Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was 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 ...

saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet, and flute, the latter on an album by

Eddie Palmieri Eddie Palmieri (born December 15, 1936) is an American Grammy Award-winning pianist, bandleader, musician, and composer of Corsican and Puerto Rican ancestry. He is the founder of the bands La Perfecta, La Perfecta II, and Harlem River Drive. ...

as well as on his own recordings. As a leader, Cuber was known for

hard bop Hard bop is a subgenre of jazz that is an extension of bebop (or "bop") music. Journalists and record companies began using the term in the mid-1950s to describe a new current within jazz that incorporated influences from rhythm and blues, gospe ...

and

Latin jazz Latin jazz is a genre of jazz with Latin American rhythms. The two main categories are Afro-Cuban jazz, rhythmically based on Cuban popular dance music, with a rhythm section employing ostinato patterns or a clave (rhythm), clave, and Afro-Brazil ...

. As a side man, he had played with B. B. King,

Paul Simon Paul Frederic Simon (born October 13, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter known for his solo work and his collaborations with Art Garfunkel. He and Garfunkel, whom he met in elementary school in 1953, came to prominence in the 1960s as Sim ...

, and

Eric Clapton Eric Patrick Clapton (born 1945) is an English Rock music, rock and blues guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He is regarded as one of the most successful and influential guitarists in rock music. Clapton ranked second in ''Rolling Stone''s l ...

. Cuber can be heard on '' Freeze Frame'' by

the J. Geils Band The J. Geils Band (formerly known as The J. Geils Blues Band) was an American rock band formed in 1967, in Worcester, Massachusetts, under the leadership of guitarist John "J." Geils. The original band members included vocalist Peter Wolf, h ...

, and one of his most spirited performances is on Dr. Lonnie Smith's 1970 Blue Note album ''Drives''. He was also a member of the

Saturday Night Live Band The Saturday Night Live Band (referred to in the closing credits as The Live Band) is the house band of the NBC television program ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''). Role on ''Saturday Night Live'' The band consists of mostly jazz, R&B, and ...

. Cuber was in Marshall Brown's Newport Youth Band in 1959, where he switched from tenor to baritone sax. His first notable work was with

Slide Hampton Locksley Wellington Hampton (April 21, 1932 – November 18, 2021) was an American jazz trombone, jazz trombonist, composer and arranger. As his nickname implies, Hampton's main instrument was slide trombone, but he also occasionally played tub ...

(1962) and

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

(1963–1965). Then from 1966 to 1967, Cuber worked with

George Benson George Washington Benson (born March 22, 1943) is an American jazz fusion guitarist, singer, and songwriter. He began his professional career at the age of 19 as a jazz guitarist. A former child prodigy, Benson first came to prominence in the ...

. He was also a member of the

Lee Konitz Leon "Lee" Konitz (October 13, 1927 – April 15, 2020) was an American jazz Alto saxophone, alto saxophonist and composer. He performed successfully in a wide range of jazz styles, including bebop, cool jazz, and avant-garde jazz. Konitz's ass ...

nonet from 1977 to 1979. Ronnie Cuber and Chuck Rainey

Cuber played with

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

on the live album '' Zappa in New York'', which was recorded in 1976. He was a member of the

Mingus Big Band Mingus Big Band is a 14-piece ensemble, based in New York City, that specializes in the compositions of Charles Mingus. It was managed by his widow, Sue Mingus, along with Mingus Orchestra and Mingus Dynasty. In addition to its weekly Wednesday ni ...

from its inception in the early 1990s until his death. As a member of the

, Cuber plays the iconic solo on Moanin' by Charles Mingus, found originally on Mingus' album

Blues & Roots ''Blues & Roots'' is an album by Charles Mingus, recorded in 1959 and released on the Atlantic label in 1960. It has been reissued on CD by both Atlantic and Rhino. Inspiration Mingus explained the origins of this record in the album's liner ...

, in the Mingus Big Band album Nostalgia in Times Square. He was an off-screen musician for the movie ''

Across the Universe "Across the Universe" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles. It was written by John Lennon and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song first appeared on the 1969 various artists' charity compilation album ''No One's Gonna Change Our W ...

''. Cuber died at the age of 80 in his studio on New York's Upper West Side, due to complications from a fall.

Discography

As leader

* 1976: ''Cuber Libre!'' ( Xanadu) * 1978: ''The Eleventh Day of Aquarius'' (Xanadu) * 1979: ''New York Jazz'' (as part of Rein De Graaff Quintet) ( Timeless) * 1985: ''Two Brothers'' (AMG) * 1985: ''Passion Fruit'' (Electric Bird/PID) * 1986: ''Pin Point'' (Electric Bird/PID) * 1986: ''Live at the Blue Note'' (ProJazz) * 1992: ''Cubism'' (

Fresh Sound Fresh Sound, or Fresh Sound New Talent, is a jazz record label established in Barcelona, Spain, by Jordi Pujol. The label was initially founded as a reissue label. The catalog includes work by musicians both major and minor that was recorded be ...

) * 1993: ''The Scene Is Clean'' (

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 ...

) * 1994: ''Airplay'' ( SteepleChase) * 1996: ''In a New York Minute'' (SteepleChase) * 1997: ''N.Y.C.ats'' (SteepleChase) * 1998: ''Love for Sale'' (with the Netherlands Metropole Orchestra) ( Koch) * 2009: ''Ronnie'' (SteepleChase) * 2011: ''Boplicity'' (SteepleChase) * 2013: ''Live at JazzFest Berlin'' (SteepleChase) recorded 2008 * 2018 ''Ronnie's Trio'' (SteepleChase) * 2019 ''Four'' (SteepleChase)

As sideman

With

Patti Austin Patti Austin (born August 10, 1950) is an American Grammy Award-winning R&B, pop, and jazz singer and songwriter best known for " Baby, Come to Me", her 1982 duet with James Ingram, which topped the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 after its re-release ...

* '' End of a Rainbow'' ( CTI, 1976) * '' Havana Candy'' (CTI, 1977) With

* '' It's Uptown'' ( Columbia, 1966) * '' The George Benson Cookbook'' (Columbia, 1966) * ''

Good King Bad ''Good King Bad'' is the thirteenth studio album by American guitarist George Benson featuring performances recorded in 1975 and released by CTI Records in 1976.Payne, DCTI Records discographyaccessed February 24, 2012 Reception The Allmusic r ...

'' (CTI, 1975) With Nick Brignola * '' Burn Brigade'' (

Bee Hive A beehive is an enclosed structure which houses honey bees, subgenus '' Apis.'' Honey bees live in the beehive, raising their young and producing honey as part of their seasonal cycle. Though the word ''beehive'' is used to describe the nest of ...

, 1979) With

* '' The New Sounds of Maynard Ferguson'' ( Cameo, 1963) * ''

Come Blow Your Horn ''Come Blow Your Horn'' is Neil Simon's first play, which premiered on Broadway in 1961 and had a London production in 1962 at the Prince of Wales Theatre. Simon rewrote the script more than two dozen times over several years, resulting in a hit ...

'' (Cameo, 1963) * '' Color Him Wild'' (

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 * ...

, 1965) With

David Clayton-Thomas David Clayton-Thomas (born David Henry Thomsett, 13 September 1941) is a Grammy Award-winning Canadian musician, singer, and songwriter, best known as the lead vocalist of the American band Blood, Sweat & Tears. Clayton-Thomas began his musi ...

* ''David Clayton-Thomas'' (Columbia, 1972) With The Gadd Gang * ''The Gadd Gang'' (Columbia, 1986) * ''Here & Now'' (Columbia, 1988) * ''Live at the Bottom Line'' (A Touch 1994) With

Grant Green Grant Green (June 6, 1935 – January 31, 1979) was an American jazz guitarist and composer. Green has been called one of the "most sampled guitarists." Biography Grant Green was born on June 6, 1935, in St. Louis, Missouri, to John and ...

* '' The Main Attraction'' (

Kudu The kudus are two species of antelope of the genus '' Tragelaphus'': * Lesser kudu, ''Tragelaphus imberbis'', of eastern Africa * Greater kudu, ''Tragelaphus strepsiceros'', of eastern and southern Africa The two species look similar, th ...

, 1976) With

Billy Joel William Martin Joel (born May 9, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. Nicknamed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Piano Man" after his Signature song, signature 1973 song Piano Man (song), of the same name, Joel has ha ...

* '' An Innocent Man'' (Columbia, 1983) * '' The Bridge'' (Columbia, 1986) With Sam Jones * '' Something New'' ( Interplay, 1979) With

* '' Lee Konitz Nonet'' (

Chiaroscuro In art, chiaroscuro ( , ; ) is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to ach ...

, 1977) * '' Yes, Yes, Nonet'' (SteepleChase, 1979) * '' Live at Laren'' (

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

, 1979 984 With

Jimmy McGriff James Harrell McGriff (April 3, 1936 – May 24, 2008) was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist and organ trio bandleader. Biography Early years and influences Born in Germantown, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, McGriff started playing pia ...

* '' Feelin' It'' (Milestone, 2001) * '' McGriff Avenue'' (Milestone, 2002) With

Idris Muhammad Idris Muhammad (; born Leo Morris; November 13, 1939 – July 29, 2014) was an American jazz drummer and bandleader. He had an extensive career performing jazz, funk, Rhythm and blues, R&B, and Soul music, soul music and recorded with musicians s ...

* ''

House of the Rising Sun "The House of the Rising Sun" is an American traditional folk song, sometimes called "Rising Sun Blues". It tells of a person's life gone wrong in the city of New Orleans. Many versions also urge a sibling or parents and children to avoid the ...

'' (Kudu, 1976) * '' Turn This Mutha Out'' (1977) With Mark Murphy * '' Satisfaction Guaranteed'' (Muse, 1980) With

Horace Silver Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silver (September 2, 1928 – June 18, 2014) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and arranger, particularly in the hard bop style that he helped pioneer in the 1950s. After playing tenor saxophone and piano at sch ...

* '' The Hardbop Grandpop'' (1996) With Lonnie Smith * '' Move Your Hand'' (Blue Note, 1969) * '' Drives'' (Blue Note, 1970) * '' Live at Club Mozambique'' (Blue Note, 1970; released 1995) With

Mickey Tucker Mickey Tucker (born Michael B. Tucker; April 28, 1941) is an American jazz pianist and organist. Biography Tucker was born in Durham, North Carolina in 1941. He grew up in Rankin, Pennsylvania before moving back to North Carolina aged 12. When h ...

* '' Sojourn'' (Xanadu, 1977) With

Gerald Wilson Gerald Stanley Wilson (September 4, 1918 – September 8, 2014) was an American jazz trumpeter, big band bandleader, composer, arranger, and educator. Born in Mississippi, he was based in Los Angeles from the early 1940s. He arranged music for D ...

* ''

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

'' (Mack Avenue, 2009) With Rare Silk * ''New Weave'' (1986) With

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock music, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was ...

* ''34th N Lex'' (2003) With Dr. John * ''Trippin' Live'' (1997) * '' Duke Elegant'' (1999) With

* ''

Graceland Graceland is a mansion on a estate in Memphis, Tennessee, United States, once owned by American singer Elvis Presley. Presley is buried there, as are his parents Vernon and Gladys, paternal grandmother Minnie Mae, grandson Benjamin, and daugh ...

'' (1986) With Tom Scott * ''Bebop United'' (2006) With

* ''Harlem River Drive'' (Roulette, 1971) * ''Vamonos Pa'l Monte'' (Tico, 1971) * ''Live at Sing Sing Vol. 1 & 2'' (Tico, 1972) * ''The Sun of Latin Music'' ( Coco Records, 1975) * ''Unfinished Masterpiece'' (Coco Records, 1976) * ''Lucumí, Macumba, Voodoo'' (Epic, 1978) * ''Wisdom/Sabiduria'' (Ropeadope Records, 2017)

References

External links

A site with information on all the great Jazz Baritone Saxophonists and vintage horns
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Cuber, Ronnie 1941 births 2022 deaths Hard bop saxophonists Jazz baritone saxophonists American jazz baritone saxophonists American jazz tenor saxophonists American male saxophonists American jazz soprano saxophonists American jazz flautists Jazz musicians from New York City Xanadu Records artists SteepleChase Records artists Milestone Records artists 21st-century American saxophonists American male jazz musicians White Elephant Orchestra members Mingus Big Band members 21st-century American male musicians MNRK Music Group artists 21st-century American flautists