Billy Cobham
Encyclopedia
William C. Cobham is a Panamanian American
jazz
drummer
, composer
and bandleader
, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s.
Coming to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis
and then with Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham is, in the words of Steve Huey, "generally acclaimed as fusion's
greatest drummer with an influential style that combines explosive power and exacting precision.
, Cobham's family moved 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 the group of pianist Horace Silver
for about a year, also playing or recording with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine
, organist Shirley Scott
, and guitarist George Benson
.
, which blended elements of jazz
, rock and roll
and funk
, playing and recording with the Brecker Brothers
(notably on 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
, among other recordings. Cobham is also one of the first drummers to play open-handed lead: a drummer that plays on a right-handed set but leads with his left hand on the hi-hat instead of crossing over with his left (and also has his ride cymbal on the left side, instead of the traditional right). He typically plays with multiple toms and double bass drums and was well known in the 70's for his large drum kits.
The preface to his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra was his work on guitarist John McLaughlin
's album My Goal's Beyond
.
In 1971, with fellow Davis alumnus McLaughlin, Cobham co-founded Mahavishnu Orchestra, a definitive jazz fusion ensemble. Cobham toured extensively from 1971 to 1973 with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, who released two studio albums and one live album. The original studio versions of tunes on the live album were later released as The Lost Trident Sessions
in 1999.
In May 1973, while still with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham recorded his first solo album Spectrum with keyboardist Jan Hammer
, from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, guitarist Tommy Bolin
, who later played with heavy rock band Deep Purple
, and bassist Lee Sklar. Just before the Mahavishnu Orchestra's last touring leg, in late 1973, Cobham recorded and toured with guitarists Carlos Santana
and John McLaughlin, in concerts which featured material from their album Love Devotion Surrender
, and Cobham's own material. As band leader and composer, Cobham recorded a number of other ground-breaking fusion records during the 70's, Total Eclipse, Funky Thide of Sings, and Crosswinds. You can also hear his 70's playing well represented on George Duke & Billy Cobham European Tour Live. It was on this tour that Billy reported (in a Down Beat interview) experiencing astral projection during shows, wherein he found himself hovering above and in front of his drums, watching himself play ideas he'd never thought of or executed previously.
In the 1970s, Cobham recorded extensively for the fusion-oriented CTI Records
, founded by producer Creed Taylor
.
During the 1970s he was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet
.
In 1976 Cobham played drums on the album "To the Heart" by Mark-Almond
(Jon Mark, Johnny Almond)
In 1980, he worked with Jack Bruce
, in a band called Jack Bruce & Friends. In 1994, he joined an all-star cast at the Greek Theatre (in LA) and the results appeared on Stanley Clarke
, Larry Carlton
, Billy Cobham, Najee
and Deron Johnson
Live at the Greek. The concert was predominantly Clarke's music but all the musicians contributed material.
In 1984 he also played with the band Bobby and the Midnites
(which included Bob Weir
of the Grateful Dead
, Dave Garland, Bobby Cochran
, and Kenny Gradney) and recorded the album "Where The Beat Meets The Street". In 1998, he joined up with Grateful Dead
cover band Jazz Is Dead
.
A number of solo albums followed (as of July 2005, Cobham has released over 30 recordings under his own name), and continues to record, perform and teach.
In 2006, Cobham released Drum n voice 2. This was a return to the 1970s jazz-funk sound, with guests including Jan Hammer
, Buddy Miles
, John Patitucci
, Jeff Berlin
, Dominic Miller
, Mike Lindup
, Airto Moreira
, Frank Gambale
, Brian Auger
, Guy Barker
and the band Novecento.
The CD was produced and arranged by Pino and Lino Nicolosi for Nicolosi productions.
Billy was announced as a patron and visiting artist of top London drum college Drumtech in June 2008.
In 2009, Cobham released Drum n voice 3. Guests included Chaka Khan
, Gino Vannelli
, George Duke
, Alex Acuna
, Bob Mintzer
, Brian Auger, John Scofield
and Novecento. The CD was produced and arranged by Pino and Lino Nicolosi for Nicolosi productions.
Billy Cobham performed with John McLaughlin
at the 44th Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, on Friday, July 2, 2010, for the first time since the band split up.
As of March 2010, Cobham had begun working on a new project with acclaimed Jordanian guitarist Kamal Musallam.
In August 2011 the album "Rock the Tabla" is released. Featuring Billy Cobham, A.R. Rahman, Hossam Ramzy, Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Manu Katché.
in their tune "Safe from Harm", centered on the beat and bassline of Cobham's "Stratus", from his debut album Spectrum; by Souls of Mischief
's "93 'til Infinity
", based on the bassline and keyboards of "Heather", from 1974's Crosswinds, and by DJ Shadow
on "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain", which uses elements of "A Funky Kind of Thing" from 1975's A Funky Thide of Sings
. Cobham is also covered extensively by "hyperfunk" jam-band RAQ
.
Panamanian American
-Notable Panamanian Americans: * Tatyana Ali actress/singer* Jordana Brewster actress* Tyson Beckford, supermodel/actor* Rod Carew, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame* Melissa De Sousa, actress* Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees pitcher...
jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
, composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and bandleader
Bandleader
A bandleader is the leader of a band of musicians. The term is most commonly, though not exclusively, used with a group that plays popular music as a small combo or a big band, such as one which plays jazz, blues, rhythm and blues or rock and roll music....
, who has called Switzerland home since the late 1970s.
Coming to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
and then with Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham is, in the words of Steve Huey, "generally acclaimed as fusion's
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
greatest drummer with an influential style that combines explosive power and exacting precision.
Early life and career
Born in PanamaPanama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, Cobham's family moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
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 the group of pianist Horace Silver
Horace Silver
Horace Silver , born Horace Ward Martin Tavares Silva in Norwalk, Connecticut, is an American jazz pianist and composer....
for about a year, also playing or recording with saxophonist Stanley Turrentine
Stanley Turrentine
Stanley William Turrentine, also known as "Mr. T" or "The Sugar Man", was an American jazz tenor saxophonist.-Biography:Turrentine was born in Pittsburgh's Hill District into a musical family...
, organist Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott
Shirley Scott was an American hard bop and soul-jazz organist. She was most known for working with her husband, Stanley Turrentine, and with Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis...
, and guitarist George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
.
Jazz fusion work
Cobham branched out to jazz fusionJazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
, which blended elements of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
and funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
, playing and recording with the Brecker Brothers
Brecker Brothers
The Brecker Brothers was the musical duo of Michael and Randy Brecker , who recorded commercially successful jazz fusion albums together in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. They had a notable hit single with "East River" in 1979...
(notably on their 1970-founded group Dreams
Dreams (band)
Dreams was one of the original prominent jazz rock bands in the period of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and recorded for Columbia Records. Dreams was formed by Jeff Kent and Doug Lubahn, who together wrote and arranged all their original songs. The band began as a trio and evolved into a...
), and guitarist John Abercrombie
John Abercrombie (guitarist)
John Abercrombie is an American jazz guitarist, whose work often explores jazz fusion and post bop. Abercrombie has played with Billy Cobham, Jack DeJohnette, Michael Brecker and Randy Brecker...
, before recording and touring extensively with trumpeter Miles Davis
Miles Davis
Miles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,...
. Cobham's work with Davis appears on A Tribute to Jack Johnson
A Tribute to Jack Johnson
A Tribute to Jack Johnson is a studio album by American jazz musician Miles Davis, released February 24, 1971 on Columbia Records. It also serves as the soundtrack for a documentary by Bill Cayton about the heavyweight world champion boxer Jack Johnson....
, among other recordings. Cobham is also one of the first drummers to play open-handed lead: a drummer that plays on a right-handed set but leads with his left hand on the hi-hat instead of crossing over with his left (and also has his ride cymbal on the left side, instead of the traditional right). He typically plays with multiple toms and double bass drums and was well known in the 70's for his large drum kits.
The preface to his work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra was his work on guitarist John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (musician)
John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
's album My Goal's Beyond
My Goal's Beyond
My Goal's Beyond is the third solo album of John McLaughlin. The album was originally released on Douglas Records in the US. It was later reissued by Rykodisc....
.
In 1971, with fellow Davis alumnus McLaughlin, Cobham co-founded Mahavishnu Orchestra, a definitive jazz fusion ensemble. Cobham toured extensively from 1971 to 1973 with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, who released two studio albums and one live album. The original studio versions of tunes on the live album were later released as The Lost Trident Sessions
The Lost Trident Sessions
The Lost Trident Sessions was an incomplete album by the Mahavishnu Orchestra. The album was recorded in 1973, but was not released until 1999, by Columbia/Legacy....
in 1999.
In May 1973, while still with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham recorded his first solo album Spectrum with keyboardist Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
, from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, guitarist Tommy Bolin
Tommy Bolin
Thomas Richard "Tommy" Bolin was an American-born guitarist who played with Zephyr , The James Gang , and Deep Purple , in addition to doing solo work...
, who later played with heavy rock band Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, and bassist Lee Sklar. Just before the Mahavishnu Orchestra's last touring leg, in late 1973, Cobham recorded and toured with guitarists Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana
Carlos Augusto Alves Santana is a Mexican rock guitarist. Santana became famous in the late 1960s and early 1970s with his band, Santana, which pioneered rock, salsa and jazz fusion...
and John McLaughlin, in concerts which featured material from their album Love Devotion Surrender
Love Devotion Surrender
Love Devotion Surrender is an album released in 1973 by guitarists Carlos Santana and John McLaughlin, with the backing of their respective bands . The album was inspired by the teachings of Sri Chinmoy and intended as a tribute to John Coltrane...
, and Cobham's own material. As band leader and composer, Cobham recorded a number of other ground-breaking fusion records during the 70's, Total Eclipse, Funky Thide of Sings, and Crosswinds. You can also hear his 70's playing well represented on George Duke & Billy Cobham European Tour Live. It was on this tour that Billy reported (in a Down Beat interview) experiencing astral projection during shows, wherein he found himself hovering above and in front of his drums, watching himself play ideas he'd never thought of or executed previously.
In the 1970s, Cobham recorded extensively for the fusion-oriented CTI Records
CTI Records
CTI Records was a jazz record label founded in 1967 by producer/A&R manager Creed Taylor. Initially, CTI was a subsidiary of A&M Records, but the label went independent in 1970...
, founded by producer Creed Taylor
Creed Taylor
Creed Taylor is an American record producer, best known for his work with CTI Records, which he founded in 1968. Taylor’s career also included work at Bethlehem Records, ABC-Paramount, Verve, and A&M Records...
.
During the 1970s he was a member of the New York Jazz Quartet
New York Jazz Quartet
The New York Jazz Quartet was founded by pianist Roland Hanna. First consisting of flautist Hubert Laws, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Billy Cobham, in 1974 the lineup changed to Frank Wess, bassist George Mraz, and drummer Ben Riley. Richie Pratt and Grady Tate also contributed. The group...
.
In 1976 Cobham played drums on the album "To the Heart" by Mark-Almond
Mark-Almond
Mark–Almond were an English band of the late 1960s and early 1970s, who worked in the territory between rock and jazz.In 1970 Jon Mark and Johnny Almond formed Mark-Almond...
(Jon Mark, Johnny Almond)
1980s work and later
Jack Bruce
John Symon Asher "Jack" Bruce is a Scottish musician and songwriter, respected as a founding member of the British psychedelic rock power trio, Cream, for a solo career that spans several decades, and for his participation in several well-known musical ensembles...
, in a band called Jack Bruce & Friends. In 1994, he joined an all-star cast at the Greek Theatre (in LA) and the results appeared on Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
, Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton
Larry Carlton is an American jazz, smooth jazz, jazz fusion, pop, and rock guitarist and singer. He has divided his recording time between solo recordings and session appearances with various well-known bands...
, Billy Cobham, Najee
Najee
Jerome Najee Rasheed , known professionally as Najee, is an urban jazz saxophonist and flautist.He attended New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he studied with George Russell and Jaki Byard....
and Deron Johnson
Deron Johnson (musician)
Deron Johnson is an American jazz musician. Beginning at the age of sixteen, Johnson became hooked on jazz music and attended California State University Long Beach where he continued his pursuit with private lessons from Billy Childs. In 1991, after touring with Pop Idol Paula Abdul, Johnson was...
Live at the Greek. The concert was predominantly Clarke's music but all the musicians contributed material.
In 1984 he also played with the band Bobby and the Midnites
Bobby and the Midnites
Bobby and the Midnites was a rock group led by Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead. The band was Weir's main side project during the first half of the 1980s. They released two albums, but were better known for their live concerts than for their work in the recording studio...
(which included Bob Weir
Bob Weir
Bob Weir is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist, most recognized as a founding member of the Grateful Dead. After the Grateful Dead disbanded in 1995, Weir performed with The Other Ones, later known as The Dead, together with other former members of the Grateful Dead...
of the Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
, Dave Garland, Bobby Cochran
Bobby Cochran
Bobby Cochran is an American guitarist, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He has worked with many bands, including Steppenwolf, the Flying Burrito Brothers, Leon Russell, and Bobby and the Midnites.-External links:*, official website of Bobby Cochran...
, and Kenny Gradney) and recorded the album "Where The Beat Meets The Street". In 1998, he joined up with Grateful Dead
Grateful Dead
The Grateful Dead was an American rock band formed in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The band was known for its unique and eclectic style, which fused elements of rock, folk, bluegrass, blues, reggae, country, improvisational jazz, psychedelia, and space rock, and for live performances of long...
cover band Jazz Is Dead
Jazz Is Dead
Jazz is Dead is an instrumental Grateful Dead cover band that interprets classic Dead songs with jazz influences. Although the group's composition has changed over time, with T Lavitz being the only constant member, the group is notable in featuring veterans of jazz and jazz fusion ensembles[]...
.
A number of solo albums followed (as of July 2005, Cobham has released over 30 recordings under his own name), and continues to record, perform and teach.
In 2006, Cobham released Drum n voice 2. This was a return to the 1970s jazz-funk sound, with guests including Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
, Buddy Miles
Buddy Miles
George Allen Miles, Jr. , known as Buddy Miles, was an American rock and funk drummer, most known as a founding member of The Electric Flag in 1967, then as a member of Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsys from 1969 through to January 1970.-Early life:George Allen Miles was born in Omaha, Nebraska on...
, John Patitucci
John Patitucci
John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at...
, Jeff Berlin
Jeff Berlin
Jeff Berlin is an American jazz, jazz fusion and progressive rock electric bass player.Jeff Berlin's bass playing is somewhat similar to that of Jaco Pastorius, though Berlin plays a fretted bass and has stated his distaste for Jaco imitators.-Early life:Jeff Berlin was born to parents who were...
, Dominic Miller
Dominic Miller
Dominic Miller is an Argentine-English guitarist who toured and recorded with World Party and King Swamp, worked on Phil Collins' solo album ...But Seriously and played guitar on every Sting album and tour since 1990...
, Mike Lindup
Mike Lindup
Mike Lindup is best known as the keyboard player and falsetto voiced singer, who joined with Mark King and brothers Phil and Boon Gould to form the 1980s - 1990s British funk/rock/pop band, Level 42....
, Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
, Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale
Frank Gambale is an Australian jazz fusion guitarist. He has released eleven studio albums over a period of more than two decades, and is renowned for his use of the sweep picking and economy picking techniques.-Recording career:...
, Brian Auger
Brian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
, Guy Barker
Guy Barker
Guy Barker is an English jazz trumpeter and composer. Barker was born in Chiswick, London, the son of an actress and a stuntman. He started playing the trumpet at the age of twelve, and within a year had joined the National Youth Jazz Orchestra...
and the band Novecento.
The CD was produced and arranged by Pino and Lino Nicolosi for Nicolosi productions.
Billy was announced as a patron and visiting artist of top London drum college Drumtech in June 2008.
Chaka Khan
Chaka Khan , frequently known as the Queen of Funk, is a 10-time Grammy Award winning American singer-songwriter who gained fame in the 1970s as the frontwoman and focal point of the funk band Rufus. While still a member of the group in 1978, Khan embarked on a successful solo career...
, Gino Vannelli
Gino Vannelli
Gino Vannelli is an Italian-Canadian singer, songwriter, musician and composer.-Early years:Born in Montreal, Quebec, Vannelli is one of three sons born to Russ and Delia Vannelli. Russ, his father, was a big band musician. As a child, Gino's greatest passion was music, and he began playing...
, George Duke
George Duke
George Duke is a multi-faceted American musician, known as a keyboard pioneer, composer, singer and producer in both jazz and popular mainstream musical genres. He has worked with numerous acclaimed artists as arranger, music director, writer and co-writer, record producer and professor of music...
, Alex Acuna
Alex Acuña
Alejandro Neciosup Acuña aka Alex Acuña is a Peruvian drummer and percussionist, in the Afro-Cuban jazz style.Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands from the age of ten, and moved to Lima as a teenager. At the age of eighteen he joined the band of Perez Prado, and in 1967 he moved...
, Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer
Bob Mintzer is a jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band leader based in Los Angeles, California. Mintzer is a member of the jazz rock band the Yellowjackets.-With The Yellowjackets:*Greenhouse, 1991;*Live Wires, 1992;...
, Brian Auger, John Scofield
John Scofield
John Scofield , often referred to as "Sco," is an American jazz guitarist and composer, who has played and collaborated with Miles Davis, Dave Liebman, Joe Henderson, Charles Mingus, Joey Defrancesco, Herbie Hancock, Pat Metheny, Bill Frisell, Pat Martino, Mavis Staples, Phil Lesh, Billy Cobham,...
and Novecento. The CD was produced and arranged by Pino and Lino Nicolosi for Nicolosi productions.
Billy Cobham performed with John McLaughlin
John McLaughlin (musician)
John McLaughlin , also known as Mahavishnu John McLaughlin, is an English guitarist, bandleader and composer...
at the 44th Montreux Jazz Festival, in Montreux, Switzerland, on Friday, July 2, 2010, for the first time since the band split up.
As of March 2010, Cobham had begun working on a new project with acclaimed Jordanian guitarist Kamal Musallam.
In August 2011 the album "Rock the Tabla" is released. Featuring Billy Cobham, A.R. Rahman, Hossam Ramzy, Omar Faruk Tekbilek & Manu Katché.
Sampling
He has been sampled by Massive AttackMassive Attack
Massive Attack are an English DJ and trip hop duo from Bristol, England consisting of Robert "3D" Del Naja and Grant "Daddy G" Marshall. Working with co-producers, as well as various session musicians and guest vocalists, they make records and tour live. The duo are considered to be of the trip...
in their tune "Safe from Harm", centered on the beat and bassline of Cobham's "Stratus", from his debut album Spectrum; by Souls of Mischief
Souls of Mischief
-Studio albums:-Singles:-External links:* [ Allmusic Biography]* *...
's "93 'til Infinity
93 'til Infinity
93 'til Infinity is the debut album by Souls of Mischief. The group consists of four members and is a subgroup of the hip-hop collective Hieroglyphics.-Album information:...
", based on the bassline and keyboards of "Heather", from 1974's Crosswinds, and by DJ Shadow
DJ Shadow
Joshua Paul Davis better known as DJ Shadow is an American music producer, DJ and songwriter. He is considered a prominent figure in the development of instrumental hip hop and first gained notice with the release of his highly acclaimed debut album Endtroducing....., which was constructed...
on "Napalm Brain/Scatter Brain", which uses elements of "A Funky Kind of Thing" from 1975's A Funky Thide of Sings
A Funky Thide of Sings
A Funky Thide of Sings is a 1975 studio album by Billy Cobham.-Track listing:#"Panhandler" – 3:50#"Sorcery" – 2:26#"A Funky Thide of Sings" – 3:23#"Thinking of You" – 4:12...
. Cobham is also covered extensively by "hyperfunk" jam-band RAQ
RAQ
RAQ are a psychedelic, progressive rock quartet from Burlington, VT. They are a part of the jam band scene.-History:The group formed in 2000 with original keyboard player Marc Scortino and released their first studio effort "Shed Tech" a year later. In 2002 Scortino left the band and was replaced...
.
Filmography
- 2002: Glass Menagerie
- 2004: Live Palais des Festivals Hall Cannes 1989
- 2005: Billy Cobham - Culturemix: New Morning Paris Concert
- 2005: Billy Cobham - Drums for the Soul - Solo Concert - Drums and Percussion Paderborn
- 2005: Billy Cobham's Glass Menagerie: Live in Riazzino
- 2007: Billy Cobham Live At 60
- 2007: Cobham Meets Bellson
- 2007: Cobham: Crosswinds
- 2009: Live in Cannes