Since the 1970s, drummer Billy Cobham has been regarded as one of the best jazz fusion drummers ever to strike a hi-hat. Cobham is known widely for his work with Miles Davis, the Mahavishu Orchestra, and many others.
In 2022, Cobham brought his greatness to Seattle's Jazz Alley for a show with his quartet, that KNKX was lucky enough to record. The concert featured Mark Whitfield on guitar, Scott Tibbs on keys, Tim Landers on bass, and Cobham, who towered over them all behind his massive drum kit.
During that visit, Cobham, sat down for a chat with KNKX to explore his early influences and his happenstance foray into composition, which led to his groundbreaking jazz career.
Born in 1944, Cobham's modernism came with discipline. As a young man in 1965, the drummer was drafted and spent three years playing with the U.S. Army Band. When he returned to the jazz scene in New York, Cobham was working with the top players of the time, like Horace Silver and a group called the New York jazz sextet that included jazz veterans Thad Jones, Hubert Laws and Ron Carter.
"They were my drill sergeants, you know, because they'd been around the block for many, many, many, many years before me, and proof was in the recordings that they made," he said.
By the start of the 1970s, Cobham was a busy professional musician, working as a side man in numerous jazz groups, playing commercial jingles, and consistently striving for more. That's when Cobham picked up a new skill—composing.
"I only started to compose out of desperation to get some work. I decided to start to learn to use my two index fingers and punch out notes, like learning how to type on a typewriter," Cobham said.
Composing flipped a switch for the drummer.
"All of a sudden, things started to come together, piece by piece, just learning how to speak the language, except that the notes tend to have a lot more weight. You know, they tend to last a lot longer, and they happen to be very, very sincere and true," he said.
Cobham's early compositions earned him a chance to make a record with his own band, but his expectations were very low.
"I thought, well, you know, if I get 10 pressings, I can give one to my mom and dad, and I'll give a couple to my cousins. And, you know, say, 'Yeah, I made a record,' and that's it."
Unexpectedly, his first record, Spectrum, caught fire. In 1973, it reached No. 1 on the Billboard jazz album charts. But when a fellow musician told him the record was a hit on the radio, he thought it was a joke.
In the 52 years since his breakthrough, Cobham has continued to win over hearts and ears around the globe. At nearly 82, the drummer is still playing regularly with his septet, Time Machine, at the Blue Note in New York City.
Songs heard in this episode:
- “On the Move”
- "The Pleasant Pheasant"
- “Crosswinds.”
