Billy Cobham
@ the Jazz Cafe
25 October 2023

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Biography

William C. Cobham was born on May 16, 1944, in Panama where he grew fond of percussion from watching his cousin play. At age three, his family moved to New York City and at age eight Cobham made his percussion performance debut with his father. Growing up Billy Cobham played in the St. Catherine’s Queensmen at the High School of Music and Art. After graduating Cobham served as a percussionist in the U.S. Army National band. He then played as a drummer in pianist Horace Silver’s band and toured the U.S. with him throughout the late 1960s. He then left to partake in Miles Davis' fusion ensemble where he can be heard on Davis classics such as “Like-Evil' and” “A Tribute to Jack Johnson,” Eventually Cobham parted ways from Davis’ group to work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, where he was able to further explore his technique and fusion style which influenced many for years to come.

After deciding to part ways with the Orchestra, Cobham started his own band, Spectrum and signed with Atlantic Records. Spectrum’s debut album featured a mix of jazz, funk and rock that allowed Cobham to further experiment with percussion. In 1975, Cobham released “A Funky Thide of Sings” moving into commercial jazz exclusively. In 1977, Cobham left Atlantic and signed to CBS label which allowed him to reach the commercial success he had always wanted. Cobham focused on his opportunities as a session drummer and other side opportunities after leaving CBS, such as drumming for the Grateful Dead's side project Bobby & the Midnites. In 1988, Cobham helped start a group called ‘Jazz is Dead’ which reprised Grateful Dead music with jazz iterations.

In 2001, Cobham was named one of the 25 Most Influential Drummers by Modern Drummer magazine. He paved the way for future drummers by changing the way percussion is set up, the way it is played and enjoyed. In 2001 Cobham released “Drum 'n Voice 1” which was his return to the 1970s jazz-funk sound and then in 2006 Cobham released “Drum 'n Voice 2” eventually Cobham released his follow up record “Drum 'n Voice 3” in 2009. In 2011 Cobham started teaching drums online at the Billy Cobham School of Drums which is a ArtistWorks Drum Academy. In 2018 Cobham toured across the US a performance series called ‘Crosswinds Project’ which was his way of revisiting his second album, Crosswinds. The tour re-comprised his original work from the 1970’s which continued into 2019 as a celebration of Cobham's 75th birthday.