With his incredible power, exquisite expression, nearly infinite dynamics, his ambidextrous odd meter grooves and those single strokes (!!!), Mr Cobham at this time was arguably the gold standard of the drumming world.
There was no argument. He was the gold standard for nearly 40 years. I just wish he didn't tune his Tom's so flat.. But still my number one all-time favorite drummer. And as an old geezer 🤩 today he's still doing it at a high level. Much respect Billy Cobham...
40 years ago. But yeah, He and bonham and Bruford shaped me. But none are even close to a best. .. if there is such a thing. To many parameters. But technically.. todays drummers are equaly badasses if not much more in certain cases. And ALL the good ones will site Billy as a idol at some point. This drumming was unheard in the day...
I was 10 years old in 1974 and I just turned 59 a couple of days ago. My oh my how the time flies and Billy is still with us and playing the drums. What an amazing drummer he was and still is.
The seventies man!!! I’m all about it right now! lol I was 4, and was held up in a small town with very little money eating the lead paint off the land ladies house that she illegally bought all up when it went on sale right before it was outlawed… smh.. had to put something in my stomach, but I wanted to play drums, now that I’m finally attending it at 52, it’s a bit frustrating… I’m blaming the LED paint though
these european jazz festivals from the 70's are incredible. they are some of the finest and most appealing live jazz performances ever caught on film............................
Here i got some more points for your collection: ..............................….…………….........................°.................................... :D
Definitely top 10…..pretty much seen ‘em all, especially the fusion drummers. Billy is a master of time keeping. Alphonze Mouzon was perhaps a funkier drummer but top flight. Lenny White certainly kept things moving with Chick & Stanley. It was an interesting time. Shalom
Imo not even close. Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Elvin, even Vinnie... Far more expressive. I'd even take Bruford over Billy. . . for me he was very muscular but lacked a certain depth to his grooves.
I was very fortunate (aged 20) to be in New York in April 1974. One night I went to a club called The Bottom Line to see this band, and the next night I saw Tony Williams at The Village Vanguard. Two stylistically very different drummers, but in my view both incredible path setters. Thanks for posting this and reminding me how good this was. ,
Yes defenitely two pioneers. The drummers of that generation created the whole Jazzrock style of playing drumset. There were no transcriptions, videos, internet and what have now adays. Hats off to all of tem. John Marshall, Billy Cobham, Jack De Johnette, Bill Bruford, Pierre Courbois, Robert Wyatt. They gave me the space and inspiration to play the drumset.
Hey wait just o' damn minute, I thought I was king... L.L. P.S. love me some Tommy Bolin, so I had 'Spectrum' on vynal. I play guitar and prerequisite for any really good musician is that you have to be o' natural born drummer.
Hands down the greatest drummer in any category. His power, quickness, and ability to play delicately, was startling. Atlantic Records' 1973 "Spectrum" album is the quintessential Fusion album. A must for any record collector. 🎶🎶🎶 "What is Life but a spectrum, and what is Music but Life itself." BC
I’ve heard Billy’s name thrown around for years by so many drummers, but never seen any real good footage of him. Wow I’ve been missing a lot. What a monster drummer. I love his massive kit.
Check out the Billy Cobham George Duke band, there's a Montreux festival on TH-cam and he added a bunch of North Drums to his Fibes clear kit with the same sized drums. th-cam.com/video/nrJ_OIlcKe8/w-d-xo.html The yellow kit in this video is supposed to be made from compressed paper and made by a drum shop called Professional Percussion in New York, which no longer exists. Al Duffy is the drum builder. I think Al is also the same guy that built the Gong drums Billy used back then, the inventor of the original chain drive pedal that later sold the patent rights to DW and Tama drums.. practically all of the major jazz/fusion drummers used the chain drive pedal. Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Lenny White, Billy Cobham, on and on and on. It was THE pedal to own… I had one and back in the later '70's before DW and Tama bought the patent rights, Pro Percussion sold them for less than $40 brand new. Those were the days…. ;-) Yeah, in the 70's, Cobham was the King.. I saw him with Mahavishnu in Nov 73, and I lost count of how many drum sticks went shooting straight up in the air. I've seen him break bass drum pedals, drum heads, hi hat pedals while playing and it doesn't phase him. His roadie would just replace while Cobham's playing the song/solo…. It's interesting to see someone replace a tom tom head while Billy's playing. He was in perfect physical condition back them. I have no idea what kind of things he would do to keep in shape. I heard rumors, like he did 400 pushups, pull-ups and things like that a day. I don't know how much of that is true…. But it does make sense.
Cobham was responsible for the advent of jazz fusion "Spectrum" in the 70's along with , Miles , John Mclaughlin & Weather Report. Jaco was acknowledged for his innovative harmonics ! It's not appropriate to compare Jaco with todays players.
@@brianhammer5107 "Richard Davis or Stanley Clarke played rings around him" - Gotta disagree with you there. Pastorius was a genius. The playing on Joni Mitchell's Shadows & Light is exceptional on all levels. He reinvented electric bass playing.
@@brianhammer5107 Nobody played fretless electric the way JP did before him, thousands did afterward. Stan Clarke took his cues from the great funk players Richard Davis is a steam bass player and Chris Squire, much as I love Yes, was not fit to shine any of the above's shoes on a technical level. I understand you may not like Pastorius's style but artistically he was miles ahead of the rest.
Billy Cobham doesn't know this, but he influenced so many pro drummers. He was an inspiration to so many. Starting with me, I will not share this here, but I wish to thank a man that was my mentor in drumming; even though he is unaware??? THANK YOU SIR from what I learned from you since 1975, and your album... Funky Thide of Sings in approx, 1975,, which was the time I considered you as my mentor, Thanks. My utmost respect.
Superb footage and sound quality. I’ve been watching scratchy versions of this for years. This is perfect! Thanks for sharing Billy’s brilliance in a quality format!
The footage is definitely superb, agreed. The sound quality, at the start, was not so superb. But it's okay, superb musicians make up for it more than talented autotune operators.
I picked up a Mahavishnu orchestra live album that is signed by Billy for $8 a few weeks ago, not sure if the seller realised if it was signed or who by. Glad to have it
Congratulations ! My most valued thing apart obviously from my partner and children is a photo of Mr Cobham and myself taken at a club in north london a couple of years ago.Along with Bill Bruford my greatest hero.(Kind regards Simon using my partner's site cos I am so old I do not have my own).
One of the greatest drummers point blank period. The intro song the pleasant pheasant is a classic. Truely phenomenal percussionist, could play anything with anyone. His drumming transcends time
I just remember we used to listen to his records for hours upon hours. We knew nothing about music; not even how to count. We just knew we were listening to something special.
Been a lifelong fan of BC. Great to hear this! He was 28... Genius in progress. Bought Shabazz on LP at the time and this really complement it. The closing ”Tenth pin”, not exactly hummable, has some of the baddest solo explosions from the man.
Cobham had actually just turned 30 the month before this show, but still...a very young man to be such an accomplished bandleader. And from the drums no less...not the easiest instrument from which you can launch yourself into fame.
@@brianhammer5107 Billy Cobham doesn't play like Tony Williams. Billy Cobham plays like Billy Cobham. Therefore his style indeed was a new and unique way of playing the drums. I dont know why you feel the need to compare him to Tony Williams. They were both monsters in their own unique way
@@brianhammer5107 talking like that you must be a relative of Jan Hammer 😂 jk. Btw got to hang out with Dennis Chambers he mentioned Tony Williams and Billy Cobham as influences along with Joe Jones and the obvious others like Max Roach Buddy Rich cetera. He spent at least 45 minutes with me showing me different links as musicians he plays with I was honored of course. I asked him what he thought of Chick Corea ( who I'm not a big fan of admittedly) drumming and he said "he's okay he can keep a Beat"^. I then asked him how about Jan Hammer drumming (I'm a huge fan always) and he said "now he can play" or something to that effect. Figured you might appreciate
These things always gets so incredible USA centered... We had drummers in Europe that were better jazz or fusion drummers than Cobham already in the late 1960s. Such as Pieter Voogt, Egil Johansen and numerous others. Not to mention all the skilled drummers in Latin America...
@@carpballet Why? It's not about fame or the under/overrating that everybody talkes about on the internet. It's about reality. You don't even contemplate these musicians exist, even if you have heard them. Americans live in a bubble to a higher degree than most other countries do.
Billy was the first drummer to really solo during the music without having the band stop. Commonplace today but with Mahavishnu, his ability to solo over complex changes with odd times was mind blowing at the time ... and kind of still is
What you described was and is pretty common in the jazz world. Check out Art Blakey, Max Roach, Philly Joe, etc. I have a ton of respect for Mr. Cobham.
I was first indoctrinated to Mr. Cobham, when they were phasing-out 8-track tapes. I bought this concert on an 8-track tape for like $0.50 at Target. It was the best $0.50 I ever spent.
Thanks to the uploader-@Lasse ...Thanks for taking time out of your life to do this amazing upload...Without you, many people, including myself, would never see this sort of thing...You're doing god's work...:)
Love the duct tape holding the keyboards down. Billy is an incredible player. Open-handed technique, clearly very ambidextrous. I’ve been a huge fan since Inner Mounting Flame.
This is the way I remember my first encounter with fusion.(without the P.A. hum) This lineup of musicians and repertoire is unequaled. THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING THIS
Awesome, we have most of the old band from the 60's "Dreams"in this line up. They even had a top 40 release in 69-70, "Holly Be Home" Great tune, Great Album. It was the forerunner to This Cobham Band and the Brecker Brothers Albums!
“Holly be Home” is one of my favorite songs, and the first Dreams album is one of my favorite albums. It’s good to know that someone out there remembers the group. “Imagine My Surprise” with Will Lee and Grolnick was also enjoyable but quite different and more commercial and slicker. I saw this Cobham band in ‘73 when he also had Victor Pantoja on congas. The two of them did a solo together that was fairly telepathic.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been a fan since I 1st heard the group Dreams. To see all these great musicians when they were so young is outstanding.
At one point early on, BC sort of stands up to finish one of the rolls… and for a second I felt really sorry for those drum heads! He can pound the crap out of them from a seated position - standing he probably made them regret their entire existence! SO powerful but so smooth and with such a groove!
On TH-cam the ralph Humphrey and Chester Thompson talk about being on your with Zappa and Mahavishnu w/ Billy on drums. They said watching him from side of stage they could not believe how fast, hard and round his drum sound was. They said it felt like his floor toms were going to jump of the stage. It was like getting blown back from the volume and sheer amount of sound coming from the stage. Then later on in the night they caught Billy clocking them while they played and he look astounded and they secretly cheered. It was Chester’s 2nd or 3rd show with Frank.
BC is one of my top 5 influencer in drumming.. explosive and sensitive tip toe technique! He's a true predecessor to all those 'gospeldrummers' out there today!
So awesome to have video from these times. Saw Billy in Boston with Abraham Laboriel, George Duke, and dang, the guitar player`s name escapes me (& me a guitar player, he was great though...) around1975. Incredible. Had front row seats in front of what I thought was the guitar player because of the stomp boxes on the floor, but it was Mr Laboriel's rig. Did some of these tunes but they blew me away with Zappa's 'Uncle Remus'
I’d first heard him play with McCoy Tyner, on “Fly With The Wind”, back in 1976. Ron Carter on bass, Hubert Laws on flute. Backed by a wind/string section. Amazing music!
What an amazing band Billy had back then. Leaving the Mahavishnu to do his own thing and teaming up with the Brecker brothers. Unbelievable show. That's the stuff I can put on TH-cam on saturday mornings and hope that the kids pass by the TV and ask "Hey dad, what's that cool music?", and I go "Cool? Dudes, that's incredible. It's not cool, it's not ok. It's freakin' amazing". That's what I wish.
I had the privilege of watching Cobham live, dueling drums with Gary Husband, at Mother's Tavern in SLO. Small and intimate venue to see a show, and be able to watch the master up close. Husband is no slouch either, both were incredible that night.
just saw Billy Oct 14th 2022 at Sony hall in NYC, he is a fellow grad of Fiorello Laguardia HS of Music & Art in NY what a a great innovative movement he spawned in the drumming world, and although his age has snatched much of his energy and stamina, I dont know many who would dare challenge this human being. He is after all 'The G.O.AT."
@@kipperfeast Simon did use three floor toms, in the late 70s early 80s, with jeff beck, and Pete Townsend. Billy was the first drummer to do many things in what is now considered the modern drumset, among them, the Gong Drum with tympani lugs and a single head, The Octobans, Jeff Ocheltree, drum tech, and designer, unique tuning methods, application of rudimental figures across the kit, odd time. When Billy became a Tama endorser him and Ocheltree brought you octobans, a refined gong drum, snare drums with extended wires designed for expressing his advanced technique and use of dynamics, the KingBeat, and later the Mastercraft line. The birch superstar drums changed the industry, and where respected by almost everyone. Originally common in standard sizes, and later power. I believe the heavy endorsement by rock drummers of the power sizes, combined with Tama's temporary degraded relationship with the jazz community, caused many famous jazz players to leave Tama and work with a competitor. Simon Phillip's stuck with them and helped Tama design some amazing new lines including the amazing Starclassic, in the 2000s . Standard sizes became the norm, and the starcast mounting system combined with the Gretsch influenced design and sound using many different types of wood including Bubinga . Tama's mistakes in the late 80s hurt them, and witnessing the evolutions they had created with all the supporters almost died, and then magically evolved into something completely awesome, was amazing!!!! Eventually Tama needs to re-release, some of the famous designs from the late 70s, and early 80s, such as Vintage Superstar ver. I, II, and III. Tama Arstar Cordia, in standard sizes, which I have seen (Super rare), and than offer the Starcast mounting system as an option. Etc.....
William Doyle Thank you for those words. I didn’t realize until I read it that John had passed last year. My first exposure to him was Billy Cobham’s “Shabazz”. His sound led my to guitarist with a similar sound to his such as John Scofield and Bill Frisell. I’m not a musician and don’t know what to call it but all three have a style that sounds almost off-time or off-key or both. I don’t know what they were doing but it was in a language I understand.
Info Polovendite I had a Grand Torino with a black vinyl top and a yellow body. Got me all the way across country from Columbus, Georgia to Los Angeles in the mid 1980's
John Abercrombie, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker and Billy Cobham came from a band called 'Dreams'. This is the band Cobham was in before he joined the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Dreams had two albums, the first one was above average. The second album not bad but ...
Thank you for sharing. I saw this line up in Amsterdam in 1974. I was 15 years old and it definitely changed everything. Never heard anything like that before.
Billy's the Godfather of the traps it will never be another drummer who plays with that inner feeling that he brings to the table Billy & Alan Holdsworth immortal gods Rest in paradise Mr. Holdsworth as well as Mr Ambercrombie 🙏🏻
Opened handed, left ride on a right handed set. Billy, Lenny White and myself. Drum teacher in grade school thought I was crazy. "Mike, why?... your right handed!" Redemption. Two down sides. "sitting in" on a Right set and having to move the owners Ride symbol to the left side while the owner--- scratching his head would say: "ah...whatya' doing bro?" Secondly, my playing was a Far cry from either one of these two monsters.
I bought a set of Octobons that Billy was demonstrating in Houston Tx. Had a gig that night at Bergstrom AF Base doing a gig, we were playing the song Flashlight and my Octobons bounced right off the stage and cracked them. Embarrassing as hell! Recouped and continued playing. Billy hell of a drummer and a Great Guy!
Thank the Norwegians for filming this !USA didnt give a shit about these guys.saw these csts and met Cobham and Abercrombie while me and me droogs were leaving the restrooms and they were getting reafy to go onstage.so cool these guys were nice to us punkass fusion teens,we were yelling and made a lot if noise to let em know we loved them!
II saw BC with Mahavishnu Orchestra on their tour promoting the Inner Mounting Flame. Explosive.We had tenth row center orchestra seats and were blown away by the passion and power of the band.Thank you for posting this gem.
This when he was athletic in physical shape,vibrant in spirit I saw 👀 him in New York City He was magnificent,incredible magician,10 miles high,a Denver high 1975
..totally mind blowing..this has got to be one Billy’s best live lineups, and he’s never had a weak one!.there’s a moment during Red Barron when Michael RIP is smiling at Milcho I think 🤔 and it reminds me of how MB was always intently listening to everyone else and absorbing non stop 🛑..fantastic..John Abercrombie RIP firing away with an early Mesa Boogie combo in the back line..New York November 11, 2020..
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With his incredible power, exquisite expression, nearly infinite dynamics, his ambidextrous odd meter grooves and those single strokes (!!!), Mr Cobham at this time was arguably the gold standard of the drumming world.
There was no argument. He was the gold standard for nearly 40 years. I just wish he didn't tune his Tom's so flat.. But still my number one all-time favorite drummer. And as an old geezer 🤩 today he's still doing it at a high level. Much respect Billy Cobham...
@@vaughnmiller5319 they sound flatter than usual here, could be the recording, it sounds a little muddy overall...
Tony Williams was better I thought.
Yes sir! And right on with your observation.
40 years ago. But yeah, He and bonham and Bruford shaped me. But none are even close to a best. .. if there is such a thing. To many parameters. But technically.. todays drummers are equaly badasses if not much more in certain cases. And ALL the good ones will site Billy as a idol at some point. This drumming was unheard in the day...
I was 10 years old in 1974 and I just turned 59 a couple of days ago. My oh my how the time flies and Billy is still with us and playing the drums. What an amazing drummer he was and still is.
I was 16 in 74..and had the opportunity of seeing the Mahavishnu Orchestra in 73... Cobham is the ultimate drummer 🪘🍽️
@@ranjitverdi5702 I was 14 in 74, Billy was my idol - In 89 i worked for Billy and, after work, had a dinner with him, just Billy and me.
The seventies man!!! I’m all about it right now! lol I was 4, and was held up in a small town with very little money eating the lead paint off the land ladies house that she illegally bought all up when it went on sale right before it was outlawed… smh.. had to put something in my stomach, but I wanted to play drums, now that I’m finally attending it at 52, it’s a bit frustrating… I’m blaming the LED paint though
Saw him w Band 1973 warming up Hot Tuna
@@ranjitverdi5702saw Mahavishnu w Jeff Beck double bill 75 later that fall RTF those were fusion’s golden days
these european jazz festivals from the 70's are incredible. they are some of the finest and most appealing live jazz performances ever caught on film............................
I agree 1,000,000%. Allan Holdsworth and Gary Novak in Warsaw, Jaco and Mangelsdorff performing Trilgoue just to name a couple
Je suis d’accord, tremendously much so
Here i got some more points for your collection: ..............................….…………….........................°.................................... :D
Check out the Hungarian jazz scene from back in the day. Will blow your mind
What a killer band! Everybody wants to play with Billy! And the great John Abercrombie on guitar! R.I.P. John.
Also RIP Michael Brecker
Saw him on street in Nantucket summer of 75 or 76 w Rick Laird on bass and unknown drummer literally playing on sidewalk on main street amazing
Billy Cobham...What a beautiful, gentle soul, with an absolutely FEROCIOUS voice on the drumkit.
I agree with You there moot.
they call him MR COBHAM......damn.
Billy clearly is grateful and acknowledges the shoulders of the Giants he has stood upon indeed a humble and gracious man
Billy Greatest-Of-All-Time drummer
Definitely top 10…..pretty much seen ‘em all, especially the fusion drummers. Billy is a master of time keeping. Alphonze Mouzon was perhaps a funkier drummer but top flight. Lenny White certainly kept things moving with Chick & Stanley. It was an interesting time. Shalom
Imo not even close. Tony Williams, Jack DeJohnette, Elvin, even Vinnie... Far more expressive. I'd even take Bruford over Billy. . . for me he was very muscular but lacked a certain depth to his grooves.
I was very fortunate (aged 20) to be in New York in April 1974. One night I went to a club called The Bottom Line to see this band, and the next night I saw Tony Williams at The Village Vanguard. Two stylistically very different drummers, but in my view both incredible path setters. Thanks for posting this and reminding me how good this was.
,
Yes defenitely two pioneers.
The drummers of that generation created the whole Jazzrock style of playing drumset. There were no transcriptions, videos, internet and what have now adays.
Hats off to all of tem.
John Marshall, Billy Cobham, Jack De Johnette, Bill Bruford, Pierre Courbois, Robert Wyatt.
They gave me the space and inspiration to play the drumset.
AMEN!!!!
After he played I wasn't expecting that voice. Because he was a savage on those drums and then so soft and well spoken. Awesome fucking drummer man.
Haha, yeah he basically speaks like Michael Jackson!
Billy Cobham and Alphonse Mouzon were the drum giants of the early 70's. Thanks for uploading this masterpiece.
Enjoy!
Hey wait just o' damn minute, I thought I was king... L.L. P.S. love me some Tommy Bolin, so I had 'Spectrum' on vynal. I play guitar and prerequisite for any really good musician is that you have to be o' natural born drummer.
Don’t forget Lenny White
@@obpuckcast4794 and Nirada Michael Walden
@@RexLancaster Most definitely
Hands down the greatest drummer in any category. His power, quickness, and ability to play delicately, was startling. Atlantic Records' 1973 "Spectrum" album is the quintessential Fusion album. A must for any record collector. 🎶🎶🎶 "What is Life but a spectrum, and what is Music but Life itself." BC
Yeah maybe. Elvin Jones wasnt too shabby
I’ve heard Billy’s name thrown around for years by so many drummers, but never seen any real good footage of him. Wow I’ve been missing a lot. What a monster drummer. I love his massive kit.
Check out the Billy Cobham George Duke band, there's a Montreux festival on TH-cam and he added a bunch of North Drums to his Fibes clear kit with the same sized drums. th-cam.com/video/nrJ_OIlcKe8/w-d-xo.html
The yellow kit in this video is supposed to be made from compressed paper and made by a drum shop called Professional Percussion in New York, which no longer exists. Al Duffy is the drum builder. I think Al is also the same guy that built the Gong drums Billy used back then, the inventor of the original chain drive pedal that later sold the patent rights to DW and Tama drums.. practically all of the major jazz/fusion drummers used the chain drive pedal. Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Lenny White, Billy Cobham, on and on and on. It was THE pedal to own…
I had one and back in the later '70's before DW and Tama bought the patent rights, Pro Percussion sold them for less than $40 brand new. Those were the days…. ;-)
Yeah, in the 70's, Cobham was the King.. I saw him with Mahavishnu in Nov 73, and I lost count of how many drum sticks went shooting straight up in the air. I've seen him break bass drum pedals, drum heads, hi hat pedals while playing and it doesn't phase him. His roadie would just replace while Cobham's playing the song/solo…. It's interesting to see someone replace a tom tom head while Billy's playing.
He was in perfect physical condition back them. I have no idea what kind of things he would do to keep in shape. I heard rumors, like he did 400 pushups, pull-ups and things like that a day. I don't know how much of that is true…. But it does make sense.
Billy Cobham was a real revolution in the drummers world back in 1974..
Amen rewrote the book for drummers move over Tony Williams Airto Jack Dejohnette
Wow, Michael and Randy Brecker look so young. This is monster fusion.
I remember Cobham being THE pivotal figure in the evolution of drum technique in much the same way as Pastorius was on bass
@@brianhammer5107 Who played rings around him? Seriously interested in which bassists of his era you mean.
Cobham was responsible for the advent of jazz fusion "Spectrum" in the 70's along with , Miles , John Mclaughlin &
Weather Report. Jaco was acknowledged for his innovative harmonics ! It's not appropriate to compare Jaco with todays players.
@@brianhammer5107 "Richard Davis or Stanley Clarke played rings around him" - Gotta disagree with you there. Pastorius was a genius. The playing on Joni Mitchell's Shadows & Light is exceptional on all levels. He reinvented electric bass playing.
@@brianhammer5107 Nobody played fretless electric the way JP did before him, thousands did afterward. Stan Clarke took his cues from the great funk players Richard Davis is a steam bass player and Chris Squire, much as I love Yes, was not fit to shine any of the above's shoes on a technical level. I understand you may not like Pastorius's style but artistically he was miles ahead of the rest.
@@wpdoyle Niels Hennig Oersted Pederson, for one.
My drum hero. On his most incredible sounding kit he ever played. At the absolute peak of his powers...I love you for putting this out there. Thanks.
Awesome, Cobham with one of his best line-ups. Thanks for posting.
Man what a video! Totally blown away. Billy Cobham at his prime. Thanks for sharing.
Billy Cobham doesn't know this, but he influenced so many pro drummers. He was an inspiration to so many. Starting with me, I will not share this here, but I wish to thank a man that was my mentor in drumming; even though he is unaware??? THANK YOU SIR from what I learned from you since 1975, and your album... Funky Thide of Sings in approx, 1975,, which was the time I considered you as my mentor, Thanks. My utmost respect.
Yes, me too!!!
He Knows .....Alex Van Halen Hot for Teacher
@@CP-kb1du YEAH ...VAN HALEN BETTER KNOW
I am grateful to have come across this video. I want to send my heartfelt praise to his drums that have not faded even now! 2023, from Japan
Superb footage and sound quality. I’ve been watching scratchy versions of this for years. This is perfect! Thanks for sharing Billy’s brilliance in a quality format!
The footage is definitely superb, agreed. The sound quality, at the start, was not so superb. But it's okay, superb musicians make up for it more than talented autotune operators.
I have quite a few favorite drummers. But Billy is my all-time favorite. The standard in my book. The dude is a machine.
Una suave melodía con una percusión feroz. Un maravilloso Billy joven.Gracias por postear esto.
I picked up a Mahavishnu orchestra live album that is signed by Billy for $8 a few weeks ago, not sure if the seller realised if it was signed or who by.
Glad to have it
That is GREAT!
8 $ great you find it in the street
With a homies seller shop
How lucky you are ...
His first album he used Tommy Bolin on guitar.
Congratulations ! My most valued thing apart obviously from my partner and children is a photo of Mr Cobham and myself taken at a club in north london a couple of years ago.Along with Bill Bruford my greatest hero.(Kind regards Simon using my partner's site cos I am so old I do not have my own).
@@gabrielleconway5219
Beautiful 👌
I love his Crosswinds album.
I remember as a young beginning drummer listening to the solos on that album absolutely blew me away.
One of the greatest drummers point blank period. The intro song the pleasant pheasant is a classic. Truely phenomenal percussionist, could play anything with anyone. His drumming transcends time
I just remember we used to listen to his records for hours upon hours. We knew nothing about music; not even how to count. We just knew we were listening to something special.
NO one can play like Billy CobHam!!!
Been a lifelong fan of BC. Great to hear this! He was 28... Genius in progress. Bought Shabazz on LP at the time and this really complement it.
The closing ”Tenth pin”, not exactly hummable, has some of the baddest solo explosions from the man.
Cobham had actually just turned 30 the month before this show, but still...a very young man to be such an accomplished bandleader. And from the drums no less...not the easiest instrument from which you can launch yourself into fame.
Cobham showed the world a new way of playing drums...a really great influence, a Sun!!!
@@brianhammer5107 Billy Cobham doesn't play like Tony Williams. Billy Cobham plays like Billy Cobham. Therefore his style indeed was a new and unique way of playing the drums. I dont know why you feel the need to compare him to Tony Williams. They were both monsters in their own unique way
@@brianhammer5107 talking like that you must be a relative of Jan Hammer 😂 jk. Btw got to hang out with Dennis Chambers he mentioned Tony Williams and Billy Cobham as influences along with Joe Jones and the obvious others like Max Roach Buddy Rich cetera. He spent at least 45 minutes with me showing me different links as musicians he plays with I was honored of course. I asked him what he thought of Chick Corea ( who I'm not a big fan of admittedly) drumming and he said "he's okay he can keep a Beat"^. I then asked him how about Jan Hammer drumming (I'm a huge fan always) and he said "now he can play" or something to that effect. Figured you might appreciate
These things always gets so incredible USA centered... We had drummers in Europe that were better jazz or fusion drummers than Cobham already in the late 1960s. Such as Pieter Voogt, Egil Johansen and numerous others. Not to mention all the skilled drummers in Latin America...
Herr Bönk Sorry. We will start down-playing these guys so yours can get their due.
@@carpballet Why? It's not about fame or the under/overrating that everybody talkes about on the internet. It's about reality. You don't even contemplate these musicians exist, even if you have heard them. Americans live in a bubble to a higher degree than most other countries do.
Billy was the first drummer to really solo during the music without having the band stop. Commonplace today but with Mahavishnu, his ability to solo over complex changes with odd times was mind blowing at the time ... and kind of still is
What you described was and is pretty common in the jazz world. Check out Art Blakey, Max Roach, Philly Joe, etc. I have a ton of respect for Mr. Cobham.
Billy “kind of” shreds any modern drummer. His style is just absolutely unrelenting.
Can see where Simon Phillips got it all from. Saw Cobham do a clinic in London about 1975 - jaw dropping. No boom stands.
At 4.50 ! WTF ? Absolutely fierce drumming, off the scale. Love Billy Cobham, can't wait to see him at Ronnie Scotts in a couple of months !
Saw him last night in Jazz Caffe Camden in London, at almost 80 years old he is still explosive and powerful, truly a master drummer
He was a pioneer on openhanded drumming. This is the most ergonomically correct way to play drums. His drumming skills are unparallel even to this day
I was first indoctrinated to Mr. Cobham, when they were phasing-out 8-track tapes. I bought this concert on an 8-track tape for like $0.50 at Target. It was the best $0.50 I ever spent.
Thanks to the uploader-@Lasse ...Thanks for taking time out of your life to do this amazing upload...Without you, many people, including myself, would never see this sort of thing...You're doing god's work...:)
Thanks!
@@Jfk3434 Enjoy!
Ambidextrous and Scary skills around any Drum Kit! Amazing to say the least watching him play and still getting better in his 70s' God Bless Billy !
Love the duct tape holding the keyboards down.
Billy is an incredible player. Open-handed technique, clearly very ambidextrous. I’ve been a huge fan since Inner Mounting Flame.
This is the way I remember my first encounter with fusion.(without the P.A. hum) This lineup of musicians and repertoire is unequaled. THANK YOU FOR UPLOADING THIS
Awesome, we have most of the old band from the 60's "Dreams"in this line up. They even had a top 40 release in 69-70, "Holly Be Home" Great tune, Great Album. It was the forerunner to This Cobham Band and the Brecker Brothers Albums!
“Holly be Home” is one of my favorite songs, and the first Dreams album is one of my favorite albums.
It’s good to know that someone out there remembers the group.
“Imagine My Surprise” with Will Lee and Grolnick was also enjoyable but quite different and more commercial and slicker.
I saw this Cobham band in ‘73 when he also had Victor Pantoja on congas.
The two of them did a solo together that was fairly telepathic.
MERCI BEAUCOUP !
Rip Michael Brecker on this day ... :((
Thank you Lasse for posting this amazing concert!
enjoy!
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I've been a fan since I 1st heard the group Dreams. To see all these great musicians when they were so young is outstanding.
Met him at a festival the the UK in 2002. He made time to stop and chat to me for a couple of minutes which I thought was ace. Absolutely class act
Lasse: You are indeed doing Godly work. You've secured your place in Fusion Heaven. Greetings from a Cobham fan of > 40 years from Atlanta, Georgia.
Haha, thanks, enjoy!
Thanks for posting. Great to see Cobham in his prime.
This guy is my all time drumming hero. I’ve been playing for 25 years and had a lot of heroes along the way, but this guy has everything.
At one point early on, BC sort of stands up to finish one of the rolls… and for a second I felt really sorry for those drum heads! He can pound the crap out of them from a seated position - standing he probably made them regret their entire existence! SO powerful but so smooth and with such a groove!
Man, I see so much of Billy in Simon Phillips...From the way he plays to the way he sets up and tunes his kit...Never realized it before.
THE TRUTH COMES OUT IN TIME...
His style is beyond compare, his playing is an unstoppable force of nature…
On TH-cam the ralph Humphrey and Chester Thompson talk about being on your with Zappa and Mahavishnu w/ Billy on drums. They said watching him from side of stage they could not believe how fast, hard and round his drum sound was. They said it felt like his floor toms were going to jump of the stage. It was like getting blown back from the volume and sheer amount of sound coming from the stage. Then later on in the night they caught Billy clocking them while they played and he look astounded and they secretly cheered. It was Chester’s 2nd or 3rd show with Frank.
BC is one of my top 5 influencer in drumming.. explosive and sensitive tip toe technique! He's a true predecessor to all those 'gospeldrummers' out there today!
After that incredible performance of power,ferocity and grace he wasn’t even a bit pressed for air! Stunning
Very unique video, thanks a lot for sharing, all are there , with a perfect quality recording, just GOLD !
So awesome to have video from these times. Saw Billy in Boston with Abraham Laboriel, George Duke, and dang, the guitar player`s name escapes me (& me a guitar player, he was great though...) around1975. Incredible. Had front row seats in front of what I thought was the guitar player because of the stomp boxes on the floor, but it was Mr Laboriel's rig. Did some of these tunes but they blew me away with Zappa's 'Uncle Remus'
Cobham and Duke toured in 1976 in Europe with Scofield on guitar: th-cam.com/video/WWmTmp9ijxg/w-d-xo.html
I met billy with my fathers few times
His music berce me quand jeta tou petipeti
Bisa
Love this Band! and this era of Billy's music.
I’d first heard him play with McCoy Tyner, on “Fly With The Wind”, back in 1976. Ron Carter on bass, Hubert Laws on flute. Backed by a wind/string section. Amazing music!
Billy was definitely a strong influence and driving force when I was first learning the craft work on the kit! Fantastic!
My biggest influence, Billy Cobham is the drummer’s drummer. What a fantastic find, just magic
What an amazing band Billy had back then. Leaving the Mahavishnu to do his own thing and teaming up with the Brecker brothers. Unbelievable show. That's the stuff I can put on TH-cam on saturday mornings and hope that the kids pass by the TV and ask "Hey dad, what's that cool music?", and I go "Cool? Dudes, that's incredible. It's not cool, it's not ok. It's freakin' amazing". That's what I wish.
Saw Billy Cobham in a drum clinic once....watched him play from 10 feet away....truly a musical life altering event
His drumming is otherworldly.
Great performance. RIP John Abercrombie.
Historical rare recording - many thanks for upload to Lasse and NRK
Greit!!
I had the privilege of watching Cobham live, dueling drums with Gary Husband, at Mother's Tavern in SLO. Small and intimate venue to see a show, and be able to watch the master up close. Husband is no slouch either, both were incredible that night.
Cobham shredding on the drum kit !!!!!! AMAZING TALENT , ferocious drumming
The golden age of fusion! I was lucky enough to see this very band at least 5 times! Too bad the sound isn’t better. Doesn’t do these guys justice!
Wow this the oldest recording i've seen of the brecker brothers. Amazing video
Super cool Brecker bros., Michael in a Taxi Driver/De Niro vibe...
What a band, Billy's out of this world.
Cobham, man....so relaxed.
I love the gaffer tape keyboard restraints on the Fender Rhodes...period technology at it's finest.
just saw Billy Oct 14th 2022 at Sony hall in NYC, he is a fellow grad of Fiorello Laguardia HS of Music & Art in NY
what a a great innovative movement he spawned in the drumming world, and although his age has snatched much of his energy and stamina, I dont know many who would dare challenge this human being. He is after all 'The G.O.AT."
nice
Man, that drum kit would fit right into a Technical Death Metal band... and this is 1974? Jeebus!
The kit might. The musician behind them no.
Simon Phillips Idol!!! The Setup its exactly the same!
Uh, no. Simon doesn't have triple floor toms and uses a gong bass instead of that thing Billy's playing...
kipperfeast I believe it’s a Swiss Flanger, which was essential a more musical version of a China Cymbal 🙂
@@kipperfeast Simon did use three floor toms, in the late 70s early 80s, with jeff beck, and Pete Townsend. Billy was the first drummer to do many things in what is now considered the modern drumset, among them, the Gong Drum with tympani lugs and a single head, The Octobans, Jeff Ocheltree, drum tech, and designer, unique tuning methods, application of rudimental figures across the kit, odd time. When Billy became a Tama endorser him and Ocheltree brought you octobans, a refined gong drum, snare drums with extended wires designed for expressing his advanced technique and use of dynamics, the KingBeat, and later the Mastercraft line. The birch superstar drums changed the industry, and where respected by almost everyone. Originally common in standard sizes, and later power. I believe the heavy endorsement by rock drummers of the power sizes, combined with Tama's temporary degraded relationship with the jazz community, caused many famous jazz players to leave Tama and work with a competitor. Simon Phillip's stuck with them and helped Tama design some amazing new lines including the amazing Starclassic, in the 2000s . Standard sizes became the norm, and the starcast mounting system combined with the Gretsch influenced design and sound using many different types of wood including Bubinga . Tama's mistakes in the late 80s hurt them, and witnessing the evolutions they had created with all the supporters almost died, and then magically evolved into something completely awesome, was amazing!!!! Eventually Tama needs to re-release, some of the famous designs from the late 70s, and early 80s, such as Vintage Superstar ver. I, II, and III. Tama Arstar Cordia, in standard sizes, which I have seen (Super rare), and than offer the Starcast mounting system as an option. Etc.....
Yep I was one of those 18 year olds sitting with my mouth open in disbelief
Which 18 years olds join these kind of concerts nowadays?
funklover24 I'm 18 and I've been listening to jazz and fusion since I was 16. We're out there, but unfortunately not many of us.
@@jazzandrocknroll3235 Great to hear from you and I hope, you'll find fellow team mates to share your taste of music. :)
funklover24 Thank you
Me too.
Every up and coming drummer got the Cobham Bug in 70s !..a trail blazing era
RIP John Abercrombie, 8/22/17.
William Doyle
Thank you for those words. I didn’t realize until I read it that John had passed last year. My first exposure to him was Billy Cobham’s “Shabazz”. His sound led my to guitarist with a similar sound to his such as John Scofield and Bill Frisell. I’m not a musician and don’t know what to call it but all three have a style that sounds almost off-time or off-key or both. I don’t know what they were doing but it was in a language I understand.
Amazing era amazing music amazing musicians....you just need a ford gran torino 74 with white stripes
Info Polovendite 😂 starsky & hutch, brother. ...or some big detroit rolling iron with fins on the back...
red Torino like Starski
Info Polovendite
I had a Grand Torino with a black vinyl top and a yellow body. Got me all the way across country from Columbus, Georgia to Los Angeles in the mid 1980's
John Abercrombie, Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker and Billy Cobham came from a band called 'Dreams'. This is the band Cobham was in before he joined the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Dreams had two albums, the first one was above average. The second album not bad but ...
Thanks for reminding me.
Slow Down New York City and Crunchy Granola were on my Dreams Album
Yeah Great Stuff this is most of That Band
Power, speed and precision, the best !!!
Bueniiiiiisimo!! saludos desde Argentina! Gracias por publicar este show!!
Thank you for sharing. I saw this line up in Amsterdam in 1974. I was 15 years old and it definitely changed everything. Never heard anything like that before.
Best Billy Cobham performance ever!!
Here’s one of the best BC performances, thank you Lasse
Enjoy!
Wow !!! I just discovered Cobham, while listening to Tommy Bolin box set. Amazing!
And you maybe was listening for Tommy Bolin because of Deep Purple?
@@aroldosolletico Comment sounds a little condescending. He said listening to the "box set." It's a retrospective of Tommy's career.
Billy Cobham the Jimi Hendrix of drums and that's 100% facts!🎛️🥁🥁🤣🥁🥁🎛️
Billy's the Godfather of the traps it will never be another drummer who plays with that inner feeling that he brings to the table Billy & Alan Holdsworth immortal gods Rest in paradise Mr. Holdsworth as well as Mr Ambercrombie 🙏🏻
Thank U !
With this
*Outstanding* Recording and Surprisingly Great Visual / Sound Quality
You've Contributed to reharmonize Our Planet. 🎼😌
I love the sound of those old school drum kits, so raw yet musical!
That's because they weren't made in China and Taiwan.
This is unbelievable, thank you for posting this!
WOW! Talk about a supergroup! Wouldn't it have been great to be in attendance, especially given some of these musical icons have left us?
Opened handed, left ride on a right handed set. Billy, Lenny White and myself. Drum teacher in grade school thought I was crazy. "Mike, why?... your right handed!" Redemption.
Two down sides. "sitting in" on a Right set and having to move the owners Ride symbol to the left side while the owner--- scratching his head would say: "ah...whatya' doing bro?" Secondly, my playing was a Far cry from either one of these two monsters.
Cobham is a drumming genius...
I bought a set of Octobons that Billy was demonstrating in Houston Tx. Had a gig that night at Bergstrom AF Base doing a gig, we were playing the song Flashlight and my Octobons bounced right off the stage and cracked them. Embarrassing as hell! Recouped and continued playing. Billy hell of a drummer and a Great Guy!
RIP John Abercrombie :(
So amazing. I would give anything to have a proper awesome sounding recording of this.
That was some pretty frantic physical drumming! Respect
Thank the Norwegians for filming this !USA didnt give a shit about these guys.saw these csts and met Cobham and Abercrombie while me and me droogs were leaving the restrooms and they were getting reafy to go onstage.so cool these guys were nice to us punkass fusion teens,we were yelling and made a lot if noise to let em know we loved them!
II saw BC with Mahavishnu Orchestra on their tour promoting the Inner Mounting Flame. Explosive.We had tenth row center orchestra seats and were blown away by the passion and power of the band.Thank you for posting this gem.
So colorful, both the music and the clothes, so trippy.
This when he was athletic in physical shape,vibrant in spirit
I saw 👀 him in New York City
He was magnificent,incredible magician,10 miles high,a Denver high 1975
..totally mind blowing..this has got to be one Billy’s best live lineups, and he’s never had a weak one!.there’s a moment during Red Barron when Michael RIP is smiling at Milcho I think 🤔 and it reminds me of how MB was always intently listening to everyone else and absorbing non stop 🛑..fantastic..John Abercrombie RIP firing away with an early Mesa Boogie combo in the back line..New York November 11, 2020..