Ronnie Cuber

Ronnie Cuber
Ronnie Cuber in Aarhus, Denmark (2017)
Background information
Birth name	Ronald Edward Cuber
Born	(1941-12-25)December 25, 1941 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	October 7, 2022(2022-10-07) (aged 80) New York, New York, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation	Musician
Instrument	Saxophone
Years active	1959–2022
Labels	Projazz, SteepleChase
Formerly of	Mingus Big Band, George Benson, Fuse One, Players Association

Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz 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 as well as on his own recordings. As a leader, Cuber was known for hard bop and Latin jazz. As a side man, he had played with B. B. King, Paul Simon, and Eric Clapton. Cuber can be heard on Freeze Frame by the J. Geils Band, 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.

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 (1962) and Maynard Ferguson (1963–1965). Then from 1966 to 1967, Cuber worked with George Benson. He was also a member of the Lee Konitz nonet from 1977 to 1979.

Ronnie Cuber (left) and Chuck Rainey at the Porretta Soul Festival, 2005

Cuber played with Frank Zappa on the live album Zappa in New York, which was recorded in 1976. He was a member of the Mingus Big Band from its inception in the early 1990s until his death. As a member of the Mingus Big Band, Cuber plays the iconic solo on Moanin' by Charles Mingus, found originally on Mingus' album Blues & Roots, in the Mingus Big Band album Nostalgia in Times Square. He was an off-screen musician for the movie Across the Universe.

Cuber died at the age of 80 in his studio on New York's Upper West Side after suffering from internal injuries related to a fall near his home in the spring of 2020. His back and foot had become seriously injured in the fall, but he could not receive hospital treatment at the time when hospital surgeries were put on hold to deal with the large influx of Covid patients at the start of the pandemic. By the time non-Covid surgeries resumed in late May, an infection had extended into his neck. Though the infection was resolved at the hospital, the internal issues had done significant damage.

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)
• 1993: The Scene Is Clean (Milestone)
• 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

• End of a Rainbow (CTI, 1976)
• Havana Candy (CTI, 1977)

With George Benson

• It's Uptown (Columbia, 1966)
• The George Benson Cookbook (Columbia, 1966)
• Good King Bad (CTI, 1975)

With Nick Brignola

• Burn Brigade (Bee Hive, 1979)

With Maynard Ferguson

• The New Sounds of Maynard Ferguson (Cameo, 1963)
• Come Blow Your Horn (Cameo, 1963)
• Color Him Wild (Mainstream, 1965)

With David Clayton-Thomas

• 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

• The Main Attraction (Kudu, 1976)

With Billy Joel

• An Innocent Man (Columbia, 1983)
• The Bridge (Columbia, 1986)

With Sam Jones

• Something New (Interplay, 1979)

With Lee Konitz

• Lee Konitz Nonet (Chiaroscuro, 1977)
• Yes, Yes, Nonet (SteepleChase, 1979)
• Live at Laren (Soul Note, 1979 [1984])

With Jimmy McGriff

• Feelin' It (Milestone, 2001)
• McGriff Avenue (Milestone, 2002)

With Idris Muhammad

• House of the Rising Sun (Kudu, 1976)
• Turn This Mutha Out (1977)

With Mark Murphy

• Satisfaction Guaranteed (Muse, 1980)

With Horace Silver

• 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

• Sojourn (Xanadu, 1977)

With Gerald Wilson

• Detroit (Mack Avenue, 2009)

With Rare Silk

• New Weave (1986)

With Randy Brecker

• 34th N Lex (2003)

With Dr. John

• Trippin' Live (1997)
• Duke Elegant (1999)

With Paul Simon

• Graceland (1986)

With Tom Scott

• Bebop United (2006)

With Eddie Palmieri

• 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)

External links

• A site with information on all the great Jazz Baritone Saxophonists and vintage horns
• Ronnie Cuber discography at Discogs
• Ronnie Cuber at IMDb