Last night at the Bird's Eye in Basel, The Cookers performed an energetic set of late hard-bop. The second set offered more dynamic range than the almost overly intense first, but in both sets, alto saxophonist Donald Harrison played superb solos with clear and distinct parts that had the audience applauding at the end of each of them. For me personally, the evening brought a new milestone: bassist Cecil McBee was born in May 1935, so he is 90 years old. That makes him the oldest musician I've ever seen live, passing pianist Joe Haider, who was 87 years old when I saw him at the Bird's Eye in August 2023. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 10 July 2025)