Performing Arts (informally known as "PA") was a public alternative high school established in 1947 and located at 120 West 46th Street in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, from 1948 to 1984. In 1961, the school was ...

and later at Mannes College (1963–65). He formed the Jazz Samaritans at the age of 18, a band that included

Billy Cobham William Emanuel Cobham Jr. (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian–American jazz drummer who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. He was inducted into the '' Mode ...

, Steve Grossman, and

Clint Houston Clinton Joseph Houston (June 24, 1946 – June 7, 2000) was an American jazz double-bassist. Houston played with George Cables and Lenny White in the house band at Slug's, a club in New York City, then played with Nina Simone (1969), Roy Haynes ( ...

. Cables' early influences on piano were

Thelonious Monk Thelonious Sphere Monk ( October 10, 1917 – February 17, 1982) was an American Jazz piano, jazz pianist and composer. He had a unique improvisational style and made numerous contributions to the Jazz standard, standard jazz repertoire, includ ...

and

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz musician, bandleader, and composer. He started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. Hancock soon joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he helped to redefine the role of ...

Later life and career

Cables has played with

Art Blakey Arthur Blakey (October 11, 1919 – October 16, 1990) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He was also known as Abdullah Ibn Buhaina after he converted to Islam for a short time in the late 1940s. Blakey made a name for himself in the 1 ...

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American retired jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, Rollins recorded over sixt ...

Dexter Gordon Dexter Gordon (February 27, 1923 – April 25, 1990) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist, composer, and bandleader. He was among the most influential early bebop musicians. Gordon's height was , so he was also known as "Long Tall Dexter" an ...

Art Pepper Arthur Edward Pepper Jr. (September 1, 1925 – June 15, 1982) was an American jazz musician, most known as an alto saxophonist. He occasionally performed and recorded on tenor saxophone, clarinet (his first instrument) and bass clarinet. Active ...

Joe Henderson Joe Henderson (April 24, 1937 – June 30, 2001) was an American jazz tenor saxophonist and very occasional flute player. In a career spanning more than four decades, Henderson played with many of the leading American players of his day an ...

Frank Morgan Francis Phillip Wuppermann (June 1, 1890 – September 18, 1949), known professionally as Frank Morgan, was an American character actor. He was best known for his appearances in films starting in the silent era in 1916, and then numerous sound ...

and other well-established jazz musicians. His own records include the 1980 ''

Cables' Vision ''Cables' Vision'' is a studio album by jazz pianist George Cables, released in 1980 by Contemporary Records and featuring trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.

'' with

Freddie Hubbard Frederick Dewayne Hubbard (April 7, 1938 – December 29, 2008) was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives fo ...

among others. From 1983, Cables worked in the project Bebop & Beyond. He left later in the 1980s, but returned for guest appearances on two early 1990s albums, before rejoining in 1998. Cables is a charter member of The Cookers band, founded in 2010, which includes leading jazz composers and players like Billy Harper, Eddie Henderson, David Weiss, Donald Harrison,

Cecil McBee Cecil McBee (born May 19, 1935) is an American jazz bassist. He has recorded as a leader only a handful of times since the 1970s, but has contributed as a sideman to a number of classic jazz albums. Biography Early life and career McBee was b ...

Billy Hart Billy Hart (born November 29, 1940) is an American jazz drumming, jazz drummer and educator. He is known internationally for his work with Herbie Hancock's "Mwandishi" band in the early 1970s, as well as with Shirley Horn, Stan Getz, and Quest (b ...

and others.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

As sideman

With The Cookers * ''Warriors'' (Jazz Legacy Productions, 2010) * ''Cast The First Stone'' (Plus Loin Music/

Harmonia Mundi Harmonia Mundi is a record label that specializes in classical music, jazz, and world music (on the World Village label). It was founded in France in 1958 and is now a subsidiary of PIAS Entertainment Group, which is itself owned by Universal M ...

, 2011) * ''Believe'' ( Motéma Music, 2012) * ''Time And Time Again'' ( Motéma Music, 2014) * ''The Call Of The Wild And Peaceful Heart'' ( Smoke Sessions Records, 2016) * ''Look Out!'' ( Gearbox Records, 2021) With

Roy Haynes Roy Owen Haynes (March 13, 1925 – November 12, 2024) was an American jazz drummer. In the 1950s, he was given the nickname "Snap Crackle" for his distinctive snare drum sound and musical vocabulary. He is among the most recorded drummers in ja ...

* '' Thank You Thank You'' (Galaxy, 1977) * '' Vistalite'' (Galaxy, 1977

979 Year 979 (Roman numerals, CMLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Julian calendar. It was the 979th year of the Common Era and the Anno Domini designation, the 979th year of the 1st millennium, the 79th year of the 10th century, ...

With Eddie Henderson * '' Comin' Through'' ( Capitol, 1977) * ''Witness to History'' (Smoke Sessions, 2022) With

* '' If You're Not Part of the Solution, You're Part of the Problem'' (

Milestone A milestone is a numbered marker placed on a route such as a road, railway, railway line, canal or border, boundary. They can indicate the distance to towns, cities, and other places or landmarks like Mileage sign, mileage signs; or they c ...

, 1970) * '' In Pursuit of Blackness'' (

, 1971) With

* '' Keep Your Soul Together'' ( CTI, 1974) * '' High Energy'' ( Columbia, 1974) * '' Gleam'' (Columbia, 1975) * '' Liquid Love'' (Columbia, 1975) * ''

Windjammer A windjammer is a commercial sailing ship with multiple masts, however rigged. The informal term "windjammer" arose during the transition from the Age of Sail to the Age of Steam during the 19th century. The Oxford English Dictionary records t ...

'' (Columbia, 1976) With

Bobby Hutcherson Robert Hutcherson (January 27, 1941 – August 15, 2016) was an American jazz vibraphone and marimba player. "Little B's Poem", from the 1966 Blue Note Records, Blue Note album ''Components (album), Components'', is one of his best-known composi ...

* '' Waiting'' (

Blue Note Blue Note Records is an American jazz record label now owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Capitol Music Group. Established in 1939 by German-Jewish emigrants Alfred Lion and Max Margulis, it derived its name from the blue no ...

, 1975) * '' Knucklebean'' (Blue Note, 1977) * '' Highway One'' (Columbia, 1978) * '' Conception: The Gift of Love'' (Columbia, 1979) * '' Un Poco Loco'' (Columbia, 1979) * '' Four Seasons'' (Timeless, 1985) – rec. 1983 * '' Good Bait'' (Landmark, 1985) With Greg Marvin * ''Taking Off!'' (Planet X, 1991) * ''Special Edition'' (Planet X, 2001) With

* ''

Mood Indigo "Mood Indigo" is a jazz song with music by Duke Ellington and Barney Bigard and lyrics by Irving Mills. Composition Although Irving Mills—Jack Mills's brother and publishing partner—took credit for the lyrics, Mitchell Parish claimed in a ...

'' (Antilles, 1989) * '' Quiet Fire'' with

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

(Contemporary, 1991) – rec. 1987 * '' A Lovesome Thing'' (Antilles, 1991) * '' City Nights: Live at the Jazz Standard'' (HighNote, 2004) – rec. 2003 * '' Raising the Standard'' (HighNote, 2005) – rec. 2002 * '' A Night in the Life'' (HighNote, 2007) – rec. 2003 * '' Montreal Memories (Live Duo Performance)'' (HighNote, 2018) – rec. 1989 With

* '' The Trip'' (Contemporary, 1976) * '' No Limit'' (Contemporary, 1977) * ''

Thursday Night at the Village Vanguard ''Thursday Night at the Village Vanguard'' is a live album by saxophonist Art Pepper, recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1977 and released on the Contemporary label.

'' (Contemporary, 1979) – rec. 1977 * ''

Friday Night at the Village Vanguard ''Friday Night at the Village Vanguard'' is a 1977 jazz album by saxophonist Art Pepper playing with George Cables, George Mraz and Elvin Jones. Art Pepper played at the Village Vanguard jazz club in New York City twice during 1977. The second o ...

'' (Contemporary, 1979) – rec. 1977 * ''

Saturday Night at the Village Vanguard ''Saturday Night at the Village Vanguard'' is a live album by saxophonist Art Pepper, recorded at the Village Vanguard jazz club in 1977 and released on the Contemporary label.

'' (Contemporary, 1979) – rec. 1977 * '' So in Love'' (Artists House, 1979) * ''

Landscape A landscape is the visible features of an area of land, its landforms, and how they integrate with natural or human-made features, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.''New Oxford American Dictionary''. A landscape includes th ...

'' (Galaxy, 1979) * '' Besame Mucho'' (JVC, 1981) – rec. 1979 * '' Roadgame'' (Galaxy, 1982) – rec. 1981 * '' Art Lives'' (Galaxy, 1983) – rec. 1981 * '' Artworks'' (Galaxy, 1984) – rec. 1979 * '' APQ'' (Galaxy, 1984) – rec. 1981 * ''

More for Les at the Village Vanguard ''More for Les at the Village Vanguard'' is live album by saxophonist Art Pepper, recorded at the Village Vanguard in 1977 and released on the Contemporary label as the Volume Four of Pepper's Vanguard recordings.Arthur's Blues'' (Galaxy, 1991) – rec. 1981 * '' San Francisco Samba'' (Contemporary, 1997) – rec. 1977 * ''Art Pepper: Unreleased Art, Vol. 1'' (APM, 2006) With

Max Roach Maxwell Lemuel Roach (January 10, 1924 – August 16, 2007) was an American jazz drummer and composer. A pioneer of bebop, he worked in many other styles of music, and is generally considered one of the most important drummers in history. He wo ...

* ''

Lift Every Voice and Sing "Lift Every Voice and Sing" is a hymn with lyrics by James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) and set to music by his brother, J. Rosamond Johnson (1873–1954). Written from the context of African Americans in the late 19th century, the hymn is a pr ...

'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

, 1971) * '' To the Max!'' ( Enja, 1997) – rec. 1990–1991 With

* '' Yesterday, Today and Forever'' (Concord Jazz, 1983) with Shorty Rogers * '' California Concert'' (Contemporary, 1985) with Shorty Rogers * '' That Old Feeling'' (Contemporary, 1986) * '' Quiet Fire' with

' (Contemporary, 1991) – rec. 1987 With

Woody Shaw Woody Herman Shaw Jr. (December 24, 1944 – May 10, 1989) was an American jazz trumpeter, flugelhornist, cornetist, composer, arranger, band leader, and educator. Shaw is widely known as one of the 20th century's most important and influentia ...

* '' Blackstone Legacy'' (Contemporary, 1970) * ''

Song of Songs The Song of Songs (), also called the Canticle of Canticles or the Song of Solomon, is a Biblical poetry, biblical poem, one of the five ("scrolls") in the ('writings'), the last section of the Tanakh. Unlike other books in the Hebrew Bible, i ...

'' (Contemporary, 1972) * ''

Woody III ''Woody III'' is an album by trumpeter Woody Shaw which was recorded in 1979 (with one live track from 1978) and released on the Columbia Records, Columbia label.Laurie Antonioli, ''Soul Eyes'' (Catero, 1984) * Gary Bartz, ''

Love Song A love song is a song about love, falling in love, heartbreak after a breakup, and the feelings that these experiences bring. Love songs can be found in a variety of different music genres. They can come in various formats, from sad and emotion ...

'' (Vee-Jay International, 1977) *

, '' Child's Dance'' (

Prestige Prestige may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Films *Prestige (film), ''Prestige'' (film), a 1932 American film directed by Tay Garnett: woman travels to French Indochina to meet up with husband *The Prestige (film), ''The Prestige'' (fi ...

, 1972) *

Joe Chambers Joe Chambers (born June 25, 1942) is an American jazz drummer, pianist, vibraphonist and composer. In the 1960s and 1970s, Chambers gigged with many high-profile artists such as Eric Dolphy, Charles Mingus, Wayne Shorter, and Chick Corea an ...

, '' The Almoravid'' (

Muse In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, the Muses (, ) were the Artistic inspiration, inspirational goddesses of literature, science, and the arts. They were considered the source of the knowledge embodied in the poetry, lyric p ...

, 1974) *

Joe Farrell Joseph Carl Firrantello (December 16, 1937 – January 10, 1986), known as Joe Farrell, was an American jazz multi-instrumentalist who primarily performed as a saxophonist and flutist. He is best known for a series of albums under his own name o ...

, '' Sonic Text'' (

Contemporary Contemporary history, in English-language historiography, is a subset of modern history that describes the historical period from about 1945 to the present. In the social sciences, contemporary history is also continuous with, and related t ...

, 1979) * Chico Freeman, ''

Focus Focus (: foci or focuses) may refer to: Arts * Focus or Focus Festival, former name of the Adelaide Fringe arts festival in East Australia Film *Focus (2001 film), ''Focus'' (2001 film), a 2001 film based on the Arthur Miller novel *Focus (2015 ...

'' (Contemporary, 1995) *

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 193 ...

, '' Crankin''' (

Mainstream Mainstream may refer to: Film * ''Mainstream'' (film), a 2020 American film Literature * ''Mainstream'' (fanzine), a science fiction fanzine * Mainstream Publishing, a Scottish publisher * ''Mainstream'', a 1943 book by Hamilton Basso * ...

, 1971) *

, '' Sophisticated Giant'' (Columbia, 1977) * Billy Harper, '' Capra Black'' ( Strata-East, 1973) *

Philly Joe Jones Joseph Rudolph "Philly Joe" Jones (July 15, 1923 – August 30, 1985) was an American Jazz drumming, jazz drummer. Biography Early career As a child, Jones appeared as a featured tap dancer on ''The Kiddie Show'' on the Philadelphia radio stat ...

, '' Philly Mignon'' (Galaxy, 1977) *

Eddie Marshall Edwin "Eddie" Marshall (April 13, 1938 – September 7, 2011Obituary
) was an American

, ''Dance of the Sun'' (

, 1977) *

David "Fathead" Newman David "Fathead" Newman (February 24, 1933 – January 20, 2009) was an American jazz and rhythm-and-blues saxophonist, who made numerous recordings as a session musician and leader, but is best known for his work as a sideman on seminal 1950s an ...

, '' Keep the Dream Alive'' (Prestige, 1978) *

, '' Next Album'' (Milestone 1972) * Charlie Rouse, '' Epistrophy'' (Landmark, 1989) *

Archie Shepp Archie Shepp (born May 24, 1937) is an American jazz saxophonist, educator and playwright who since the 1960s has played a central part in the development of avant-garde jazz. Biography Early life Shepp was born in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, but ...

, '' California Meeting: Live on Broadway'' ( Soul Note, 1987) – rec. 1985 *

Bennie Wallace Bennie Wallace (born November 18, 1946) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. Biography Wallace was born in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He began playing in local clubs with the encouragement of East Ridge, Tennessee High School band director and ...

, '' Bennie Wallace in Berlin'' (Enja, 2002) *

Kazumi Watanabe is a Japanese guitarist. Other guitarists such as Luke Takamura and Sugizo have cited him as an influence. Career Watanabe learned guitar at the age of 12 from Sadanori Nakamure at the Yamaha Music School in Tokyo. He released his first album ...

, ''Lonesome Cat'' (

Denon is a Japanese electronics company dealing with audio equipment. The Denon brand came from a merger of Denki Onkyo (not to be confused with the other Onkyo) and others in 1939. It originally started as Nippon Chikuonki Shoukai in 1910 by Freder ...

, 1978)

References

External links

Cables' Official SiteDTM interviewGeorge Cables Interview
NAMM Oral History Library (2020)
An Interview with George Cables
by Bob Rosenbaum, February 1983 {{DEFAULTSORT:Cables, George 1944 births Living people American jazz pianists American male jazz pianists Jazz musicians from New York City SteepleChase Records artists DIW Records artists Black Saint/Soul Note artists Contemporary Records artists Concord Records artists American session musicians 20th-century American pianists 21st-century American pianists 20th-century American male musicians 21st-century American male musicians Bebop & Beyond members HighNote Records artists The Jazz Messengers members