Jerome Cooper "The Unpredictability Of Predictability" LP 1979

[@jazzprof56]

Buy the LP, folks! It's available, and one of the greatest and most original things of its time. I had the honor and pleasure of hearing him play these pieces live and working with Jerome Cooper for a week at the Creative Music Studio with about 18 fellow students in June 1978.

[@tabithajoyner8708]

This is amazing! I am related to him and have been looking for some of his music

[@udomatthiasdrums5322]

still love his work!!

[@cosmicpickle6562]

Yes, me too Udo

[@Kuba_Suchar]

This is totally amazing.

[@DonDeering]

Thanks for posting this. Remembering him today on his birthday.

[@cosmicpickle6562]

Glad you're enjoying Jerome's unique music. R.I.P. Jerome....

[@DonDeering]

@@cosmicpickle6562 Yes, thank you, absolutely! This is one of my favorites of his. "Bert the Cat" is pure joy. I was lucky to be able to play that, and a few of his other songs with him. We played "For the People" and he showed me how to play "Some Monk Funk" but I never really got to the point of playing it right.

[@cosmicpickle6562]

@@DonDeering What a great memory that is-being able to play with Jerome, wow, you've certainly earned my respect, Ron... Every single time I listen to this i'm still amazed at the man's ability to do 5 different things at the same time. I'm sure I would d have been in awe even more-so had I been able to see him do this in person. For some reason I still recall the record store and day when I picked up this album. Sometime these things just remain with one for some reason...

[@DonDeering]

@@cosmicpickle6562 I have lots of great memories hanging out with Jerome. It was great knowing him. Lots of circumstances led to us being friends and playing together, but my musical abilities really weren't a big part of that. I grew a lot and learned a lot about musical communication from him during those years.

[@DonDeering]

@@cosmicpickle6562 You might like this. I put a tribute to Jerome together. It includes this album in the playlist and the description area. kzbin.info/aero/PLsY6VJc9zDqkyaDXHGiH93z9C9-3fbEwX

[@EliezerKaplan]

superb. also saw him do this live - it was amazing.

[@cosmicpickle6562]

Really? Just incredible. I bet it was a special moment. Takes guts to do this type of thing live. Would be nice if he were still around to see that folks are still enjoying his work. Thanks for commenting.

[@EliezerKaplan]

twice! once in the '80's and again in the '90's. all i can say is there's no ovedubs on the record. he was mind boggling.

[@cosmicpickle6562]

Yes, the credits on the album do say that the entire thing was recorded live. Listening closely to it you can make out exactly what part each limb is playing. I am always amazed how Cooper kept each limb playing an independent part. I know I could never do it myself!!! How great to have seen him all those years apart as well.

[@EliezerKaplan]

as a drummer? holy shit! if you look up some later performances (there's some on youtube) later on he brought in keyboards, sequencing, etc - but at that point it was just drum kit, chiramia, balaphon.

[@cosmicpickle6562]

Oh thanks for the heads up Eliezer, I would certainly love to see some of his later stuff with keys and sequencing!

[@paolosanna5916]

Thanks for sharing!

[@cosmicpickle6562]

You're very welcome, Paolo..enjoy!

[@paolosanna5916]

Thank you :-)

[@goodefam]

Thank you

[@cosmicpickle6562]

You're welcome TJ-Enjoy it! -Gary

[@jeromeplamondon5025]

It was sad to see him perform this great piece, tricked up like a one-man washboard band, at the Empty Bottle in Chicago. If he had had collaborators(I won't say band), it would have been a richer experience. I had been waiting for many years, to see him.

[@cosmicpickle6562]

I wasn't aware until I posted this album that Cooper performed in a solo setting very much at all and that he performed this specific music live multiple times. I think it's pretty unique, rare, and unusual for a percussionist to perform solo, so i'm all for it and would have loved to see him do this, as well as perform along with other musicians.

[@DonDeering]

If anyone would have provided proper payment, he would have had a band. It's economics. He needed to pay his bills like everyone else. But he liked and made the best of being a multidimensional drummer. He called his keyboard an "electronic tonal activator," expanding on one of his employer's and friend's sayings. Cecil Taylor called the piano "88 tuned drums." (Something makes me think Duke Ellington made a similar remark and Cecil Taylor may have been building on it.)