Discovering a love for jazz music while in high school, the Jacksonville, Florida native moved to New York City to attend The New School, where he studied with veteran jazz masters. That decision led to him becoming a student and mentee of former Count Basie sideman Benny Powell, also a trombonist. Under Powell’s tutelage Cooper’s career was kicked into gear with performances at local venues around NYC. Clark Terry too, was very instrumental in imparting invaluable information to Barry on playing jazz and the history of jazz music. Clark put together a band called The Young Titans, and invited Cooper to record on their CD in Bern, Switzerland and live DVD recording at NYC’s famed Birdland. While on tour with Clark’s band, Barry met members of the Count Basie Orchestra who were touring as well. Impressed with his personality and musical ability, the bandleader asked Barry to do a three-month stint with The Basie Band starting in the United States and ending in Japan. The tour proved to be a monumental opportunity; and consequently led to Cooper joining the band full-time at the close of their 2003 tour. In holding the same trombonist chair in the Basie Orchestra that Powell proudly held claim to several decades earlier, he notes the two share a special connection. Equally eager and driven, Cooper continues to perform with his Basie band mates.
His performance experience includes ‘Bones for Basie’ with Powell’s Nextep Band and ‘Slide Hampton’s World of Trombones.’ He has served as Musical Director for Kamal Scott and Guest Conductor for the Valery Ponomarev Big Band, and played before countless numbers of jazz fans at the Newport Jazz Festival, Montreal Jazz Festival, North Sea Jazz Festival, the Apollo Theater, as well as the Blue Note Tokyo and various sites in Osaka & Fukuoka, Tokyo; Nice, France; Milan, Italy and NY.
Cooper can boast of working with numerous music industry icons including Nancy Wilson, Dianne Reeves, Dianne Schure, the Charles Tolliver Orchestra and Tony Bennett, with whom he recorded a holiday CD that was featured on the syndicated Oprah Winfrey Show, the Today Show, the Early Show and the Rachel Ray Show in late 2008.
He received the prestigious Michael Jackson Scholarship in 2000 and the Al Grey Award in 2002.
