Andrea
Jason Toop Cooper or best known as Jason Cooper is an English drummer best known for his work with The Cure. He was born on 31 January 1967 in London, England. He’s also composed music for films such as From Within.
Jason Cooper Drummer Early Journey
Jason Cooper started playing drums when he was about 14 years old. He enjoyed it immediately and taught himself other styles such as jazz, rhythm and blues, and Latin music. Jason played in other bands before becoming The Cure drummer in 1992 after the departure of Boris Williams (drummer).
He has been a member ever since and is still performing with them. Jason was in a documentary called “Ten Imaginary Years” which represented The Cure for their 20th anniversary. The band played the album “Disintegration” in its entirety, and Jason also contributed with his work.
Jason Cooper joined the band Morgan with school friends, David Eyers (bass) and Paul Spencer (guitar). With this band, he made their first appearance on London’s underground scene. Then five years later, they changed their name to Soho Vultures before splitting up in 1986. In 1989, Jason Cooper joined Siouxsie and the Banshees for a short time. He played in their greatest hits album called “Once Upon A Time” before being replaced by Budgie in 1990.
After being replaced by Budgie in Siouxsie and the Banshees, Jason Cooper joined The Cure in 1991 and he performed with them until 2000. After that, Jason Cooper went back to Siouxsie and the Banshees from 2001-2004. Jason played all the instruments in his band.
In 2006, Jason Cooper once again joined another band called Babacar which was led by Patrick Savage (bass). He recorded their first album called “Savage”. Then in 2008, he went back to Siouxsie and the Banshees. After that, in 2010, Jason Cooper came back again to The Cure for their “Reflections” tour. He still remains with them today as a drummer.
Jason Cooper is actually an academically-trained drummer, he’s not some metalhead that won a contest. He told an interviewer from “Modern Drummer” magazine: “I don’t consider myself a great drummer. I consider myself more of a rhythmic person. I was academically trained, and that means more to me than being able to play all the flashy stuff.”
The Cure Drummer
In addition to his work with the band The Cure, Jason Cooper has also played with Siouxsie and the Banshees, Babacar, Changelings (in 2001), and The Glove (in 1983). After Soho Vultures broke up, Jason Cooper joined the band Fools Dance with Phil Thompson (bass) and Benjy King (guitar). Boris was the best Cure drummer. He’s also a highly skilled musician.
When he became The Cure’s drummer they released their first album in 1987, “Here Comes Trouble”. A year later, they released another album called “Tantamount To Treason Vol. 1” and “Tantamount To Treason Vol. 2”, a double album in 1988.
Jason Cooper with Big Artist
Jason has also worked with other bands such as Muse (he played drums on three of their studio albums, “Origin of Symmetry”, “Absolution” and “Black Holes & Revelations”) and he also worked with Guns N’ Roses. Jason Cooper has studio credits on two of their albums “Chinese Democracy” and Orchestral arrangements for the Japanese bonus track “Prostitute”.
Jason Cooper’s drumming style varies from the epic rock symphonies of The Cure to the danceable electronic beats in Siouxsie and the Banshees. Jason likes to use different instruments when he plays live. He often plays the congas, bongos, and maracas during his performances with The Cure even though they don’t sound like drums at all.
