Billy Cobham
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Billy Cobham, born May 16 1944 in Panama, is widely regarded one of the world's best and most influential drummers, best known for his jazz fusion in the 1970s, with John McLaughlin's Mahavishnu Orchestra, where he pioneered a powerful style of drumming with jazz, rock and funk influences.
He is the first drummer to unseat Buddy Rich in the Down Beat music polls.
Cobham has played and recorded with hundreds of top musicians, including Miles Davis, Freddie Hubbard, Larry Coryell, and Horace Silver; and is famous for his explosive, fast, spectacular playing.
He has been sampled, most famously by Massive Attack in their tune "Safe from Harm", centred on the beat and bassline of Cobham's "Stratus", from his debut album Spectrum.
Prior to his emergence with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham worked with Horace Silver in 1968, then with Miles Davis, on classic recordings like Bitches Brew, Live-Evil and A Tribute to Jack Johnson. The preface to his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra was his work on John McLaughlin's album My Goal's Beyond. Cobham toured extensively from 1971 to 1973 with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, who released two studio albums and one live album. The original studio versions of tunes on the live album were later released as The Lost Trident Sessions in 1999. In May 1973, still with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham recorded his first solo album Spectrum, with musicians including Jan Hammer, from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Tommy Bolin, a guitarist who later played with heavy rock band Deep Purple. Just before the Mahavishnu Orchestra's last touring leg, in late 1973, Cobham recorded and toured with Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, in concerts which featured material from their album Love Devotion Surrender, and Cobham's own material. In 1980 he worked with Jack Bruce, in a band called Jack Bruce & Friends.
A number of solo albums followed (as of July 2005, Cobham has released over 30 recordings under his own name), and Cobham continues as a recording artist and musical educator to this day. A complete discography can be found at Cobham's own homepage.
Gear
- Vic Firth SBC (signature Billy Cobham)
- Yamaha maple drum kit
- Yamaha ASD-1460BC (signature Billy Cobham) snare drum
Discography
- Yamaha maple drum kit
- Yamaha ASD-1460BC (signature Billy Cobham) snare drum
Discography
- Horace Silver - You’ve Got to Take a Little Love
- Kenny Burrell - God Bless the Child
- Dreams - Dreams
- Dreams - Imagine My Surprise
- Miles Davis - Jack Johnson
- Miles Davis - On the Corner
- Miles Davis - Live Evil
- Miles Davis - Bitches Brew
- Miles Davis - Get Up With It
- Miles Davis - Circle in the Round
- Miles Davis - Directions
- Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting Flame
- Mahavishnu Orchestra - Birds of Fire
- Mahavishnu Orchestra - Between Nothingness and Eternity
- Santana/McLaughlin - Love Devotion Surrender
- Peter Gabriel - Passion
- Billy Cobham - Spectrum
- Billy Cobham - Crosswind
- Billy Cobham - Total Eclipse
- Billy Cobham - Shabazz
- Billy Cobham - A Funky Thide of Sings
- Billy Cobham - Life and Times
- Billy Cobham - Cobham/Duke Live
- Billy Cobham - Inner Conflicts
- Billy Cobham - Magic/ Symplicity of Expression Depth of Thought
- Billy Cobham - Simplicity of Expression
- Billy Cobham - Flight Time
- Billy Cobham - Stratus
- Billy Cobham - Observations & Reflections
- Billy Cobham - Smokin’
- Billy Cobham - Warning
- Billy Cobham - Power Play
- Billy Cobham - The Traveler
- Billy Cobham - Nordic
- Billy Cobham - Nordic / Off Color
- Billy Cobham - Live in Rome in 5.1
- Billy Cobham - By Design
- Billy Cobham - Focused
- Billy Cobham - The Best of Billy Cobham
- Billy Cobham - Drum'n'voice (2005, ASIN B000BZPS1U)
External link
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