Cook, Doc (originally, Cooke, Charles L.)
Cook, Doc (originally, Cooke, Charles L.)
Cook, Doc (originally, Cooke, Charles L.) , jazz pianist, band leader, arranger; b. Louisville, Ky., Sept. 3, 1891; d. Wurtsboro, N.Y., Dec. 25, 1958. In 1909 he was working as a composer-arranger in Detroit; he subsequently moved to Chicago where he led his own bands at several venues, while acting as musical director for Riverview Park. From 1922 led his own ten-piece band at Harmon’s Dreamland, Chicago, and played there regularly for almost six years. This band featured many leading Chicago jazz luminaries, including Freddie Keppard and Jimmie Noone; the full band recorded on several occasions, as did a smaller group drawn from the orch. called Cook’s Gingersnaps. After the Dream-land job ended, Cook worked at other area theaters and clubs until moving to N.Y in 1930. During the 1930s he was a staff arranger at R.K.O, and at Radio City Music Hall, occupied similar positions during the early 1940s, then left full-time music and retired to N.J. Cook was a Doctor of Music, having gained this honor at the Chicago Coll. of Music in 1926, having previously received a Bachelor of Music at Chicago Musical Coll. For this reason, he was usually billed as “Doc” Cook.
—John Chilton/Lewis Porter