by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
What: Jimmy Cobb with Eddie Gomez at the Great American Jazz Festival
Where: The Robinson Theater at the University of North Florida (1 UNF Drive)
When: Friday, February 8th at 7:30 pm
The chance to chat with iconic drummer Jimmy Cobb was an honor and a thrill. I’ve long admired Jimmy’s bull chops. At 79, Jimmy has been everywhere and done everything in jazz and beyond. He joined Miles Davis in 1957. In 1963 Tony Williams took over Miles’ drum position and Jimmy worked with his rhythm section, Winton Kelly and Paul Chambers, behind the great Wes Montgomery. Jimmy went on to work with Winton Kelly Trio and did three albums with the great Kenny Burrell and J.J. Johnson in the late 60s.
In the 70s, Jimmy worked with Sarah Vaughan for 9 years and freelanced after that with a host of musical stars including Ricky Ford, Hank Jones, Dave Holland, Ron Carter, George Coleman, and Fathead Newman as well as Nancy Wilson and many others. These artists are a cross-section of some of the luminaries Jimmy has worked with over the years.
In 2002, Jimmy completed a Four Generations of Miles album with guitarist Mike Stern, bassist Ron Carter and tenor saxophonist George Coleman. His long awaited benchmark solo album, Yesterdays, was produced by Eleana Tee with Michael Brecker on tenor sax, Marion Meadows on soprano, Roy Hargrove on trumpet and flugelhorn, Jon Faddis on trumpet, Eric Lewis on piano, Peter Bernstein on guitar, and John Weber on bass. Indeed, Jimmy’s personal history parallels the history of jazz from the 50s to present day.
Today, Jimmy lives with his wife Eleana in Harlem and is busier than ever teaching and playing workshops, concerts, and various festivals and venues around the globe. Jimmy frequently travels to major universities to teach master classes and jazz workshops. He will be taking part in the UNF Great American Jazz Series by teaching master classes and doing workshops. He will also play a concert with the UNF Jazz Ensemble.
“I go to the universities and set up workshops where I play and then answer the students’ questions. There is a group of us including Eric Alexandra on sax, Marcus Belgrade trumpet, Ronnie Matthews on piano, Bulldog Drummond on bass and myself on drums. We travel four times a year to the International Center for the Arts in San Francisco to educate the kids on the arts. Not only music; a greater appreciation of all the arts. Of course I do many other events at various universities including Parsons: The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in NYC and at the University of Greensboro in North Carolina,” the musical legend told EU.
“My teaching events are only part of my broader involvement in playing concerts, festivals and clubs. However, I do believe that it’s important to pass on my knowledge on to the next generation of jazz artists. As you know, music appreciation in most schools is the first thing to go during budget cutbacks. So, the kids only listen to what’s in the forefront, like rap or rock. So it’s the old guard’s responsibility to make sure all kids learn about roots music like blues and how jazz evolved into an art form, so they can make educated choices in their personal music tastes.”
At that point we did discussed rap and hip-hop and how it harkens back to the beatnik era of recited poetry accompanied by jazz. He also likes the fact that rap is an American, African-American invention that has proliferated around the world, similar to jazz.
“I hate music labels. There are different styles of playing. Jazz is an improvisational medium but within certain parameters. I’ve played all styles of music and been influenced by many artists playing in many different genres. Playing the drums, like any instrument, is a lifelong learning experience. Every time I meet young musicians, I learn something from them as well as teaching them my bag of tricks,” Jimmy said.
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