Hudson Music proudly announces the release of COBHAM: The Music and Drumming of Billy Cobham. The authorized musical biography covers the life and work of this jazz, fusion, and drumming legend. The beautifully designed 168-page book includes biography, musical notation, discography, and photos.
Generally acclaimed as fusion’s greatest drummer, the explosive technique of Billy Cobham powered some of the genre’s most important early recordings — including groundbreaking efforts by Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra — before he became an accomplished bandleader in his own right. At his best, Cobham harnessed his amazing dexterity into thundering, high-octane hybrids of jazz complexity and rock & roll aggression. He was capable of subtler, funkier grooves on the one hand, and awe-inspiring solo improvisations on the other; in fact, his technical virtuosity was such that his flash could sometimes overwhelm his music. After debuting as a leader with the classic Spectrum in 1973, Cobham spent most of fusion’s glory days recording for Atlantic; briefer stints on CBS, Elektra, and GRP followed, and by the mid-’80s, Cobham was de-emphasizing his own bands in favor of session and sideman work. Even so, he continued to record for various small labels with some regularity.
The book chronicles the work and life of this drumming titan is explored and analyzed. Written with Cobham’s direct involvement and culled from dozens of hours of interviews with him, the book presents a biography of his early years and the development of his career, and then documents select important recordings and projects from 1968 up to the present day. Cobham gives his views on the industry, writing music, leading a band, recording, education/clinics, and other topics.
Presented in a coffee-table style full-color layout, an extensive collection of photos (many culled from Cobham’s personal archives) documents Billy’s history—including his contributions to the innovative setup of the instrument itself: left-hand-lead/ambidextrous playing, double bass drums, the contemporary large kit with instrument innovations such as the gong drum, and an endlessly creative approach to playing the drums in ways that continue to defy convention.
The book includes note-for-note transcriptions from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis, Cobham’s CTI recordings, and many of his own albums, including classics from Spectrum, Crosswinds, Total Eclipse, Warning, Power Play, and more.
Also included are exclusive interviews with John McLaughlin, Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, and contributions from Wayne Cobham (Bill’s brother and collaborator) and Ken Hoshino (Tama drums). Contemporary legends who count Cobham among their main influences also contribute their views on Billy’s importance: Will Calhoun, Dennis Chambers, Gary Husband, Simon Phillips, John Riley, Steve Smith, and Narada Michael Walden. Rounded out by a complete discography and a collection of industry advertisements over the years, the book can be used as a musical analysis, biography, or an entertaining look at photos and history of the legendary music career of Billy Cobham.
While the book contains many drum transcriptions, people who do not read music will greatly enjoy thebook as they would any other biography with text and photos.
The latest in a series from author Joe Bergamini, who has written best-selling musical biographies of NeilPeart, Stewart Copeland, and Steve Gadd, COBHAM: The Music and Drumming of Billy Cobham is amust for the bookshelf of all drummers and fans of jazz and fusion.