Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Photos: Jernej Vene
Location: Ljubljana / Kino Šiška / Slovenia
Concert date: 05.10.2011
Attendance: 700
Ticket price: €20.00
In the collective mind of the average music gourmet, legendary Panamanian drummer Billy Cobham is best known as the longtime drummer of the unforgettable American jazz rock fusion powerhouse The Mahavishnu Orchestra, even though over his rich career he also worked with an army of other famous names, led by the unforgettable trumpeter and musical innovator Miles Davis. Which fusion fan could ever forget their joint work on the legendary album “A Tribute to Jack Johnson” (1971)?
Maybe the best proof of Cobham’s greatness is that his body of work is cherished not only by jazz connoisseurs but also by plenty of rockers with broad musical horizons. No surprise there, since this great innovator has always poured all kinds of styles into his music and has always valued the role of the electric guitar in his own sonic vocabulary. Rockers usually rate his cult studio debut “Spectrum” (1973) the highest, the one where he joined forces with the tragically departed former Deep Purple guitarist Tommy Bolin, though you shouldn’t forget masterpieces like “Crosswinds”, “Total Eclipse” (both from 1974) and “A Funky Thide of Things” (1976).
It was no surprise that Kino Šiška was packed to the last corner right before his set, with loads of good-fusion lovers crammed into the seats, plus a not-insignificant number of rockers, and you could even spot the odd metalhead in the crowd. The pre-show warm-up was handled by local heroes The Open Trio, who gave us a really pleasant surprise with their interesting blend of ambient jazz funk fusion. The trio, which has gradually grown into a quartet since 2007 yet kept the band’s original name, brings a sonically distinctive approach to our jazz scene, since, for instance, they have no bassist in the lineup, yet they make up for his absence with a rich, branching palette of ambient textures. Although all four members impressed with their instrumental skills, special praise goes to the exceptional talent of saxophonist Bojan Volk, whose solo spots wowed even the most demanding listeners. Promoting excellent local fusion acts like this ahead of giants of Cobham’s caliber is always more than welcome, if not downright necessary.
Mr. Cobham, who is on the current tour with a four-piece band under the stage name Billy Coham Band, presented his latest studio effort, “Palindrome” (2010), this evening, alongside a varied repertoire from different periods of his rich career. As expected, most of the set was built on it, though the ‘folks’ reacted most energetically to the performances of “Spectrum” and Mahavishnu Orchestra classics. Billy shared the stage with a colorful crew of international musicians: bassist Michael Mondesir, guitarist Jean-Marie Ecay and keyboardist/violinist Christophe Cravero. Mondesir, the most established musician among Cobham’s sidekicks, got the loudest response from the audience for his refined weaving of sharp bass lines, not counting the master himself, of course.
This evening, Cravero found himself in the double role of playing the instrumental parts that Jan Hammer and Jerry Goodman, or Jean-Luc Ponty, once handled in Mahavishnu Orchestra, which of course takes a well-coordinated mix of courage, knowledge and experience. Jean-Marie Ecay is also an outstanding electric guitarist who, under the more than obvious influence of the legendary John McLaughlin, takes care of a thoroughly faithful interpretation of the classics. Mahavishnu Orchestra will most likely never get back together again, apart from perhaps a symbolic appearance, but Cobham managed to gather around himself a pretty good approximation, even though each of the aforementioned players also brought some personal flavor to individual evergreens and newer creations.
Throughout the evening, through long-standing classics, newer works and ‘forgotten’ pieces (like “Panama”), Cobham himself demonstrated that after all these decades he is still a drumming institution of astonishing stature, versatility and innovation. His art of combining softness and exceptional precision on the cymbals with incredible speed and energy when swinging around the rest of the drum kit still has no equal today. Billy’s style, marked by a technique all his own, is simply put a union of bubbling energy and strict discipline. During the show, especially in the numerous improvisations, it was once again proven that he is probably the one who most deserves the title of the best jazz fusion drummer of all time. His drum solo was certainly the highlight of the night for many in the audience, who couldn’t get over how Billy merges seemingly incompatible styles with a totally unique technique.
As expected, the concert of one of the greatest jazz fusion eminences served up an abundance of delicious material for every music gourmet, but then again, that’s what you’d expect from a musician of Cobham’s caliber, for whom a respectable number of years is the smallest obstacle. It was simply a jazz fusion feast that no fan of this wonderful genre, which unites so many colorful styles and influences, should have missed. Let’s hope that Kino Šiška, which manages to lure some big name from the jazz fusion scene every autumn, will soon welcome another (former) Mahavishnu Orchestra eminence after Billy, led by ‘His Enlightenment’ John McLaughlin.
photos: Jernej Vene
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