Before Simon Phillips, Dennis Chambers, Carter Beauford...there was Billy Cobham. A powerful drummer with ambidextrous ability who could groove the pants of any audience. I saw Billy many times over the years and met him a couple times after drum clinics...a sweetheart of a man.
Mr. Cobham has the absolute quickest drum roll fill inserts i have never heard before in my life! Al intersects with him like magic and the Great Chick Corea is the glue here!
I am 61 and I will remember the first time I had the chance to hear Mr.Bill, I was only 15 or so. He stood out in a very large cloud that is only getting better. Time will tell. He is the best drummer that I have ever heard, piriord. 👏👍😀
Billy cobham is one of the most fantastic drummers ever ive been to one of his seminares mind blowing fast ond he can separate his hands and legs beats so far from any one ive seen the guy is a rare gift love ya billy from filthy Rich in seattle
One of the most rewarding accomplishments I've ever had was learning Spain on guitar and killing it with a four piece jazz band in front of a prison audience. Meola's tone is incredible.
Billy Cobham is the God father of the drums period just brilliant hands down the key to his playing "passion " which escapes a lot of the so call best.
The greatest Legend Master musician has passed away we'd like to wish everyone who's a fan of Chick Corea and his family and his friends are heartfelt sorrow today remember God is greater and he's up there with the Masters where you should be got a chance to see him at the Landmark jazz festival here in Las Vegas with the electric Band Dave Weckl Frank Gambalie Eric Marienthal wow
The chorus grows - Billy takes the prize here, hands down. Incredible drumming throughout (eg @ 3:25). Style without comparison. He owned this performance and both Al and Chic acknowledge it, from their reaction. Fantastic drummer - they just don't make them like this any more - and what music will they practice to in years to come.... I wonder. Close of an era. Many thanks for sharing.
Billy cobham changed my thought and understanding of the modern contemporary and fusion drumming this man had a huge influence on many many young drummers like me on 70 ,s
Like I tell everyone. I have seen them all. The Baddest Drummer by far is Mr. Billy Cobham. And it is not Close.! I Love you Billy and Your Smile and Joy of Playing!
WOW, that is a powerful statement, he is up there with the best, have seen cobham with the mahavishnu orquestra, solo back in 72 and 75. i rate dennis chambers and mr dave weckl as my top three,,,
I had the pleasure of seeing Return To Forever 3 times! the 1st time was at a small venue back in the 70's and the music was so new Al was using sheet music on some songs!
That was a INTENSE show!! I saw them in Ohio a short time and Al was no longer reading notes. It was so ahead of anything I ever saw or heard in 75. So blessed to have been in the front row of a small club..Thanks Chick!!
My first jazz concert in my town Cagliari, I was 15.I was very lucky at that time: I saw and listened to the best jazz musicians for many years not in NYC, London or Paris, but Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.
Seeing this again I'm reminded that Al Di Meola played this "jazz" type of model of electric guitar only around this time of his career (early nineties) but I honestly think it sounds better to the solid-body electric guitar "in his hands" in that, if in his early days the "rock-lead" sound he used made sense for the type of music he was doing then, his style of writing music since the nineties is such that on electric I'd imagine his playing would sound better on this type of model guitar rather than the models he now uses
I spent a week with Billy Cobham at his epic 6 day run at Ronnie Scott's, interviewed jazz greats like Ron Carter, Jan Hammer, and Randy Brecker, fans, critics, club owners, plus 14 hours with Bill himself. The life and art of Billy Cobham. "Six Days at Ronnie Scott's: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation."
Wow I'd love to hear that Donnie Vegas here in Sin Sizzalin Sity. Jammin at the Bootlegger here on the strip with Eddie Rodriguez John salzano Jeff Davis and many many many others
Brian, I bought myself a copy of your book off the back of seeing this youtube comment a few weeks back and I've just finished reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot from it and I'd like to express my gratitude to you for writing it and to all involved in interviews and the whole event. I really wish I'd been able to get to one of those gigs. Billy's music and playing has greatly enriched my life and inspired me to greater things in my own playing.
@@elvislegg8634 You made my day. Bill just called me and we chatted for almost an hour. It was a labor of love and great fun doing that book. I am so pleased it brought you pleasure.
@@briankgruber I was lucky enough to meet him after a gig in Manchester, UK in May this year and to shake his hand and thank him for what he has given to me, his music. A great gift. My pregnant wife was at the gig with me, and our daughter was born in August, healthy and happy. So the first live music she will have heard was Billy's music. My * year old son couldn't be with us unfortunately that night but he loves Billy's music too and it's a great thing that his music will live on through my kids'generation. He has recently taken up drumming and I've told him to aim for the stars and emulate the greats, people like Billy Cobham.
Yet another version of this amazing number. RIP Chick, brilliant playing, as usual from Mr di Meola on his beautiful Gibson 175, is it possible that Billy Cobham is the best drummer in the Universe?
Please, more reverb & compression. (That aside, there are only three drummers that are so unique you can ALWAYS tell it's them: Buddy, Ginger and Billy Cobham. Billy is maybe the greatest, most powerful and articulate of all. GOSH I love his playing.)
kind of a unique performance this. a 1990 encore, I think, but none of the trio played in the same band at the festival, I think. anyway, like Al's tone here; Corea has rhythm of course; and Billy plays enough to cover both the bass and drums...lol. Saw Billy play once in a Dublin pub; Corea once with Burton in London; and Al once in London and once in Cork. Nice to see them having a bash at being an impromptu trio, albeit with the inevitable choice of encore number, for Chick, without the audience sing-a-long this time. Cobham did an album inspired by his Panamian roots once; I have it somewhere; but never think of listening to it...hmm
Todo músico qtiene la posibilidad de...llegar al jazz... Y foguearse en el no será jamás la misma persona, el jazz es un antes después en los caminos de la vida, el buen gusto nos conduce por un camino q es solo de ida !!!
I've always admired Cobham's creativity and development of "New Sounds".. His new band from what I read will have a Bassoon player, Paul Hanson... Can't wait to hear his new Band Crosswinds..WHO DAT! WWW.KKAREMUSIC.COM
This is remarkable... This reminds me of nothing as much as it reminds me of Cream's reunion, just after the turn of the century, at Albert Hall... Which is interesting, because this isn't really a reunion (as far as I know) at all. Chick's first version of "Return To Forever" recorded this (Rodrigo-based) composition; Dimeola was in the second, later incarnation of RTF, doing other material, but after, during his own illustrious solo career, he's performed this piece many times; during all of that, Cobham came to prominence as the drummer for "The Mahavishnu Orchestra." A case can be made that RTF, the MahaOrch, and another few contemporaneous outfits, were all off-shoots of Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew" band. Three GIANTS of First-Generation Fusion. And notice, if you haven't already: It's just the three of them. There's no bass player. (Stanley Clarke, the only hold-over, from the first RTF to the second, must have been previously engaged.) Chick's playing an acoustic piano, so no left-hand bass. You didn't miss it, did you? This is what's known as "groove."
That was one of the best well thought out intelligent comments I have ever seen on a UA-cam video. Kudos tuxguys! From Bitches Brew to the early fusion bands was a special time to follow GOOD music.
@Relayer6a It fits the song really nicely. Great tone. Al shreds regardless of what he plays. Beast master on guitar. Chick is a beast master on keys. Billy is a serious beast master on drums. They're all just killing it here. Fire.
Yeah amazing how they pulled it off without a bass player huh? Billy and his open-handed technique allows for more bottom to cover the baseline with toms and a very busy samba kick drum.
Correction. The first recording of Spain was with Return to Forever on the Light as a Feather album, but it wasn't Lenny White on the Light as a Feather, it was Airto. He was RTF's first drummer.
Rest in peace Chick. A great influence to many, including myself...
Before Simon Phillips, Dennis Chambers, Carter Beauford...there was Billy Cobham. A powerful drummer with ambidextrous ability who could groove the pants of any audience. I saw Billy many times over the years and met him a couple times after drum clinics...a sweetheart of a man.
I’m glad you mentioned Beauford there.
Your statement is absolute truth!
Of the drummers you mention, only Simon Philips is ambidextrous. They all play "open handed" though.
Dennis is also ambidextrous. He just primarily plays righty.
I saw and heard Bilham Cobly 40 years ago in a very small cafe in Laren, Holland. I am still shaking
Mr. Cobham has the absolute quickest drum roll fill inserts i have never heard before in my life! Al intersects with him like magic and the Great Chick Corea is the glue here!
I’m a guitar player & Billy steals the show! Like a rapid fire piston engine firing on all cylinders in time! Fantastic...
Absolutely spectacular! Three of the most influential and talented musicians to ever walk the earth.
Three virtuosos with Billy Cobham, the GOAT.
Amazing performance of a classic Chick Corea tune. That drummer is incredible.
I am 61 and I will remember the first time I had the chance to hear Mr.Bill, I was only 15 or so. He stood out in a very large cloud that is only getting better. Time will tell. He is the best drummer that I have ever heard, piriord. 👏👍😀
No bass player,check that. All these guys when they are young,and still were so good. A good foundation is extremely important.
Billy cobham is one of the most fantastic drummers ever ive been to one of his seminares mind blowing fast ond he can separate his hands and legs beats so far from any one ive seen the guy is a rare gift love ya billy from filthy Rich in seattle
Di Meola such an inspiration to me.
One of the most rewarding accomplishments I've ever had was learning Spain on guitar and killing it with a four piece jazz band in front of a prison audience. Meola's tone is incredible.
Billy Cobham is the God father of the drums period just brilliant hands down the key to his playing "passion " which escapes a lot of the so call best.
so agree...& it shows......
The greatest Legend Master musician has passed away we'd like to wish everyone who's a fan of Chick Corea and his family and his friends are heartfelt sorrow today remember God is greater and he's up there with the Masters where you should be got a chance to see him at the Landmark jazz festival here in Las Vegas with the electric Band Dave Weckl Frank Gambalie Eric Marienthal wow
Cobham!!! On a whole other level from these guys who are already on other levels.
That says a lot for anything we do
OMG. Dizz iz good!
The chorus grows - Billy takes the prize here, hands down. Incredible drumming throughout (eg @ 3:25). Style without comparison. He owned this performance and both Al and Chic acknowledge it, from their reaction. Fantastic drummer - they just don't make them like this any more - and what music will they practice to in years to come.... I wonder. Close of an era. Many thanks for sharing.
Billy Cobham: A Single-Stroke-Rollercoaster on fire at his peak!
Seen Billy a few times and I consider myself fortunate to enjoy his masterpiece
Great musicians leaving us with best in music .
I swear i just can't get enough of this. Just absolutely mind blowing! EVERYONE was on par and billy; well...just being billy. Lol.
Record sales don't show you who is the real master. All 3 of them are master's in various forms.
Billy cobham changed my thought and understanding of the modern contemporary and fusion drumming this man had a huge influence on many many young drummers like me on 70 ,s
Stunning performance of Chick's most acclaimed standard. Al Dimeola is quite possibly the most rhythmic guitarist ever !!!
I´m truly sad about the death of the great & uniqu Chick Corea. This vid shows his greatness & how uge the loss will be. RIP.
What a group of fusion 🎵🎶 musicians... Chick, Billy, Al so much great music 1970-2024,,"quadrant, romantic warrior,casino...decades of 🙏🕯️🕯️
Top drum performance of all time.
Al di meola sounds awesome on the full hollow body
Like I tell everyone. I have seen them all. The Baddest Drummer by far is Mr. Billy Cobham. And it is not Close.! I Love you Billy and Your Smile and Joy of Playing!
Have three billy albums on vinyl plus first three Mahavishnu! Al snd Chick as well both solo and with Return to forever big fan!
WOW, that is a powerful statement, he is up there with the best, have seen cobham with the mahavishnu orquestra, solo back in 72 and 75. i rate dennis chambers and mr dave weckl as my top three,,,
Stupendo!!
This is so damn perfect it's sick.
I saw chick & Al and lenny and stanley RTF in the early 80s in philly incredible show!
Lenny White another open handed ambidextrous player....
I had the pleasure of seeing Return To Forever 3 times! the 1st time was at a small venue back in the 70's and the music was so new Al was using sheet music on some songs!
That was a INTENSE show!! I saw them in Ohio a short time and Al was no longer reading notes. It was so ahead of anything I ever saw or heard in 75. So blessed to have been in the front row of a small club..Thanks Chick!!
Some of the greatest musicians to ever Grace the Earth 🌎
That was exquisite playing from all!!
Such a great version of Chick's Spain.!! and those Speed Merchants on drums and guitar. It is so nice to hear Al on a Gibson Jazz guitar..!!
I was there. great concert
My first jazz concert in my town Cagliari, I was 15.I was very lucky at that time: I saw and listened to the best jazz musicians for many years not in NYC, London or Paris, but Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.
@@williamperri3437 1989
Thanks for young bill , chick, & al footage! Wonderful! Hope you got more!
I wish there was a high-res recording of this legendary performance, thanks for posting!
Masterful. Als tone is so.pure
Wonderfull ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
that cobham could power a small town.
+killercrabman LOL
killercrabman LOVE THAT description of Billy cobham
Haha well put!
Billy Cobham IS a small town.
😂😂😂
What a great drummer!!...
Seeing this again I'm reminded that Al Di Meola played this "jazz" type of model of electric guitar only around this time of his career (early nineties) but I honestly think it sounds better to the solid-body electric guitar "in his hands" in that, if in his early days the "rock-lead" sound he used made sense for the type of music he was doing then, his style of writing music since the nineties is such that on electric I'd imagine his playing would sound better on this type of model guitar rather than the models he now uses
ABSOLUTELY MEMORIZING
SUPER FANTASTIC!!!!
Genius,one and all!👏👏👏👏
So jubilant jazz fusion ... I would have liked to be there to see these stars, so young at that time !
Wow master's at their craft's outstanding 🤙🤙
I spent a week with Billy Cobham at his epic 6 day run at Ronnie Scott's, interviewed jazz greats like Ron Carter, Jan Hammer, and Randy Brecker, fans, critics, club owners, plus 14 hours with Bill himself. The life and art of Billy Cobham. "Six Days at Ronnie Scott's: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation."
Wow I'd love to hear that Donnie Vegas here in Sin Sizzalin Sity. Jammin at the Bootlegger here on the strip with Eddie Rodriguez John salzano Jeff Davis and many many many others
Brian, I bought myself a copy of your book off the back of seeing this youtube comment a few weeks back and I've just finished reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it and learned a lot from it and I'd like to express my gratitude to you for writing it and to all involved in interviews and the whole event. I really wish I'd been able to get to one of those gigs. Billy's music and playing has greatly enriched my life and inspired me to greater things in my own playing.
@@elvislegg8634 You made my day. Bill just called me and we chatted for almost an hour. It was a labor of love and great fun doing that book. I am so pleased it brought you pleasure.
@@briankgruber I was lucky enough to meet him after a gig in Manchester, UK in May this year and to shake his hand and thank him for what he has given to me, his music. A great gift. My pregnant wife was at the gig with me, and our daughter was born in August, healthy and happy. So the first live music she will have heard was Billy's music. My * year old son couldn't be with us unfortunately that night but he loves Billy's music too and it's a great thing that his music will live on through my kids'generation. He has recently taken up drumming and I've told him to aim for the stars and emulate the greats, people like Billy Cobham.
magical performance... made my life better...
RIP Chick! Descansa en paz, genio!
Yet another version of this amazing number. RIP Chick, brilliant playing, as usual from Mr di Meola on his beautiful Gibson 175, is it possible that Billy Cobham is the best drummer in the Universe?
great version, never heard it before, love the original with airto moreira on drums...
Yes’ Rest In Peace Chick Correa!
Please, more reverb & compression. (That aside, there are only three drummers that are so unique you can ALWAYS tell it's them: Buddy, Ginger and Billy Cobham. Billy is maybe the greatest, most powerful and articulate of all. GOSH I love his playing.)
You forgot Steve Gadd. Me I would put Louie in there, but that's just me.
Drummer is unbelievable
Wunderbar…. Amazing !
kind of a unique performance this. a 1990 encore, I think, but none of the trio played in the same band at the festival, I think. anyway, like Al's tone here; Corea has rhythm of course; and Billy plays enough to cover both the bass and drums...lol. Saw Billy play once in a Dublin pub; Corea once with Burton in London; and Al once in London and once in Cork. Nice to see them having a bash at being an impromptu trio, albeit with the inevitable choice of encore number, for Chick, without the audience sing-a-long this time. Cobham did an album inspired by his Panamian roots once; I have it somewhere; but never think of listening to it...hmm
The drummer seems so happy. I’d be happy if I could play like any of these guys.
MAGNIFIQUE!
The baddest !!!!
Super. Lubię taką muzykę. Cześć Pamięci Chick Corea.
Todo músico qtiene la posibilidad de...llegar al jazz... Y foguearse en el no será jamás la misma persona, el jazz es un antes después en los caminos de la vida, el buen gusto nos conduce por un camino q es solo de ida
!!!
Magnificent Music!
Man those drumzz were begging for mercy!!!!!!
Rip Chick corea
My Teacher my Mentor
I love you Jazz clasik
São DEUSES da musica
Powerhouse musos, all of them..
Cobham is better than a drum machine.
HOMEiZ REAL ESTATE SOCIAL NETWORK No contest!!
Most drummers are better than drum machines. They're just machines...
Duh....:)
Real music
Really great music....
Thanks !
They were happy to be in Sardinia
I've always admired Cobham's creativity and development of "New Sounds".. His new band from what I read will have a Bassoon player, Paul Hanson... Can't wait to hear his new Band Crosswinds..WHO DAT! WWW.KKAREMUSIC.COM
This is remarkable...
This reminds me of nothing as much as it reminds me of Cream's reunion, just after the turn of the century, at Albert Hall...
Which is interesting, because this isn't really a reunion (as far as I know) at all.
Chick's first version of "Return To Forever" recorded this (Rodrigo-based) composition; Dimeola was in the second, later incarnation of RTF, doing other material, but after, during his own illustrious solo career, he's performed this piece many times; during all of that, Cobham came to prominence as the drummer for "The Mahavishnu Orchestra."
A case can be made that RTF, the MahaOrch, and another few contemporaneous outfits, were all off-shoots of Miles Davis's "Bitches Brew" band.
Three GIANTS of First-Generation Fusion.
And notice, if you haven't already:
It's just the three of them.
There's no bass player. (Stanley Clarke, the only hold-over, from the first RTF to the second, must have been previously engaged.)
Chick's playing an acoustic piano, so no left-hand bass.
You didn't miss it, did you?
This is what's known as "groove."
they tried to get paul McCartney but he was at the hairdressers that day.
That was one of the best well thought out intelligent comments I have ever seen on a UA-cam video. Kudos tuxguys! From Bitches Brew to the early fusion bands was a special time to follow GOOD music.
You're more than kind.
I spend far too much time on YT, but if you liked these comments, look around, I've got thousands.
@tuxguys
I did not miss that there was no bassist.
I love great bassists like Stanley Clarke.
However.
I did not miss that there was no bassist.☺
@@tuxguys
Yeah. We kinda all spend far too much time on UA-cam.☺
Well...I know I do.😉
Eternal gratitude.
Billy Cobham
they are happy and share this happiness with us
Words for Al di Meola... Always love the precise and clean on his execution... Not to menction the technics and virtuosity...
Fabuleux
Never seen Cobham on a set of Slingerlands before.
❤
Cobham Taming the Tama....
Al stole Steve Howe's guitar!!! ;)
Joking but never saw Al play an ES 175 before.
@Relayer6a
It fits the song really nicely.
Great tone.
Al shreds regardless of what he plays.
Beast master on guitar.
Chick is a beast master on keys.
Billy is a serious beast master on drums.
They're all just killing it here.
Fire.
Cobham is always the standout.
@7:28 my face slowly melting. just wow
Anyway, I really want to know what Billy Cobham eats, and does when he's not playing.
Rudiments & Photographs
Wow!
Yeah amazing how they pulled it off without a bass player huh?
Billy and his open-handed technique allows for more bottom to cover the baseline with toms and a very busy samba kick drum.
fun fun ! my jazz .
Wow
Wow.
2:46 omg...Cobham...that shuffle
Not a shuffle; I think you mean Samba
@@spercoco That's right, samba!
Música asociada a sabiduría conduce al alma al reencuentro con la esencia, digo ...música...no se si e sido claro... !!!! ???? O.k......
Thanks God !
extraordinario
R.I.P Chick Corea
interesting seeing cobham using the slingerlands ive only seen him with those super deep yamahas
Al's face at 7:51 is Priceless
OF COURSE LENNY WHITE IS THE RTF DRUMMER...BUT COBHAM IS JUST AS GOOD ..AND EVEN BETTER,..... BILLY C.......EXCELLENCE IN DRUMMING!!!
Correction. The first recording of Spain was with Return to Forever on the Light as a Feather album, but it wasn't Lenny White on the Light as a Feather, it was Airto. He was RTF's first drummer.