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 Dr. Jack Cooper, Associate Professor and Jazz and Studio Music Area Coordinator (B.A., M.A.- Cal. State, Los Angeles, D.M.A. - Univ. of Texas, Austin), has a wide range of experience as performer, composer, and educator. As a saxophone/woodwind performer and staff arranger, Dr. Cooper performed, recorded, and toured with the U.S. Army "Jazz Knights" from 1989 to 1995. As a woodwind doubler, he has performed with Manhattan Transfer, Smokey Robinson, Kenny Rogers, Ray Romano, Macey Gray, Brian McKnight, the Temptations, the IRIS Orchestra and others. He has performed with and written music for jazz artists Peter Erskine, Marvin Stamm, Bobby Shew, Mulgrew Miller, Gary Foster, and Christian McBride. His compositions and arrangements have been performed and/or recorded by the the Dallas Wind Symphony, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, the Woody Herman Orchestra, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, the Grand Junction Symphony, the Summit Jazz Orchestra (Germany), the U.S. Army "Jazz Ambassadors," the U.S. Navy "Commodores," the Rob Parton Jazz Orchestra, the Cavani String Quartet, the Ceruti String Quartet, Alma Latina, DEKA Jazz and the Brass 5. Dr. Cooper's television music composition credits included "the Jenny Jones Show," "Hollywood Xtra, "SOCAN, and news broadcasts in the Washington, D.C. area. He has been a staff arranger and clinician for Alfred/Belwin Jazz Publications since 1992. His music is also published by UNC Jazz Press, ReallyGoodMusic.com, Increase Music, and Three-Two music. Jack Cooper is musical director and founder of the Jazz Orchestra of the Delta. Their CD, "Big Band Reflections of Cole Porter," was released in June 2003 on the Summit Record Label and features music entirely composed and or arranged by Dr. Cooper. Most recently he collaborated with award winning choreographer Mark Godden to produce the ballet "Two Jubilees" which was premiered in February of 2006. He is the recipient of many ASCAP, NEA, Aaron Copland Fund for Music, Meet the Composer grants. Listen to Dr. Cooper's The Time Awaits for piano and studio orchestra (Quicktime required). Jack Cooper joined The University of Memphis as a faculty member in 1998.
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