Happy Sounds : When Buster Cooper and Thurman Green perform, they get to the ‘heart and soul’ of jazz.

When Buster Cooper and Thurman Green, two of jazz’s top trombonists, get together to lead their quintet, the focus is on achieving the buoyant, toe-tapping feeling that musi cians call swinging.

“That’s the heart and soul of jazz,” said Green, who has played and recorded with such Los Angeles jazz notables as Gerald Wilson, the Capp/Pierce Juggernaut, Horace Tapscott and John Carter.

“When the music is swinging, I have the same feeling I had as a kid, first listening to jazz,” Green continued. “It gives me a vibrant outlook on life; it makes me happy. You have to maintain that childlike enthusiasm.”

Cooper and Green lead their quintet Saturday at Chadney’s. They have known each other for about 20 years and have worked in numerous Los Angeles-based big bands, but didn’t start their small group until 1988.

“Two trombones is two perfect voices,” said Cooper, known internationally for his 1962-69 tenure with the Duke Ellington orchestra. “It’s a different blend, something you don’t hear every day.”

The men, though deeply influenced by the intricate be-bop manner espoused by J.J. Johnson, are distinctive stylists who together deliver a most appealing sonic blend. Green has a buttery tone and keen sense for the ideal note choice. Cooper’s tone is more vibrant and raw, and his approach is more dynamically rhythmic.

Green pointed out that while Cooper may be known for his raucous, bluesy manner, which was fostered during his Ellington period, there’s a lot more than bluster to Buster.

“Buster’s very open-minded, not just an Ellingtonian,” said Green in an interview at a Sherman Oaks restaurant. “That’s been good for him, but he’s been type-cast. He has tremendous ability to get around the horn. Fast tempos that many players would struggle with, he walks through.”

At Chadney’s, the quintet will feature Gildo Mahones (piano), Louis Spears (bass) and Billy Mintz (drums). The program will be mixed, spotlighting jazz standards as well as Green’s originals.

“The challenge is to play music we and the audience enjoy, and still try to keep it forward-looking,” Green said. “I love the music of the ‘50s and ‘60s, but I think we should be relevant to our time. That’s what art is all about.”

Even though the group only plays about once every two months, the trombonists rehearse together once a week, “working out the kinks,” said Cooper in a separate interview.

Green is trying to get the band on the front burner of both his and Cooper’s careers, and a 1994 CD release on the Mons label from Germany will help.

Cooper and Green almost didn’t become trombonists.

Cooper, a native of St. Petersburg, Fla., who moved to Southern California in 1972, and who now lives in Canyon Country, began exploring music at the age of 16. “I was more into baseball, but when I discovered I probably wouldn’t be a pro, I took up music,” he said.

Green, moved to Los Angeles in 1958. Born in Longview, Tex., he was about 13 when he decided he wanted to be a trumpeter. But the only instrument the band director had left was a sousaphone, so Green played the fits-over-your-head tuba for a year before getting, not a trumpet, but a trombone. “So I guess you could say I came to it pretty much by accident,” Green said.

Eventually, Cooper and Green found a complete means of expression on the technically demanding, rich-toned slide trombone.

“It’s a beautiful, challenging instrument, one on which you can really create your own voice,” Cooper said.

Where and When

What: Buster Cooper and Thurman Green perform at Chadney’s, 3000 W. Olive St., Burbank.

Hours: 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. Saturday.

Price: No cover, no minimum.

Call: (818) 843-5333.