You'll Hear It: Full Album Deep Dives with Jazz Musicians - A Jimmy Cobb Retrospective (Part 2)

Episode Date: June 12, 2020

Today, Peter and Adam continue their tribute to the legendary Jimmy Cobb.Links From This Episode:Listen to every song from this episode (and part 1) with our Spotify playlistToday's Open Studio Live Events (All times in EDT):1:00 PM - Adam's Daily Guided Practice Session (for Members Only)3:00 PM - Adam hosts a Guided Practice Session for non-members on YouTube8:00 PM - Peter continues his weekly solo piano Shelter in Place concert series, also on YouTubeFor the rest of this week's calendar, follow this linkInterested in more music advice? Go here to browse our catalog of jazz lessons and courses available for purchase. And be sure to check out our All Access Pass - every course from Open Studio on every instrument.Let us know what you think by leaving a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review, or head over to our YouTube channel.Follow us on Facebook | Twitter | Instagram See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

So, man, the next up, we have Porgy and Bess, another Miles record, a way different Miles record than Kind of Blue or anything else we'll listen to. Yeah, and I wanted to do this because this is one of those records that we always associate with, from a drumming standpoint, I think, of that great Philly Joe's solo on Go or Go-Go, or Go-Go, whatever that is. Bab-Bap, Bop, bop, bap, da-da-tach-cha-cago. That iconic solo, but half of the record or a third of it or something is Jimmy Cabo. And on this, this isn't necessarily so, right?

I mean, I love, like, the texture that he liked, I mean, to me, and going back to listen to this record, I was like, you know, kind of blue, like these Miles records, they are so well put together. Obviously, you know, this music and these arrangements and the sound of it, but I mean, what Jimmy Cobb did, I mean, it's, it's like he's like the producer and the engineer, like the amount that he's just doing to the sound. Of course, the beat and the groove and playing the tune's great, yeah. But what he does to contribute to just the sound of this record, like he should have got a Grammy for being producer of it. Agreed, man. Drummers can affect everything and good or bad. Exactly. They can build or they can be builders or destroyers. And so just listen to how this drummer, Jimmy Cobb, affects this classic track from Miles Davis. It's from Porgy and Best. It ain't necessarily so. It's like a soundscape he's already putting in there. Wow. That's another Jimmy Cobb thing. That knock on four, right? That rim, that rim shot. Chopping the wood on four. And I think, you know, because of the Gilevin, dunk, you know, that syncopated Charleston-esque horn lines, which are great and repeated. Jimmy Cobb is like staying out of the way of those, but what he caught, like, you know,

we talk about the quarter note being so, so not affected with dang, ding, teetang, without too many teteangs. But when he does put them in, they're super interesting why they're there at the times that they are. So, you know, like great artists, like all great artists in jazz, Jimmy Cobb, like really focusing in on him. and what he's doing and how he's doing is really interesting and rewarded rewards the listener. I hope someone sampled him playing that ride symbol too.

I'm sure, like from kind of blue, you can get enough because that is just one of the best sounds ever recorded. Oh, it's great. Jimmy Cobb playing on the ride symbol is as good as it gets. And I mean, there's so many great pictures of him. I was looking through some. I don't know if you saw the one I selected

for our Spotify playlist of Jimmy Cop. I did. But I love that one because, like, look at the, to me, that's just like Jimmy Cop, like his intent and concentration. But he's so relaxed and like cool and clean looking and dressed well. He looks. But he looks obsessed with playing well.

Yeah, I mean, if you're not on the Spotify place, it looks like kind of a cross. Maybe he's either concentrating on the ride symbol or perhaps him and the ride symbol are in love with each other. And like having a tour and love affair. Because, I mean, just by the way it sounds too. It's just incredible. It's such a combination of being relaxed and being highly intentioned that,

that really is the way that he sounds, too. So I love that picture. And it's got a skinny tie. Who doesn't love a skinny tie? I love a skinny tie, man. Next up we have, this is from Live at the Black Hawk. Hold on your hats, everybody.

This is OLEO. This is one of the great live recordings ever, by the way. We're going to miles it up for a minute here. OLEO from Live at the Black Hawk, Miles Davis, San Francisco, California. Jimmy Cobb. I mean, you know, it's like Jimmy Cobb on here when he decides not to play,

which is hard when it's swinging that hard on a live situation. But when he decides not to play and then when he plays, I mean, he really had a feel for like he was a bird up at the air looking down on the whole arrangement before he even got there

and like structured it out and went in and out of those sections in really cool ways. Because PC's just walking through, and PC knows. He don't know what's going to happen but he's walking through. It's all good.

Man, the dotted half note on the high thing, I know what's coming every time. It still gets me every time. Why does that feel so good at that tempo? I don't know. But he's just putting that three

over the fast floor and it's just amazing. If feeling good to Jimmy Cobb's drumming is wrong, then I don't want to be right. I don't want to be right. Man, I'll tell you what, too. That recording, the Black Hawk stuff, that to me, those are some of the best

live jazz recordings ever because it feels I think it's hard to capture how good the music can be live. That's one thing I'm really missing lately, man, being locked down as long as we have been now, is hearing live. jazz, not even when I'm playing, but just going to hear other people who can really sway.

And like that feeling of freedom and, you know, inspiration. Oh, dude, there's nothing better than that. This recording, I think, captured it as good or better than any other recording in the history. I agree. I mean, plug nickel. I mean, it's funny how these all comes down to like Miles recordings, but plug nickel is great, but it's different. It's a different kind of.

It feels a little more like reserved almost or something. Not even, not musically, but like the vibe, right? This feels like it's a bang and nice. the crowd is lit. Everybody's ready to go. Let's do it. I like live at Carnegie Hall, too. That's another one.

You know with that orange cover, that's another good live from around this period. And then, of course, My Funny Valentine, a great live record. But I think, you know, during the pandemic period, partly, yes, that we're not playing and we're not experiencing live music. But it's also that I know you and I think a lot of folks are actually listening more and more intently to live and all the recordings. So that makes us miss it even more. Like we're more in tune to it because we actually are hearing live music.

these unbelievable recordings and stuff, whereas not that we took it for granted before, but this is all we have right now. And so it's going to be great to go experience and something like this. I'm so glad I saw Jimmy Kaaba a year and a half ago here too and say, I mean, what a blessing to be able to hear him once again live. Well, you were talking about textures earlier

and this next track that we have, another Miles Davis. This will be our last Miles Davis, unfortunately. But this is the title track from someday, My Prince Will Come. And to me, again, you know, his presence on this track, I mean, everybody makes it. but he really makes it something special.

You know, he helps elevate it to real art. And we wanted to put this in two because even like on the Ola we just listened to, that was a totally different kind of, you know, straight brushes, swinging up-tempo kind of feel. I mean, you know, he had these basic patterns and feels that he would do that would make you know it was Jimmy Cobby, then he would change it up based upon obviously what was happening, you know, interacting. But this one is kind of sort of one of his most, we keep saying, one of his great, you know, that's the thing.

He had so many outsized things, but what he does to establish the tone and the sound of this arrangement at the beginning, I don't think anybody else could have done it and it would have ended up being this special, you know, but it's truly iconic. Someday My Prince will come from the album. Someday, My Prince will come from Oz Davis, Jimmy Cobb. That transition from. It's almost like, you know, PC and Jimmy Cobb had, like, they have the discipline of like the best funk players in that, like, there was just a lot of just. straight quarter notes like precision but with that kind of tone on the bell of the symbol and then just like that F, perfectly in tune F, the PC just

boom, boom, boom, you know, with a resonant tone. But, you know, a lot of times the jazz players were like, doon, do, do, do do do do do do do do do do do do do do do doka do do do no, you know, or like, Bing ding, ding, you know, no, it's just like to have the confidence and the state of mind to just be like,

lay it down. And then that gave a lot of license to Winton Kelly, of course, to do some really nice rhythm things with the comping over that intro and and I mean you got a nice groove going why lay off that's right that's right keep it happening and then the transition to the brushes and the back to the symbol I mean it's like you know there's a lot of ways that can be done but it's it's very hard to do it perfectly and and to not have it regimented god bless winton kelly too

yeah man man so we'll go out today on a more modern recording this is joey d Francesco from wonderful wonderful old folks why did you choose this well I wanted to get something kind of you know within the last 10 years or so because like I say I really think that Jimmy Cop a lot of times when and look we we took a bunch of stuff from the 50s and 60s not that I'm looking but you know part of it was like I heard him live quite a you know a fair number of times over the years and he always had that thing and so like when you do when you record on such iconic albums and you're such a big part of that early in your career a lot of times it's like not that you're for God but you're so much known for that but this is just kind of proof that he kept this thing going and it's just the interesting thing. And I was proud of myself for finding it because this is Joey D on trumpet. And, you know, this is another track from some name out of principle company. It's kind of a cool thing what he did on it. Because I love the version of old folks. But it's pretty amazing what Joey does.

But Jimmy Cobb, this is about him and this is his thing. So rest in peace, Jimmy Cobb. Thank you for everything that you provided for us for now and for generations to come. And thank you. And until tomorrow, you'll hear it.