Arguably the definitive drummer of the fusion generation, now Billy Cobham is returning to some of his 1970s music—but don’t expect a retread.
That’s the philosophy that Cobham brings to Crosswinds: Time Lapse Photos, his new album recorded at Fort Wayne, Indiana's Sweetwater Studios and produced by Mark Hornsby. Although it shares a title with his 1974 Crosswinds album—his second solo release after leaving the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the John McLaughlin-led band that pretty much defined the fusion genre and put Cobham at or near the top of all of those “world’s greatest drummer” polls—it’s not exactly a remake. Instead, Crosswinds: Time Lapse Photos is a rethink, a different way of approaching the compositions on that earlier album, filtered through 45 years of growth. The subtitle is the key to understanding Cobham’s intention. “I have the extra dimension of an expanded imagination, based in a comparison of where I was in 1973-74 to where I am now. The experience factor kicks in," he said in a recent interview.
Cobham calls Switzerland home, having lived there now for a few decades, crediting his decision to become an expatriot to what he calls, bluntly, “the dumbing down of the American musical scene.” Basing himself far from the heart of the jazz community has given Cobham a perspective he doesn’t feel he can get in the United States. “I ran the other way,” he says. “In Europe, it’s difficult to be dumbed down. There is so much to learn that’s available to you. It’s right on your doorstep. You just have to look and you have to observe.”
Billy Cobham (photo: Nigel Dick)
