Billy Cobham
| Billy Cobham | |
|---|---|
Cobham performing at WOMAD, July 2005
|
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | William Emanuel Cobham, Jr. |
| Born |
May 16, 1944 Panama |
| Genres | |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, bandleader, instructor |
| Instruments | Drums, percussion, keyboards |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Atlantic, Columbia, CTI, Elektra, GRP |
| Associated acts | Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jack Bruce, New York Jazz Quartet, Jazz Is Dead, Bobby and the Midnites, Mark-Almond |
| Website | billycobham |
William Emanuel "Billy" Cobham (born May 16, 1944) is a Panamanian American jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who came to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis and then with Mahavishnu Orchestra, and on countless CTI releases. According to AllMusic's reviewer, Cobham is "generally acclaimed as fusion's greatest drummer". He has an influential style that combines explosive power and exacting precision. He was inducted into the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame in 1987, and the Classic Drummer Hall of Fame in 2013.
Born in Panama, Cobham moved with his family to New York City during his early childhood. A drummer from his youth, Cobham attended New York's High School of Music and Art, graduating in 1962.
He played in a U.S. Army Band from 1965 to 1968. Following his discharge, Cobham joined an ensemble led by pianist Horace Silver for about a year, also playing or recording with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine, organist Shirley Scott, and guitarist George Benson.
Cobham branched out to jazz fusion, which blended elements of jazz, rock and funk, playing and recording with the Brecker Brothers (notably in their 1970-founded group Dreams), and guitarist John Abercrombie, before recording and touring extensively with trumpeter Miles Davis. Cobham's work with Davis appears on A Tribute to Jack Johnson (1971), among other recordings.
...
Wikipedia