JAZZ REVIEWS : Cooper, Green in Revival for the Trombone

The use of two trombones as centerpieces for a jazz group seemed to go out of fashion many years ago when J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding went their separate ways. Its revival by Buster Cooper and Thurman Green, who led a quintet at Alfonse’s, provided a welcome reminder that such partnerships are as valid now as ever.

This sartorially elegant pair can boast impeccable credentials. Green is best known for his work with Gerald Wilson, Harold Land and Willie Bobo; Cooper played with Lionel Hampton, Benny Goodman and, for seven years, Duke Ellington.

It was immediately evident Wednesday that their decision to work together is more than a one-night-stand throwaway; they had music to provide them with at least a routine of sorts on most tunes. In unison or harmony, they achieved a burnished blend that was further accented by the sympathetic drumming of Pat Sharrod, who seems to know all the ends and outs of these arrangements.

Cooper has long been known for his sly, sliding way with a tune. Tossing notes around like confetti, he is about as instantly recognizable as anyone handling this horn today. Green, though less identifiable, is a strong improvising force who solos on a blues, and the Sonny Rollins standard “Doxy” provided often a welcome contrast to Cooper’s explosions.

Because Wednesday was the 15th anniversary of Duke Ellington’s death, Cooper dedicated part of the set to his ex-boss, deserting for a sensitive “I Got It Bad” and an intense “Caravan.”

The dancing lines of Dwight Dickerson’s piano and the limber, inventive bass solos by James Leary rounded out the plus factors in this communicative unit, which left no doubt that everyone on the bandstand was contentedly engaged in an act of musical stimulation. Because their work has been largely confined to big bands in recent years (Cooper is most often heard with Bill Berry), it was a pleasure to hear these leaders in a setting that unleashed them in a context of unlimited freedom.