Junior Cook
- Type: Influential Sideman
- Country: United States
- Born: July 22, 1934 in Pensacola, Florida, United States
- Died: February 3, 1992 in New York, New York, United States
- Active: 1934 - 1992
Biography
A quintessential hard bop tenor saxophonist, Junior Cook is best known for his six-year tenure in the classic *Horace Silver* Quintet from 1958 to 1964. His robust, bluesy, and soulful style was a perfect match for Silver's funky compositions, and his solos on #Blue Note Records# albums like 'Finger Poppin'' and 'Blowin' the Blues Away' are models of hard-swinging invention. After leaving Silver, he co-led a successful and equally potent quintet with trumpeter *Blue Mitchell* until 1969. Cook's consistent, powerful voice made him a reliable and respected sideman and leader on the jazz scene until his death.