Spectrum - Billy Cobham (1973)

Ideated from: dudes named Billy

Connections are a fascinating part of jazz for me, how one record or relationship sends people in different directions. Cobham was at the forefront of the fusion revolution in jazz, playing on Miles’ Bitches Brew record. The guitarist on most of those sessions was John McLaughlin, who recruited Cobham for his new band Mahavishnu Orchestra. After several classic fusion albums with that outfit, Cobham recorded this debut set as a bandleader. If you want an odd 80s TV connection, the keyboards here and in Mahavishnu are by Jan Hammer (yes, that Jan Hammer).

Hammer has always flipped between jazz and rock music, and guitarist Tommy Bolin is more famous to classic rock fans. But this is fusion, after all, and they do a nice job of fusing that with the energy and open space of 70s jazz.

Cobham is one of those sort of “extra” drummers, who uses a massive kit with lots of options. I tend to admire more the drummers who can do everything with 8 or 10 pieces, but there’s definitely a different and admirable skillset involved in handling this monster. Several of the shorter tracks here are just Billy working out on that kit solo, and are just as fun as the band pieces.

Tracks I Liked

Quadrant 4 - lightning fast but still well-played

Stratus - great organ skronk that could have come out of a Bitches Brew outtake

Red Baron - a little less intense than the others, but deeply funky