BILLY COBHAM

To survey the throng gathered at the Jazz Café tonight is to confirm Billy Cobham’s status as one of the most revered musicians on the planet. Rubbing shoulders in front of the stage is a mixture of the young and the old and all points in between, couples on a date night and a heartening mix of hirsute proggers and crop-haired soul boys. But then, what else could it be for this celebrated jazz rock fusion drummer?

Now aged 74, Cobham drums with the attack and verve of a man half his age yet with the precision and rhythmic dexterity that comes with age. With a red bandana tied around his sweating head, Cobham cuts an inspiring figure as he navigates his way across his extended kit.

Yet all of this would count for naught were it not for the enthusiastic and heartfelt work of his band. The interlocking of Tim Landers’ watertight and throbbing low end with Cobham’s drumming – most notably on the biting pulse of Stratus – underpins much of tonight’s set. Fareed Haque moves effortlessly from electric to acoustic guitars and back again, as he delivers clipped chords and outrageous runs. Scott Tibbs’ keyboards frequently work in tandem with Haque’s moves but the pair are just as keen and successful as when heading off in their own directions. Best of all is woodwind player Paul Hanson, who feeds his bassoon through a variety of pedals and electronic enhancements to

create new sounds and approaches to well established material.

Indeed, the focus of tonight’s performance is Cobham’s 1974 album, Crosswinds, with a healthy portion of its 1973 predecessor, Spectrum thrown in for good measure. The groove achieved on The Pleasant Pheasant is simply colossal, with some heroic fretwork emanating from Haque’s corner of the stage. But it’s the actions to his left that really catch the attention with Hanson playing with a controlled sense of freedom that brings a whole new dimension to his instrument.

elsewhere, Hanson and Cobham spark off of each other on a spirited reading of Taurian Matador as the drummer takes centre stage with a mastery of his kit. With an emphasis on the toms in front of him and a fondness for his splash cymbal, Cobham’s soloing is riveting.

The meandering under The Baobab Tree prompts a rush to the bar, but form is restored with the delicious Red Baron that draws appreciative whoops.

Though the spotlight is on Cobham, this is a vivid, shining group affair.