A powerful baritone saxophonist with a huge, deeply emotive sound, Ronnie Cuber was a highly respected New York bandleader and session musician with a decades-long career. Initially emerging as a gifted jazz soloist in the 1960s, Cuber quickly distinguished himself playing a wide-ranging mix of hard bop and Latin jazz, including hits with Maynard Ferguson, Dr. Lonnie Smith, Lee Konitz, Eddie Palmieri, and Mario Bauza. He also became an in-demand session player and sideman, working with a list of marquee artists like Frank Zappa, Chaka Khan, and Billy Joel. While his 1976 debut, Cuber Libre, is an underappreciated Latin jazz classic, he has also contributed to albums such as Paul Simon's Graceland, Steely Dan's Gaucho, and J.Geils Band's Freeze Frame. Cuber remained an active studio and touring performer well into his 70s, while continuing to pursue his own jazz interests, playing regularly with the Mingus Big Band and releasing albums such as 2009's Ronnie.