BILLY COBHAM Rainbow Theatre DRUM SOLO 1974

[@SPACEMAN_fkYT]

Billy did a drum clinic at my High School in '78-'79. The band director told me to bring my monster set to school for a drum battle at the end of the clinic. It was more like a drum lesson. We had a lot of fun trading licks and Billy was impressed with my playing and offered for me to go to Germany to play a gig he had set up. Had to decline due to no passport. Seen him throughout the years and we still talk about that first meeting. He's the most down to earth human that you'll ever meet.

[@sturla75]

Wow! What a great story! That must have been one helluva experience drumming side by side. Thanks for sharing....I have met him a couple of times, and such a fun guy too. Lot of laughs. Thanks for sharing your story.

[@Seeklip196T]

Have you heard the Billy Cobham album "Spectrum"? Classic.

[@BigInTheBurgh1]

@@Seeklip196TIf you could only listen to one Cobham album, Spectrum has to be it!

[@ghostjazztrio]

One of the great drummers, legendary Billy Cobham at his peak in the mid-70s. I remember seeing him in the mid and late 70s, including a show at the Berkeley Community Theater with George Duke and Alphonso Johnson on bass. Just the trio, and Cobham was a Kung Fu master on the drums. He had a tiny splash in the center front and he would hit that with a jab that was pure punch. This is the drum kit I preferred him on in those days. This solo has that Crosswinds album sound. Just amazing. George Duke had a wall of amps, dials, and knobs, and he had one of those library ladders that rolled back and forth, as he would adjust knobs on the wall of amps. He played sounds that were truly unearthly. Billy was unstoppable in the 70s. My dear friend, legendary guitarist Dean Brown who passed away earlier this year, started playing with Billy, in the 80s, and told me many great stories including his first audition experience, that was funny and amazing. Thanks for sharing this clip. Brings back memories. My good friend Gary Husband, who played keyboards and drums on my latest release, A Soul in Time, along with Hadrien Feraud on bass, had many great stories to tell as well. Gary toured with Billy this year playing keyboards, and loves playing with Billy.

[@sturla75]

Thanks for sharing that story. Man I would so have loved to see him back then in the 70´s. I have heard your record too, which sounds amazing!! So fresh sounding too. Love it! So cool of you to chime in here and I have known Gary since 1999 or so, so we go way back too.

[@grahamreed8774]

I was at their Rainbow show the year before in 1973. Same thing- His solo was a masterpiece. Couldn't find a listing for '74, so I must have missed this one. A full length TV programme was also shown, of one of their concerts, on UK TV around the same time. John M. always insisted on a short period of silence and contemplation before each show, which was totally observed by the audience, which was stunned into silence as the show progressed. Just a magic, other worldly moment in time. The album Between Nothingness and Eternity Live, in 1973, is a good record of what their live shows were like at this time. Now sadly gone forever.

[@Crankerny58]

He was the perfect drummer for The Mahavisnu Orchestra!!

[@sturla75]

Yes - I do love Narada´s playing as well though. But yeah, Billy was just amazing in that band.

[@luizgustavoschneider8042]

Incredible solo! The snare drum heads and wires are so tight that it is possible to hear snare wire choke when he plays in a very low dinamic!! Never heard this except when watching live!

[@TomBrown-tq3so]

ONE OF THE VERY FEW THE BEST DRUMMERS EVER......

[@ShaKimono]

A true testament to the power grace and fire of BILLY COBHAM in all his glory loud blazing and heartfelt a moment and magical time now crystallized in our hearts forevermore

[@tjsmith2626]

Amazing soloist, and an amazing ensemble player!

[@sturla75]

Excatly! He plays so great with whatever setting I have heard him in, and that has been quite a few now..

[@tomzaiko6401]

BC was, and is, one of a kind. His rudimentary snare work and double bass flourishes are awesome. I guarantee no other drummer was doing this in the early 70's. His use of dynamics really shows and the 3 floor toms. Bravo and thanks for posting!

[@sturla75]

I am so glad I have gotten to see him many times live, but this was before I was born, but I just LOVE all of this.

[@Martin_Bernard]

Always hard to imagine he was the first drummer who played like that, it seems so normal now

[@sturla75]

@@Martin_Bernard Yes, he just paved way for all of us - and myself too with playing open-handed.

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

Love the cymbals out front too they have a tasty smash - anyone know what he was using? - along with the top of the mountain skills of Cobham to showcase the dynamics.

[@carbonc6065]

Excellent ... My favorite drummer.

[@ranjitverdi5702]

Snap!👍

[@ludedude5228]

Shades of Buddy Rich 👍

[@stevewilcock4767]

Thanks for this epic vid. "Shabazz'was released around 1975.Billy is definitely on 🔥 fire.

[@sturla75]

Yes he is indeed here!!

[@elsonreisreisdrummer1608]

❤❤❤❤❤ Billy Fantastic

[@alihamid5455]

sweet super skill man Loven this drum solo

[@thomasnussbaum4711]

Great! I didn't know this one, only the Kongsberg concert, Thank you!

[@sturla75]

That one is great too!!

[@wadewilson335]

I think this track is one of Cobham’s peak. He was just monstrous here

[@sturla75]

Monstrous is really the right word!! Absolutely amazing!

[@russellmorgan6703]

I sat nxt to the stage at the cbs summit at the montreux jazz festival in the 70s amazing. He was the best then

[@sturla75]

Amazing! That must have been quite an experience.

[@buddabirne4661]

One of the best from solos ever played, along with Louis Bellson, Rufus speedy Jones and others. Incredible dynamics, great drum sound, and he even plays with closed eyes on such a huge drumset telling stories on the drums. This will be admired forever!

[@sturla75]

Couldn't agree more!

[@marklivingston1479]

"Telling stories on the drums" PERFECT! These are my favorite type of solos, or... Stories. 🤘

[@sturla75]

@@marklivingston1479 Excatly! Telling stories.... My kind of solos too.

[@StevenColeman-g5u]

That's what bass drums are supposed to sound like telling all those drummers today to stop making their bass drums sound like there made of LEGO.

[@Poeme340]

He was also capable of playing feather-soft on that big rig. I saw him as a kid in 1975 and, yes, he was mind-blowing!

[@sturla75]

Yes and I love his very soft playing on that rig. Lucky you who got to see him the year I was born. 😀

[@Poeme340]

@ Thx to my cool older brothers.😉👍

[@RicardoSiqueira-b7r]

Solo incrível. Sem dúvida um dos maiores bateristas da história!👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@sturla75]

Word!

[@estevan.ketzer]

The artist is here!

[@sturla75]

Yeah!!!

[@joshuajuaire8757]

I love how he gets soft and then loud

[@predragcvetkovic6387]

King

[@anderszettergren4302]

A Young Simon Phillips in the audience?

[@flowerlandofjohn]

Haha, yes!

[@Philip-ck5if]

Dumb.

[@malcolmhobden4350]

This is probably the show that Si Phillips was at that inspired him to learn to play left handed. Great stuff .

[@sturla75]

@@malcolmhobden4350 Yeah - I have heard him say that in an interview, so perhaps it was this very show.

[@dmgsoultogetherness6667]

"Right Billy...thats plenty".....

[@jackfino7136]

From Tony to Billy to Simon to Sturla 👍👌😊🥁

[@sturla75]

Hehe those three are some of my main influences yeah. 😀

[@travelinben1966]

When Billy's Spectrum album came out,I couldn't believe my ears.I've been a fan ever since.Incredible.👏👏👏

[@rolfdejonge3915]

✌️🤠💥🌟🌀🙏

[@hihats]

Billy had the BEST sounding Zildjians...

[@frankselby761]

I have been a fan of Cobham’s since Miles Davis. He really turned it up with Mahavishnu. Spectrum was insane. The only one I consider them 1a and 1b is Neil Peart of Rush.

[@kerryrobinson9947]

He has one of the best tuned snare drums in the business. A monster on the kit drums.

[@kpec3]

Bad as heck, yo!

[@juanvallejo-x7w]

I always wondered what brand of drums these were. They look like Gretsch.

[@sturla75]

They are some custom ones. I wrote some in another answer here.

[@aMan-or9ij]

I love Cobham's changes in dynamics. His changes in tempo not so much.

[@sturla75]

Interesting. I really dig those changes actually.

[@jamesholton6766]

Cobham capital B. Capital "C" keep some respect on that name 🧐🥁 one of the best to ever do it and encourage many drummers to this day. I went to a Drum camp once with Dave Weckl, Tommy Oggle, from NewYork, Steve Smith, and etc. When I asked why don't y'all invite Mr. Cobham to these camps??🤔..they all but ignored me🤔😡....because, they were crediting Buddy Rich, Neil Pert, Gene Cooper. Bonnam etc... of whom are great! no doubt, but Cobham , Tony Williams, Philly Joe, Lenny White etc should be included ...because these guys were encouraging trend setters....I still enjoyed the camp but I never went back. Redz from Philly 🥁🎶

[@sturla75]

Thanks for the story. 😀😀Cheers from Norway

[@jamesholton6766]

Your most welcome Redz🥁from Philadelphia Pa.

[@hagnuj1070]

🤞🏿KZbin pulled down the video that showed the Neil Peart chops that came from Cobham and Gadd. The gatekeepers have to protect their gawds.

[@jamesholton6766]

@hagnuj1070 Absolutely! We can't let them forget our previous mentors who help change the level of the game...even as far back as the big band swing era...young folks pass it on🙏🎶😌

[@hagnuj1070]

@@jamesholton6766 Don't forget the Funk drumming which became a staple in most music genres.

[@michaelturner6030]

What kit is he playing here (Fibes?) since I believe this is pre Tama.

[@sturla75]

I think it is a custom kit. I found some info online stating this ".....kit was made by Fred Hinger of Hinger Drums. The shells were made out of compressed recycled paper with a polyurethane coating (inside and out). and it had Gretsch Lugs, Slingerland double tom mount just like his Fibes kit had.. It also had a cast steel or something like that, snare drum that weighed 35 lbs."

[@guyharrison4644]

@@sturla75 Always wondered what make this kit was;now I know,thank you. My fave sounding kit for me that Billy`s ever played.

[@SPINNINGMYWHEELS777]

the reach behind huge tom is useless IMO - didn't sound great here - maybe it got too loose sounded harsh

[@welloiledmachinesaz]

Show every single angle that we can't see what he's doing, oh and zoom in on his face 'cause he plays his face more than anything else!!!

[@DaveMunsie]

hmm... honestly I thought this would be a better drum solo considering his age in this. This is a bit sloppy and not that technical. hmm....

[@sturla75]

Really? I beg to differ...but different times I guess, and as far as I have learned - nobody played like that at the time. I am not so interested in technique but more in the intent, vibe, energy and flow. And to me that is just fantastic here!

[@mancuniancandidatem]

You have to appreciate when this happened and have some historical context. Billy Cobham was a game changing drummer and ultimate musician. This is his free solo. What do you mean by technical? His technique here is completely at one with his music intent. I didn't once hear him struggling or unable to execute anything that he wanted to play in the moment, besides one accidental stick click. These were very different times. Music was not so metronomic. That didn't emerge so much until the eighties. You have to appreciate music with historical context. Here, I can hear Billy channelling Art Blakey, Max Roach, Tony Williams and even a little Buddy Rich to create something new for the time. If you are a drummer/musician yourself and cannot fathom the lineage of the great musicians without historical context then your own drumming will developed void of any depth.

[@sturla75]

@@mancuniancandidatem Thank you!! I couldn´t have said it any better.

[@flowerlandofjohn]

@@mancuniancandidatem Word! 👌🏻🤩

[@larrymarcus3176]

@@sturla75 You have to amortize the music he was soloing to. It isn’t funk, metal, blues, yada. It’s a cacophony of fusion not of course everyone’s taste and it hardly represents the totality of this iconic drummers playing! He plays ambidextrous, has a solid base in drum line drumming, that was the first to include this type of articulate rudiments in his playing. He started playing jazz quite well and precisely with great sense of musicality rhythm and technique. When he started playing fusion his bass drum alone was incredible his flow his dynamic capability awesome. Frankly he’s friggen great even at his current age. He’s also a terrific down to earth guy who has devoted his life to teaching drumming to anyone who wanted to learn from him. This is like saying buddy just played too fast and couldn’t play anything but swing. Any drummer today stands on their shoulders. Now let’s hear you play the same solo and better!

[@jaimesorli2436]

simon copy exactly this kit all his carrer..., one by one drum or cymbal, except for his 12 splash..., much more time before...., even a octoban or gongdrum..., or to play tama drums..., nothing wrong with that of course, is just curious and ovbious..., he is one of the greatest drumers ever..., he play his drums like they were made of batter..., still i dont see any drummer more powerfull than him...are some drummers really powerfull, like chris colleman or thomas pridgen, dennis, borlai, eric moore, ....and more...., but still i dont saw one with his power, clouse but not more... is a video, with ponty, stanley and corea..., which billy plays a bit octaplus in acrilic blue..., is totally amazing, how much groove and power..., the velocity and power he phrases with that concert toms..., and at the same time of that making fun like a kid going in bicicle...., and with a tight jacket..., it amaze me...!, and by the way, that concert toms sounds delicious..., barriomore barlow copy that sound with tull..., i gonna look for the vid...: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXWzomSrppp6rtE