Hamid Cooper
Pars
www.hamidcooper.com

Latin Jazz Dream From Persia
www.hamidcooper.com
By George W. Harris

Here’s some intriguing and fresh music from an LA cat-drummer/percussionist Hamid Cooper, who has put out two recent discs that show the width and breath of jazz/folk percussion. The Persian-born Cooper teams up on the first disc with a Tar player (sort of like a lute) to put together an intriguing 6 piece opus. Half of the songs are conglomerations of various percussion instruments, all keeping your interest with a highly melodic approach to the skins, while the duets with the Tar combine for some wondrously conversational material, mixing the exoticism of the Middle East with the western sense of rhythm and melody. Enchanting, and as spice as saffron on rice!

The Latin Jazz Dream is in the more conventional jazz vein, with Cooper joining with a team of piano, bass, timbales and two woodwinds for a mix of originals and jazz standards. Fresh material like “Sun Shower” and “The Word” combine infectious rhythms with some smooth sax work, sort of like East LA meeting Westwood. Their take of standards are quite enticing; “Take Five” finally sounds like the Middle Eastern song it was originally conceived as, while “Watermelon Man” adds a bit of pomegranate to the flavor. A bit of extra cumin is added to “Manteca” and “Mas Que Nada” creating a real feast for the ears. Check this one out!