Songwriter, Performer, Low Brass Blower

About

Jack Cooper is an Canadian/American artist who grew up admiring the cerebral songwriters (Paul Simon, David Byrne, Tom Waits), the seminal songwriters of the British New Wave (Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe, Graham Parker), the musically adventurous songwriters (Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder), the California sound (Jackson Browne, Christine McVie) and the Beatles plus everyone influenced by the Beatles.

Jack got his music start playing low brass instruments in his New York suburban hometown where Ed Sullivan was a long-time resident, Janis Joplin composed “Mercedes Benz” on a napkin in a bar down the road from the Capitol Theater, his dad owned and operated “Bandstand Records”, and his classmates all dreamed of playing in the renowned high school marching band wearing goofy looking uniforms with pith helmets.

Later in life Jack pursued his musical passions through writing and performing songs, fostering growth and development of artists and songwriters in Waterloo Region through launching and supporting events and initiatives, and starting a publishing company to help promote and deepen education about the art of songwriting.

Then the brass bug came back.  Jack began honing his chops on brass instrument arranging and accompaniment. In addition to incorporating wind arrangements into his own songs, he has also served as sideman and session musician on other musicians' projects.

Jack and the Spare Hearts

... is a new project underway with musicians Jack has immensely enjoyed working with in the (recent and not-so-recent) past.  With a vibe borrowing bits from Stax, Motown, 70s R&B revisionists, and some Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe thrown in for good measure, this new unit grants Jack the flexibility to pivot between singing, playing some low brass (mostly valve trombone), and throwing some guitar riffs into the mix in order to best suit his body of incisive, passionate, and at times bitter and sardonic original songs.   

Band members: 
Jack Cooper - vocals, rhythm guitar, trombone 
Robert Reid - lead guitar 
Ken Brown - bass 
Steve Aylward - drums 
Kim Regimbal - tenor sax

Sample of Band and solo tracks

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  1. 1
    Jeremy 4:04
    Info
    0:00/4:04
  2. 2
    Worst Kept Secret 3:57
    Free
    0:00/3:57
  3. 3
    My Medication 2:54
    0:00/2:54
  4. 4
    Dressed Up Like A Man 3:23
    0:00/3:23

Become a Patron!

My band Jack and the Spare Hearts has been hard at work over the past year to refine our sound and build a catalog of exciting, compelling music that will spellbind you in a live setting.  We have been recording and editing live-in-the-studio recordings (such as the one above) that capture our sound and presence in order to market ourselves for live performance as well as funding opportunities.

No one can do it alone.  If you like what you hear and see about us, consider supporting us as a patron in two ways-

  1. Make a one-time donation either through eTransfer to jc@jackcooper.ca or by clicking the donate button to the right.  Donations above $25 will provide you with one-year access to the subscribers-only section of this website where you will have access to new content, access to the full catalog of solo and band music and videos, and other features such as song and instrument charts and other goodies.
  2. Subscribe to become a patron through a monthly payment of $5 or more to receive continued access to the subscribers-only section of this website (until you cancel your subscription)