Ronnie Cuber

Who is Ronnie Cuber?

Ronnie Cuber is a jazz saxophonist. He has also played in Latin, pop, rock and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he has also played tenor sax, soprano sax, clarinet and flute, the latter on an album by Eddie Palmieri as well as his own recordings. As a leader, Cuber is known for hard bop and Latin jazz. As a side man, he has played with numerous musicians, such as B. B. King, Paul Simon, and Eric Clapton. Furthermore, 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.

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 and Maynard Ferguson. Then from 1966 to 1967, Cuber worked with George Benson. He was also a member of the Lee Konitz nonet from 1977 to 1979. He can be heard playing in Frank Zappa's group in the mid-1970s, including the album Zappa in New York. He has been a member of the Mingus Big Band since its inception in the early 1990s. He was an off-screen musician for the movie Across the Universe.