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Is Jimmy Cobb still active?


Big Al

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Was listening to the Miles/Blackhawk set last night, and couldn't get enough of the ferociously swinging drumming of Jimmy Cobb. I've been familiar with Cobb for about as long as I've listened to jazz, but never really noticed Cobb before. Until now.

What is it about his playing that is so damn infectious? It sounds like simple timekeeping; then he drops some kinda bomb, or hits those toms with what sounds like ten extra arms and doesn't even blink or break a sweat!!!

Is he still active? I did a search on allmusic, and noticed he's on a very recent Von Freeman with Richard Wyands on piano! Has anyone heard this, and is it as good as the lineup suggests? I hope he's still fairly active!

I gotta dig through my collection and see what else of his work I've been overlooking!

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"Cobb's Mob" played both coasts within the past three months.

Yeah! After I started the thread, I did a general web search and found the page for the Cobb's Groove disc. After listening to some clips, it sounds like Cobb hasn't lost anything in the last few decades; this is one I've GOT to get!

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Cobb played last year in Belgrade.

It was (as well as 3 years earlier concert of Roy Haynes) some of greatest moment of my life to see him playing, live.

Cobb was perfect, almost quiet at times, and did no showman elements while soloing.

Just music.

Edited by mmilovan
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Cobb did two relatively recent recordings with the quartet of swiss tenor saxophonist, Roman Schwaller (he was with the Vienna Art Ochestra in the eighties). The quartet also includes Oliver Kent (p), and Thomas Stabenow (b).

One disc is on JHM Records - I have and like it: http://www.jhmrecords.ch/de/katalog/index_a.php, the other one I just now found out about is on Bassic Sound: http://www.jazzrecords.com/bassic/cd019.htm.

Very fine mainstream jazz, a couple of originals, Cobb is great, Schwaller is never less than solid, quite his own man, and the other two men are good, as well, Stabenow standing out shining on several tunes of "Some Changes in Life" (JHM).

If anyone orders from JHM directly, they have a few other good things in their catalogue: the Clifford Jordan disc (here - ask Sangrey), as well as Schwaller's Nonet release, The Original Tunes.

ubu

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Saw him at Smoke in Manhattan, with George Coleman jumping up to do a tune with 'em. Bought the CD that night. Very cool that he's active.

A friend (who doesn't know jack about jazz) has very well-to-do folks and a little jazz combo at some party. One of the guests sat-in to play drums- "some guy named Jimmy Cobb- is he famous?- he was really good!" as she put it. The world isn't fair.

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Jim, what kinda guitar is he holding there? It looks like the same kind Doug Raney used on Blues on a Par, and I love the sound of the guitar on that one!

That's a Gibson ES-175, Gibson's workhorse model which was introduced in 1949. Plywood body, humbucking pickups.

Actually, the axe on the cover of Raney's "Blues On A Par" is a different brand, and a different animal (a Gretsch acoustic archtop with a floating pickup, I believe).

JIMMY Raney used a 175 like Bernstein's for awhile (that's probably what you meant, right Al?)(just nod and say yes). :D;)

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