Ronnie Cuber
Ronald Edward Cuber (December 25, 1941 – October 7, 2022) was an American jazz saxophonist. He also played in Latin, pop, rock, and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet, and flute, the latter on an album by Eddie Palmieri as well as on his own recordings. As a leader, Cuber was known for hard bop and Latin jazz. As a side man, he had played with B. B. King, Paul Simon, and Eric Clapton. Cuber can be heard on Freeze Frame by the J. Geils Band, and one of his most spirited performances is on Dr. Lonnie Smith's 1970 Blue Note album Drives. He was also a member of the Saturday Night Live Band. Cuber was in Marshall Brown's Newport Youth Band in 1959, where he switched from tenor to baritone sax. His first notable work was with Slide Hampton (1962) and Maynard Ferguson (1963–1965). Then from 1966 to 1967, Cuber worked with George Benson. He was also a member of the Lee Konitz nonet from 1977 to 1979. Cuber played with Frank Zappa on the live album Zappa in New York, which was recorded in 1976. He was a member of the Mingus Big Band from its inception in the early 1990s until his death. As a member of the Mingus Big Band, Cuber plays the iconic solo on Moanin' by Charles Mingus, found originally on Mingus' album Blues & Roots, in the Mingus Big Band album Nostalgia in Times Square. He was an off-screen musician for the movie Across the Universe. Cuber died at the age of 80 in his studio on New York's Upper West Side, due to complications from a fall. |
Birth and Death Data: Born New York City (most populous city in the United States), Died October 7, 2022 (New York City (most populous city in the United States) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1959
Roles Represented in DAHR: baritone saxophone, saxophone
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | 107421 | 5/25/1959 | Dateline Newport | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107422 | 5/25/1959 | You don't know what love is | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107423 | 5/25/1959 | [Unknown title(s)] | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107424 | 5/25/1959 | Let's fall in love | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107425 | 6/1/1959 | Serenade for Kathy | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107426 | 6/1/1959 | The younger generation | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107427 | 6/1/1959 | Lover man | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107428 | 6/1/1959 | [Unknown title(s)] | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107429 | 6/8/1959 | Fugue for jazz orchestra | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107430 | 6/8/1959 | Serious business | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107431 | 6/8/1959 | Pennies from heaven | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107432 | 6/8/1959 | Studio 50 | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107571 | 6/8/1959 | Brunch | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107572 | 6/8/1959 | Come rain or come shine | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107816 | 7/4/1959 | Lemon drop | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107817 | 7/4/1959 | Down for double | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107818 | 7/4/1959 | She's funny that way | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107819 | 7/4/1959 | Solid blue | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107820 | 7/4/1959 | Cinnamon kisses | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107821 | 7/4/1959 | Power glide | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107822 | 7/4/1959 | Blues inside out | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107823 | 7/4/1959 | Copley Square | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107824 | 7/4/1959 | The most minor | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone | |||
| Decca | 107825 | 7/4/1959 | Tiny's blues | Newport Youth Band | instrumentalist, baritone saxophone |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Cuber, Ronnie," accessed December 24, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/202245.
Cuber, Ronnie. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 24, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/202245.
"Cuber, Ronnie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 24 December 2025.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Ronnie Cuber
Discogs: Ronnie Cuber
Allmusic: Ronnie Cuber
Grove: Ronnie Cuber
IMDb: Ronnie Cuber
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Cuber, Ronnie - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n93032193
Wikidata: Ronnie Cuber - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q1386889
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/14957935
MusicBrainz: Ronnie Cuber - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/b999b126-d2a0-4f42-b820-e3c115787d4b
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