A highly adept jazz drummer and NEA Jazz Master,
Jimmy Cobb initially rose to fame in the hard bop era of the 1950s, balancing a powerful, swinging style and a deep sensitivity for group dynamics. It was a style
Cobb first displayed as a sideman with
Dinah Washington and
Cannonball Adderley before gaining wide recognition as a member of
Miles Davis' group, playing on the classic 1959 album
Kind of Blue. After leaving
Davis,
Cobb co-led a trio in the '60s with pianist
Wynton Kelly and bassist
Paul Chambers, and over the years he worked with such luminaries as
Sarah Vaughan,
Hank Jones,
Ron Carter,
David "Fathead" Newman,
Nancy Wilson,
Dave Holland, and many others. While he did not record as a leader until late into his career, he issued a handful of vibrant small-group sessions, including 2003's
Cobb's Groove, 2007's
Cobb's Corner, and 2014's
The Original Mob.
Born Wilbur James Cobb in 1929, he grew up in Washington, D.C., where he bought his first drum set at age 13 with money earned from his job as a busboy at a drugstore lunch counter. Largely self-taught, he did briefly take lessons with
National Symphony percussionist Jack Dennett before playing professionally. Exposed to the music of
Billy Eckstine,
Cobb developed a love of jazz, and was soon drawing inspiration from drummers like
Max Roach,
Kenny Clarke,
Big Sid Catlett, and others. Work followed in the D.C. area, including shows with
Leo Parker,
Benny Golson,
Billie Holiday,
Pearl Bailey, and others. At age 21,
Cobb relocated to New York City, where he spent time in
Earl Bostic's band before landing a spot backing vocalist
Dinah Washington. Following three years with
Washington, he joined saxophonist
Cannonball Adderley and cornet player
Nat Adderley's quintet, appearing on albums like 1957's
Sophisticated Swing and 1958's
Sharpshooters. There were also dates with
Stan Getz,
Dizzy Gillespie, and Latin percussionist and bandleader
Tito Puente.
It was from his association with
Adderley that
Cobb joined
Miles Davis' group in the late '50s. He had previously played alongside
Davis in the
Symphony Sid all-stars, but was officially asked to join
Davis' group as a replacement for
Philly Joe Jones during the sessions for Porgy and Bess.
Cobb also appeared with
Davis on
Adderley's 1958 date Somethin' Else. It was with
Davis that
Cobb gained his widest fame playing alongside
Adderley,
John Coltrane,
Bill Evans,
Paul Chambers, and
Wynton Kelly in 1959 on the trumpeter's landmark album
Kind of Blue. Arguably the most influential and well-known jazz recording in history,
Kind of Blue garnered widespread attention for
Davis' use of modal jazz compositions, influenced by the work of
George Russell. Several more albums followed with
Davis, including the Grammy-winning
Sketches of Spain,
Someday My Prince Will Come,
Live at Carnegie Hall, and
In Person: Friday Night at the Blackhawk. While with
Davis,
Cobb also recorded with
Freddie Hubbard,
Art Pepper,
Mark Murphy, and many more.
By the early '60s,
Cobb had left the
Davis band, working instead with fellow
Davis rhythm section alum
Wynton Kelly. Together, they played as a trio with bassist
Paul Chambers, backing
Wes Montgomery,
J.J. Johnson, and
Joe Henderson. As a trio, they also issued a handful of albums including 1964's
It's All Right, 1965's Blues on Purpose, and 1967's Full View, ultimately parting ways after
Chambers' death in 1969. In 1970,
Cobb joined
Sarah Vaughan's band, spending nine years with the singer. He also continued his extensive freelance career, playing with such luminaries as
Sonny Stitt,
Hank Jones,
Ron Carter,
Fathead Newman,
Nancy Wilson,
Dave Holland, and many others. It was not until the '90s that
Cobb issued any albums under his own name, debuting alongside vocalist
Ada Montellanico with 1994's
Encounter. Only for the Pure of Heart followed in 1998 and featured the drummer's group with pianist
Richard Wyands, guitarist
Peter Bernstein, and bassist
John Webber.
In 2002,
Cobb paid homage to former boss
Davis with Four Generations of Miles: A Live Tribute to Miles, which featured appearances by former members of the trumpeter's various ensembles including guitarist
Mike Stern, bassist
Ron Carter, and saxophonist
George Coleman.
Cobb's Groove arrived the following year, and included pianist
Wyands, bassist
Webber, and guest saxophonist
Eric Alexander. The drummer was also the focus of his own tribute album, 2006's
Marsalis Music Honors Series: Jimmy Cobb, which found
Cobb playing many of his original compositions with pianist
Ellis Marsalis, saxophonist
Andrew Speight, and bassist
Orlando Le Fleming. Also that year, he joined bassist
Christian McBride for New York Time. The quartet date
Cobb's Corner arrived in 2007 and featured trumpeter
Roy Hargrove, who was also on board for
Cobb's 2009 album
Jazz in the Key of Blue, which arrived on the heels of the drummer being named an NEA Jazz Master.
Along with performing,
Cobb moved into education, teaching master classes at such esteemed institutions as the Stanford University Jazz Workshop, Parsons: The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, the Brooklyn-Queens Conservatory of Music. Following sessions for
Peter Bernstein, Federico Bonifazi,
Steve Grossman, and others, he returned to his own work in 2014, issuing the Smoke Session
The Original Mob with guitarist
Bernstein, pianist
Brad Mehldau, and bassist
Webber. A second Smoke Session followed in 2019 with This I Dig of You. That same year, the drummer paired with German harmonica virtuoso
Hendrik Meurkens for
Cobb's Pocket.
Jimmy Cobb died at his home in New York City on May 24, 2020, after a battle with lung cancer. He was 91 years old. ~ Matt Collar