Ronnie Cuber

Ronnie Cuber stood out as a baritone saxophonist whose commanding, richly emotional tone earned him lasting esteem as a New York bandleader and studio musician whose career spanned decades across jazz, pop, and Latin circles. Emerging first as a standout jazz improviser in New York during the 1960s, he soon set himself apart through a broad blend of hard bop and Latin jazz, recording with Maynard Ferguson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lee Konitz, Eddie Palmieri, Mario Bauza, and additional figures. Session and sideman work followed with marquee names such as Frank Zappa, Chaka Khan, and Billy Joel. Though his 1976 debut Cuber Libre remains an underappreciated Latin jazz landmark, he also appeared on enduring albums including Paul Simon’s Graceland, Steely Dan’s Gaucho, and J. Geils Band’s Freeze Frame. Cuber stayed active in studios and on tour into his seventies, maintaining his own jazz commitments through regular appearances with the Mingus Big Band and his own well-regarded releases, among them 2009’s Ronnie.

Born in 1941 and raised in Brooklyn, New York, he grew up surrounded by music, his mother at the piano and his father favoring the accordion. Already a skilled tenor saxophonist in his teens, he caught the ear of musician and educator Marshall Brown, who chose him for the Newport Youth Band’s appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1959. Around the same period Cuber made baritone his primary instrument, drawing inspiration from Gerry Mulligan and Pepper Adams. Professional engagements began in the early 1960s, first with Slide Hampton and then several years alongside Maynard Ferguson; it was with Ferguson that he made his first recordings, heard on 1963’s The New Sound of Maynard Ferguson and 1965’s Color Him Wild. Later associations with Woody Herman and Lionel Hampton led to further Latin-music work with Eddie Palmieri, Charlie Palmieri, and Mario Bauza.

Throughout the 1970s Cuber recorded often on soul-jazz dates with George Benson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Grant Green, and others. As a leader he introduced himself on the 1976 session Cuber Libre!, a driving Latin-jazz date featuring pianist Barry Harris, bassist Sam Jones, and drummer Albert “Tootie” Heath. The album displayed his signature approach: an assertive, weighty sound paired with fluent, harmonically sophisticated phrasing. He followed quickly with the more post-bop-oriented The Eleventh Day of Aquarius, which included trumpeter Tom Harrell. During the same decade he forged a productive partnership with saxophonist Lee Konitz, resulting in several albums, and recorded alongside R&B saxophonist King Curtis. Additional sessions came with Idris Muhammad and Terumasa Hino. Branching into pop and rock, he contributed to Frank Zappa’s Zappa in New York and established himself as a dependable studio musician on Average White Band’s Soul Searching, Chaka Khan’s Chaka, Patti Austin’s Havana Candy, and further dates. Latin projects continued with Dom Um Romao, Ismael Miranda, Willie Colon, and others.

His profile as a sought-after session player expanded through the 1980s with appearances on albums by Aretha Franklin, Chic, and Luther Vandross. He played on Paul Simon’s Graceland, applied his R&B background to J. Geils Band’s Freeze Frame, and participated in Steely Dan’s Gaucho. Work with Billy Joel yielded recordings such as 1983’s An Innocent Man and 1986’s The Bridge. Television work included membership in the Saturday Night Live Band. Amid these commitments he pursued his own recordings, channeling his varied background into jazz settings on 1981’s New York Jazz, 1985’s Passion Fruit, and 1987’s Pin Point.

Into the 1990s he performed regularly with the Mingus Big Band, a group he helped found, and deepened his longstanding connection with Dr. John through touring and arranging during the summer months. Returning to solo work, he released the string-enhanced Latin-jazz album The Scene Is Clean on Milestone in 1993, featuring organist Joey DeFrancesco, pianist Geoff Keezer, and others. Subsequent SteepleChase releases included 1994’s Airplay and 1996’s In a New York Minute. He also assembled an all-baritone Gerry Mulligan tribute ensemble. In 2000 he rejoined Dr. John on the road with organist and longtime associate Dr. Lonnie Smith. As a leader he remained active on SteepleChase with 2009’s Ronnie and 2012’s Boplicity. The standards-focused Ronnie’s Trio, recorded with bassist Jay Anderson and drummer Adam Nussbaum, appeared in 2018. Four followed in December 2019, showcasing his quartet with guitarist Ed Cherry, Hammond B-3 player Brian Charette, and drummer Nussbaum. Ronnie Cuber died on October 7, 2022, in New York City at the age of 80.