Willie Cook

For the Scottish footballer, see Willie Cook (footballer).

Willie Cook (November 11, 1923 – September 22, 2000) was an American jazz trumpeter.

Cook was born in Tangipahoa, Louisiana, on November 11, 1923.[1] He grew up in Chicago and learned to play violin before settling on trumpet as a teenager.[1] He joined King Perry's band in the late 1930s, then joined Jay McShann's band early in the 1940s.[1] His later credits include performing and recording with Johnny Hartman, Earl Hines, Jimmie Lunceford, Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, B.B. King, and Count Basie.[1] He joined Ellington's band in October 1951 as lead trumpeter and stayed for a decade.[2] He moved to Sweden in 1982 after spending time in the country touring.[1] He died of heart failure in Maria Regina Hospice in Stockholm on September 22, 2000.[2]

Discography

With The Young Swedes

With Nappy Brown

  • Roots of Scandinavian Blues (Hot Club, 1983)

With Duke Ellington

With Dizzy Gillespie

With Gugge Hedrenius Big Blues Band

  • Swings Again, Live!!! (Scranta, 1999)

With Johnny Hodges

With Billy Taylor

With Paul Gonsalves and Enrique Villegas

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Hogan, Ed "Willie Cook". AllMusic. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (October 21, 2000) "Willie Cook, 76, Lead Trumpeter with Gillespie and Ellington". The New York Times.