"Billy Cobham is simply and succinctly not only one of the greatest living percussionists working, but one of the most influential in the history of drumming- be it Jazz or Rock.A veteran of some of the most storied albums and collaborations in modern music, Cobham brings his latest hybrid of Jazz, Rock and Electronica to the cozy confines of Jazz Café at Music Hall for 4 limited seating performances, Tuesday and Wednesday, (8 PM and 10:30 PM) September 9th and 10th in the most atmospheric jazz club in the Detroit area.
After cutting his creative teeth with Horace Silver in 1968, and then saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, the road then led to recording with Miles Davis in 1969, as well as with guitarist George Benson in addition to performing in the Tony Award-winning play, “Promises, Promises” on Broadway.Cobham may be best known as one of the first crossover Jazz/Rock drummers from his glory days with the genre defining Mahavishnu Orchestra with guitarist supreme, John McLaughlin, violinist, Jerry Goodman and keyboardist, Jan Hammer, who along With Passport and Return To Forever formed the holy triumvirate which became known as “Fusion”.Cobham’s propulsive beats and stop on a dime, press rolls, fit in perfectly with some of Rock’s most accomplished performers like, The Grateful Dead, Peter Gabriel, Jack Bruce and McLaughlin during the 1970’s and 80s, while continuing to record and tour with Miles Davis, George Duke, Gil Evans and the Brecker Brothers.
Cobham’s newest recording, Fruit from the Loom—released in April 2008 through his own imprint, Creative Multimedia Concepts, Inc. (CMMC)—is a suitably wide-ranging representation of his roots and his journeys. He reprises two of his best-known compositions from the ’70s, “Spectrum” and “Crosswinds,” by incorporating violin on the former and steel pan on the latter. “I’ve always found it difficult to focus upon one direction in music,” Cobham notes, “So I’ve resigned myself to projecting ideas and thoughts through a musical kaleidoscope, from Latin to Rock and Jazz. This version of ‘Spectrum’ is a testament to that idea.”
On the new CD, he also utilizes a string quartet (on “Faia”) and percussion ensembles—with Cobham himself playing all the parts on “Samba du Militairestrasse” and Nigerian friends joining him on “Thoughts from Okuta.” Experiences from travels in Brazil are captured in “Eggshells Still on My Head” and “Florianapolis,” while the Bocas del Toro islands off the eastern coast of Panama—which Cobham describes as a place where “it is easy for me to relax and generally mellow out”—inspire the buoyant “Sweet Bocas.”
Fruit from the Loom, dedicated to the memory of Cobham’s parents William and Ivy, features a current live line up of, Tom Coster on keyboards (formerly with Santana)Dean Brown on guitar (with Billy for more than 25 years), and Victor Bailey on bass. Don’t miss this unbelievable opportunity to see a true musical genius, up close and personal at Jazz Café at Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets available, Wednesday, August 20th.
All tickets are priced at $35 and are available at Music Hall Box Office and Ticketmaster.Jazz Café @ Music Hall 350 Madison Detroit, MI 48226 313 887-8500 www.myspace.com/jazzcafedetroit