Slim and Barbara Cooper were the proprietors of Slim Cooper’s Lounge & Restaurant. The Philadelphia Tribune described it as “one of the nicer neighborhood jazz clubs.”

In a post on X/Twitter, Christian McBride recalled the Monday night jam sessions:

When I was in high school, [saxophonist] Tony Williams led a Monday night jam session at Slim Cooper’s in Mt. Airy. I lived in West Philly, Joey DeFrancesco lived in the Glenolden/Folcroft area. We both went to high school in South Philly. In other words, it took EFFORT to get to Mt. Airy and still be home at a respectable hour.

Mr. Williams’ group with Eddie Green on piano, Tyrone Brown on bass and Al Jackson on drums were swinging so hard, the walls would sweat in that place! We knew they would have a jam session later in the evening, but we were too young to be there that late on a school night. Mr. Williams said that maybe if we get there early, like right when the gig starts, he might consider letting us sit in. But because we were underage and not allowed in bars, we had to sneak in. If I remember correctly, they started early. 6? Maybe 7? Joey, Antonio Parker, Fred Goodson and myself would all be waiting by the door.

Mr. Williams would see us and be so excited that so many young cats cared about playing jazz. He would say, “Ok, we’ll play one song, then we’ll let you guys come up and play one – but then you gotta get outta here!” He ALWAYS looked out for us and every young musician that ever came across his radar.

The jazz spot closed in 2000 following the death of Slim Cooper.