Jazz Articles about Billy Cobham

like 966

Miles Davis: A Tribute to Jack Johnson

by Paul Olson
January 9, 2005

Well, here it is, finally: the Miles Davis album A Tribute to Jack Johnson, newly remastered and affordably available to those unwilling or unable to pay for the five-disc Complete Jack Johnson Sessions, which has been available since 2003. That's been Columbia/Legacy's modus operandi for Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way, and now Jack Johnson: put out the box set and after a suitable, cash-draining interval, cough up the remastered album alone.Jack Johnson 's re-release (more accurately at ...

like 204

Donald Harrison: Heroes

by Jeff Stockton
October 5, 2004

Ron Carter, one of altoist Donald Harrison's heroes and the primary bassist on this recording, makes the point that Harrison comes from New Orleans, but doesn't insist that he does. Harrison approaches his tradition with a pure heart, and from his apprenticeship with Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers in the mid '80s through his own leadership in the '90s, he has evolved an historical idiom into an absolutely contemporary, individual style. The title track kicks things off ...

like 234

Donald Harrison: Heroes

by John Kelman
May 11, 2004

Stripping down from his quintet début on Nagel Heyer, '02's Real Life Stories , saxophonist Donald Harrison teams up with bassist Ron Carter and drummer Billy Cobham, two of his personal heroes. Having an intermittent history with both musicians, Harrison obviously felt that the combination would provide the perfect combination of groove, freedom and exploration. The result is a mainstream set that purposefully raises the bar for Harrison, forcing him to think outside the box and deliver one of his ...

like 518

Billy Cobham's Art of 5

by Christopher Jones
March 11, 2003

Billy Cobham and The Art of 5 Jazz Alley; Seattle March 6th, 2003

I came to Billy Cobham not through Mahavishnu, but through video footage of him playing with Horace Silver’s group in the late 60s. Initially I mistook him for Roger Humphries, who of course had appeared on some of Silver’s well-known albums during that decade. I was later corrected by a friend of mine, who not only told me that it was indeed Cobham, ...

like 220

Deodato: Deodato 2

by David Rickert
July 16, 2002

The surprise success of “Also Sprach Zarathrustra” on Prelude prompted Deodato to quickly follow with Deodato 2, a record that closely followed the template of his first number one hit. Deodato knew there was a lot of money to be made courting the rock audience, and there’s little on this record that could safely be called jazz. However, this record still stands up remarkably well today, unlike some of the other keyboard-driven records from the era. This time “Rhapsody in ...

like 119

Johnny Hammond: Breakout

by Jim Santella
April 12, 2002

The CTI jazz catalog holds many surprises. This one features a strong 8-piece band led by organist Johnny Hammond (1933-1997), who was known earlier as Johnny “Hammond" Smith. Recorded in 1971, the album emphasized swinging mood music with a flair for popular sounds. It marked a turning point in the career of Grover Washington, Jr. He, Hank Crawford and Eric Gale are all over the place, alongside Hammond's B-3. It’s a party. A previously unissued track, recorded shortly after the ...

like 110

Johnny Hammond: Breakout

by David Rickert
April 12, 2002

A prime example of the CTI label’s indulgence in the commercial possibilities of jazz, Breakout gave Johnny Hammond the opportunity to escape from the long shadow cast by Jimmy Smith. Sticking with the Hammond B-3, by this time a bit old-fashioned as many had become enchanted with the Fender Rhodes, Hammond and his band contribute an album’s worth of soul jazz workouts. By this time, rock tunes had become the new would-be standards and Hammond proves that such unlikely candidates ...