BILLY COBHAM

BILLY COBHAM
SPECTRUM (1973)
REMASTER
320 KBPS

Cobham's first album as a leader, in 1973--a jazz-rock classic. As on his slightly earlier outings with Mahavishnu Orchestra, Cobham dazzles with rapid-fire pyrotechnics. But, listening carefully, he also does his job of rhythmic support--for this, he calls on his roots in drum-corps and Latin timbale drumming. His compositions here set fire to a stunningly tight band. The scowling, scurrying, skirmishing performance by the late rock-guitar ace, Tommy Bolin, is particularly memorable. He merges beautifully with Cobham's Mahavishnu bandmate, Jan Hammer (Moog/keyboards), who eggs Bolin on with warp-speed synthesized guitar sounds. The band was just as involved rhythmically as McLaughlin's, but had a gritty rapid-transit flavor where Mahavishnu was in spiritual quest.

1. Quadrant 4
2. Searching for the Right Door
3. Spectrum
4. Anxiety
5. Taurian Matador
6. Stratus
7. To the Women in My Life
8. Le Lis
9. Snoopy's Search
10. Red Baron