Kind of Blue Celebrated By Jimmy Cobb So What Band At Tower Of London Concert

Tonight is the culmination of the year-long Kind of Blue celebrations following on from last month’s anniversary of the first release of the album in the US 50 years ago. The venue is the historic Tower of London with Jimmy Cobb, the only surviving member of the group that recorded Miles Davis’ masterpiece, in concert with his So What Band featuring Wallace Roney on trumpet. Roney worked with Miles Davis late in his life and has gone on to be an important presence on the international jazz scene. As has tenor saxophonist Javon Jackson, highly rated for his gritty hard bop-rooted drive and altoist Vincent Herring, known for his Cannonball Adderley-inspired sound. They are joined by bassist Buster Williams, a key presence on Herbie Hancock’s Mwandishi album and pianist Larry Willis who began his career after leaving music college to join the band of alto saxophone great, Jackie McLean.


In this month’s Jazzwise Jimmy Cobb, who turned 80 earlier this year, told Stuart Nicholson: “I haven’t been on a session where so many people bring the record to sign over the years, I’ve been on sessions and sessions but this is the one. I well remember being with that band. It was a great band, and there were some great people in it and I loved it. Red [Garland] was in that band when I joined and I loved it, it just so happened that when he left it the band went in another direction a little and I didn’t play so much like when Philly Joe was in it. But during the first part of my stay the tunes I already knew because we never had a rehearsal. I was in at the beginning of the band changing, so I was able to be myself then, not play like Philly Joe [Jones, the drummer who preceded him]. "The highlights were the most popular things the band did, but the first time when we did them. The privilege of playing at Carnegie Hall, playing on Kind of Blue – I was there at what I call ‘the right time of the music’. I made six different albums with that band at least. I still listen to them to this day.”
– Stephen Graham
Courtney Pine opens for the So What Band at the Tower this evening. For more go to towerfestival.com
http://www.jazzwisemagazine.com/component/content/article/51-2009/10964-kind-of-blue-celebrated-by-jimmy-cobb-so-what-band-at-tower-of-london-concert-

Drummer Jimmy Cobb will touch in Brazil in May, São Paulo

The North American musician Jimmy Cobb, 79, have an enviable resume. He touched with great figures of the jazz, as Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans and Billie Holiday, but costuma to be mentioned as the baterista of cultuado " Kind of Blue" , album of the trompetista Miles Davis (1926-1991) that it more withholds the record heading of jazz vendido of all the times. " If Miles could know that `Kind of Blue' if would become so famous, would have demanded two the least one or Ferraris as advancing for gravá-lo" , the baterista veteran says.
The album more than had 3 million vendidas copies only in U.S.A., according to Nielsen SoundScan, that started to survey these numbers in 1991. Last remainder of sexteto that it recorded " Kind of Blue" , beyond other records of Miles Davis and of the saxofonist John Coltrane (1926-1967), Cobb will come the São Paulo for a commemorative concert of the 50 years of this masterpiece of the jazz, in the second edition of the festival Bridgestone Music, of 14 the 16 of May, in Citibank Hall.
The album also will gain edition special. Turnê. The concert " Kind of Blue 50" already it is set appointments for some of the biggest North American festivals, as the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage and the Playboy Jazz. Clubs and festivals of the Europe and Japan also will be part of this turnê. Cobb, that in years 70 was in Brazil with Sarah Vaughan, will have its side of this time Alone the What Band. Sexteto detaches musicians of prestige in the scene of the jazz: the trompetista Wallace Roney (recognized disciple for proper Davis), Vincent Herring (sax high), Javon Jackson (sax tenor), Larry Willis (piano) and Buster Williams (low).
" I tried to make as Miles made when forming its groups. I congregated some of the best musicians of jazz in momento" , Cobb says, observing that, to choose the partners, it still took in account the affinity of them with the styles of Cannonball Adderley, John Coltrane, Bill Evans and Paul Chambers, musicians of sexteto of Davis.
This, however, does not mean that it and its colleagues plans to reproduce note for note the today classic writings of " Only What" , " Freddie Freeloader" , " Blue in Green" , " All Blues" e " Flamenco Sketches" , that they integrate the mythical COMPACT DISC " Kind of Blue". " Beyond homaging my friend Miles Davis, our intention is to bring the spirit of those writings for the days of atuality" , it finishes the North American drummer.
http://www.otempo.com.br/otempo/noticias/?IdEdicao=1165&IdCanal=4&IdSubCanal=&IdNoticia=100181&IdTipoNoticia=1