BILLY COBHAM turned 80 in May 2024 and isn't even thinking about retiring.

In fact, he will be celebrating a revival of the original Billy Cobham Band: Billy Cobham’s Time Machine

“Time Machine is an updated version of my recording with Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker, Glenn Ferris, Alex Blake, John Abercrombie, Milcho Leviev, and Lee Pastora. Fifty years have passed since then. I’ve rarely played some of the tracks from that era. “Solarization,” “Total Eclipse,” “Bandits,” “Crescent Sun,” “Moon Germs,” and “Sea of Tranquility” have barely seen the light of day on any of my albums, so I’m now focusing on bringing them back to life alongside the music that the Total Eclipse project inspired me to create. – Billy Cobham

Born in Panama on May 16, 1944, and raised in Brooklyn, New York, Billy Cobham landed his first paid gig at the age of eight as a member of the Queensmen of St. Catherine, a drum and fife corps based in St. Albans, Queens. He attended the renowned Fiorella H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and the Performing Arts in New York, where he studied music theory and drumming technique.
During his military service, from 1965 to 1968, Cobham played with the U.S. Army Band as a percussionist. After his service, he played in Horace Silver’s Band, performed with Stanley Turrentine and Shirley Scott, and recorded with George Benson.

In 1969, Billy Cobham co-founded the jazz-rock group Dreams, which included Randy Brecker, Michael Brecker, John Abercrombie, Don Grolnick, Barry Rodgers, and Will Lee. The following year, he joined Miles Davis’s new fusion ensemble and participated in *Live-Evil*, *A Tribute to Jack Johnson*, and the *Bitches Brew* sessions, where he collaborated with guitarist John McLaughlin.

In 1971, Cobham became a founding member of the jazz-fusion group Mahavishnu Orchestra, alongside McLaughlin, Jan Hammer, Jerry Goodman, and Rick Laird. This original group released three critically acclaimed albums: *The Inner Mounting* (1971), *Birds of Fire* (1973), and *Between Nothingness and Eternity* (a live album released in 1973).

In 1973, Cobham released his first solo album, *Spectrum*, a breakthrough in jazz-fusion that is universally recognized as one of the genre’s most significant and influential works. *Spectrum* was recorded at Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Lady Studios in New York. Cobham’s lineup for the album included Tommy Bolin on guitar, Jan Hammer on electric piano, Moog synthesizer, and piano, and Lee Sklar on bass.
Also in 1973, Cobham went on tour with John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana, performing songs from the album Love Devotion Surrender.

In 1974, the original lineup of the Mahavishnu Orchestra disbanded. Cobham continued to create innovative fusion tracks with the release of *Crosswind* (1974), *Shabaz* (1974), *Total Eclipse* (1974), *A Funky Side of Things* (1975), and *Life and Times* (1976).

During the 1970s and 1980s, Cobham recorded for Atlantic, CBS, Elektra, and GRP. He collaborated with George Duke, John Scofield, Tony Williams, Jack Bruce, and Bobby & the Midnites, a spin-off band of the Grateful Dead.

In 1992, Cobham was commissioned by UNICEF to work with autistic patients and street children in Santos, Brazil, as part of a music project that lasted several years.

In 2001, Cobham released a two-CD retrospective titled *Rudiments: The Billy Cobham Anthology*. In 2002, he began releasing a series of CDs featuring specific artists, titled *Drum n Voice*.

By 2005, Billy Cobham had recorded and released more than 30 albums under his own name. He developed and enjoyed a special musical collaboration with the Cuban band Asere.

In 2007, he published *Fruit from the Loom*, a comprehensive exploration of Cobham’s roots and travels. In 2010, he released *Palindrome*, the second installment in the *Fruit from the Loom* series.

In 2011, he began teaching drums online at The Jazz & Fusion Drum School with Billy Cobham.

In 2013, Billy Cobham celebrated the 40th anniversary of the release of *Spectrum* by touring the United States, Canada, and Europe with the Spectrum 40 Band. That same year, Purple Pyramid Records released the two-CD box set *Billy Cobham Compass Point*, recorded live at the Compass Point Hotel in the Bahamas in 1997, which had never been released before.

The beginning of 2014 marked the release of the highly anticipated *Tales from the Skeleton Coast*, the third of four recordings produced to commemorate and celebrate Cobham’s mother and father, both of whom were musicians. According to him, “Tales from the Skeleton Coast reflects life experiences I shared with my parents that are dear to my heart and mind, including impressions passed down to me during my travels in the region formerly known as South West Africa and now known as Namibia.” The images of the Skeleton Coast, in particular, still burn within me, and through music, I have created a sonic reflection of these cherished experiences.

Billy Cobham Band (Available upon request)

Billy Cobham – drums

Victor Cisternas – bass

Emilio Garcia – guitar

Jorge Vera Stone – keyboards

Camelia Ben Naceur – keyboards

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Billy Cobham’s Time Machine (July/August)

Billy Cobham – drums

Gary Husband – keyboards

Rocco Zifarelli – guitar

Michael Mondesir – bass

Marco Lobo – percussion

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Billy Cobham’s Time Machine (October/November)

Billy Cobham – drums

Victor Cisternas – bass

Scott Tibbs – keyboards

Brandon Wilkins – saxophone

Antonio Baldino – trumpet

Andrea Andreoli – trombone

Marco Lobo – percussion