Billy Cobham, one of the best fusion drummers of all time, has left his mark on the earliest recordings of fusion music, such as the pioneering albums of Miles Davis and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, as well as Cobham's debut album Spectrum. In this concert, Cobham will perform his best-known songs from his distinguished career.

Cobham last visited April Jazz in 2005 performing as a soloist of Espoo Big Band. Material filmed at the concert is included in the film Sonic Mirror (2008) directed by Mika Kaurismäki.

Billy Cobham was born in Panama where he grew fond of percussion from watching his cousin play. At age three, his family moved to New York City and at age eight Billy made his percussion performance debut with his father. After graduating Billy served as a percussionist in the U.S. Army National band. He then played as a drummer in pianist Horace Silver's band and toured the U.S. with him throughout the late 1960s. He then left to partake in Miles Davis' fusion ensemble. Eventually Cobham parted ways from Davis' group to work with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, where he was able to further explore his technique and fusion style which influenced many for years to come. After deciding to part ways with the Orchestra, Cobham started his own band, Spectrum and signed with Atlantic Records. Spectrum's debut album featured a mix of jazz, funk and rock that allowed Cobham to further experiment with percussion.

In 2001 Cobham was named one of the 25 Most Influential Drummers by Modern Drummer magazine. He has also been inducted into the magazine’s Hall of Fame. Cobham's career has continued successfully and productively since the 1960s. He acted as a role model for countless drummers and percussionists, not only as a developer of technique and style, but also by showing how important it is to enjoy playing.

Billy Cobham, drums (PA/US)
Camelia Ben Naceur, keyboards (FR)
Emilio Garcia, guitar (CL)
Victor Cisternas, bass (CL)
Steve Hamilton, keyboards (GB)

April Jazz: Billy Cobham Band

The event “April Jazz: Billy Cobham Band” has ended