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| Billy Cobham's Spectrum Band at the Opera House 35 years after Billy Cobham first formed the Spectrum Band, he returns to the United States for a brief tour beginning at the Opera House in Jim Thorpe, PA on Monday, September 1st. Long known for his work with Miles Davis and as the locomotive force behind the jazz fusion supergroup, the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham's other stops will be New York City, Washington DC, and Detroit. He is widely considered one of the greatest drummers in the world. He collaborated with Miles Davis, John Abercrombie, Stanley Turrentine and the Brecker Brothers and recorded many albums of his own including the seminal Spectrum. The Spectrum Band includes some of the most sought-after A-list players: bassist Victor Bailey (Weather Report), keyboardist Tom Coster (Santana), and guitarist Dean Brown (David Sanborn, Eric Clapton). Cobham's newest recording, Fruit from the Loom--released in April 2008 through his own imprint, Creative MultiMedia Concepts, Inc. (CMMC)--is a wide-ranging representation of his roots and his journeys. He reprises two of his best-known compositions from the '70s, “Spectrum" and “Crosswinds," by incorporating violin on the former and steel pan on the latter. “I've always found it difficult to focus upon one direction in music," Cobham notes, “so I've resigned myself to projecting ideas and thoughts through a musical kaleidoscope, from Latin to rock and jazz. This version of 'Spectrum' is a testament to that idea." On the new CD, he also utilizes a string quartet (on “Faia") and percussion ensembles--with Cobham himself playing all the parts on “Samba du Militairestrasse" and Nigerian friends joining him on “Thoughts from Okuta." Experiences from travels in Brazil are captured in “Eggshells Still on My Head" and “Florianapolis," while the Bocas del Toro islands off the eastern coast of Panama--which Cobham describes as a place where “it is easy for me to relax and generally mellow out"--inspire the buoyant “Sweet Bocas." Fruit from the Loom, dedicated to the memory of Cobham's parents William and Ivy, features support from longtime colleagues including organist Brian Auger, bassists Victor Bailey and Stefan Rademacher, saxophonist Ernie Watts, guitarists Dean Brown and Jean-Marie Ecay, and, on steel pan, Junior Gill. write your comments about the article :: © 2008 Jazz News :: home page |