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**Tommy McCook** *Real Name:* Tommy McCook *Born:* March 4, 1927, Havana, Cuba *Died:* May 5, 1998 Tommy McCook was a prominent Jamaican saxophone player and a founding member of influential musical groups. His family moved to Jamaica in 1933 when his father worked at the Panama Canal. He received a solid musical education at Alpha School. McCook's career began in 1943 with the Eric Dean Orchestra, one of the top bands on the island at the time. He later joined Don Hitchman's sextet, one of the first Jamaican bands to be recorded in 1952/1953 at Jamaica's first radio station, Z or Zed QI. In the early 1950s, he was a soloist in Roy Coburn's Blu-Flames, a significant band before The Skatalites. In 1954, he moved to Nassau, Bahamas, to perform in clubs and then relocated to Miami, Florida, in 1956, where he was introduced to jazz music. He was influenced by various artists, whose tunes he played upon returning to Jamaica in 1962. McCook contributed to many early ska recordings but declined offers from notable musicians until 1964. He was known for integrating jazz into ska music and regularly participated in jam sessions with other musicians, which later led to the formation of The Skatalites in June 1964. The

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