Added: 5 years ago
From: druman44
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  • It's hard to believe that less than a year later he's playing that huge Fibes kit with the Mahavishnu Orchestra minus the suit. What a time warp!

  • Was Cobham using some kind of typani pedal on the floor tom At the beginning of his solo? Tha was awesome!

  • Damn. @superugly75, thanks for the tip.

  • Nobody uses minor chords like Horace,a true genius of piano and compostion....

  • the nicest ive ever heard billys kit sound :D, such a good solo

  • He could be left handed, and so he used his right hand for traditional grip.

  • HolyShiiit!

    

  • HolyShiiit!

    

  • Man Billy is on fire, classic they way he switches his grip. Chops till next next week just some amazing stuff. No beating Horace either, just excellent.

  • Anyone know the name of this song?

  • @Leedysgladstones nutville

  • @Leedysgladstones Nutville,composed by the GREAT Mr.Silver & if you'd like to hear a kickin arrangement of this tune youtube Buddy Rich,Nutville.....

  • Ohh snap he was using the Hollywood multisound floor tom at the beginning of the solo

  • @Leedysgladstones yesssss, it was a great set,. I have an hollywood president without multisound floor and i am the co leader of the fascebook page for hollywood drums, if you want you can join us. fan delle batterie meazzi hollywood unitevi! is the name

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  • PIANO PLAYER SWEATING LIKE HE'S ON A TREADMILL.. STILL BAD ASS THOUGH!!

  • Did you see how fast Mr. Cobham played those pedals? 5:40 - In a suit, too!

  • he's left handed / right handed

    rides on the left with the hats, and the crashes on the right

    OMG, why was i born in the 80's?

    

  • Some of the greatest musicians ever to walk the earth..all these guys in this band.

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  • fuck ur gravity blast

  • someone could tell what is the name of this song ?

    please, thank

  • @ricoparenty1 Nutville :)

  • Horace Silver looks like he belongs in a Tool music video.

  • @Drumstixxxes Nice. ;)

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  • Yooooooo where did this come from. This is classic!!!!!

  • Cobham is swinging hard here!

  • Like Lenny White,Will Kennedy,Carter Breauford,Dennis Wilson===Playing left handed on a right hand set-up.Dom Famularo recently switched to ''open handed drumming'' as they call it now.Nobody told these guys it was wrong,so,it worked for them,but after 50 years of drumming,I wouldn't switch...what's the point? These drummers learned that way!!

  • 1/5 of the MO and spice of the Bitches Brew...

  • black magic!!!!!

  • Ballin'. 

  • wooAAAHHH this dude is amazing!!!!

  • I know some of you troglodytes get annoyed when we start comparing drummers. However......... Here - long before many of you were born, BC shows his chops - can hang with the best including BR. Don't get me wrong, Buddy Rich has not been matched to this date, however - no matter how long Buddy lived, he could never duplicate the inimitable style of the power-fusion uniqueness os Cobham. I rest my case.

  • @JEFFSification Couldn't you have rested your case BEFORE addressing me as "troglodyte?" I ignored the rest.

  • @JEFFSification

    try a max roach or tony williams on for size

  • Billy is just somthin else! THANX TM BOSTON

  • Che assolo magnifico. Lezione di batteria. Tecnica. Fantasia. Creatività. C'è solo da inchinarsi di fronte a Billy, qui in versione totalmente jazzistica (fra l'altro con un gruppo di all stars). Anche negli anni successivi quando passò alla batteria fusion é rimasto un fenomeno.

  • legends

  • Billy is one of the greatest drummers that has ever blessed us with his talent. The chops are phenominal, but he can groove like groove peanut butter and jelly.....with milk of course...hehe. Thanks Billy, you the most brother.

  • Yamaha Drums also made a Pedal Tom, circa 1980. I have one, a 16 X 16, and have been using it for 30 years. You can manipulate it like a timpani or an African talking drum, and you can tune it so that you can roll up under the ensemble and hit notes on a dime, a lovely melodic effect.

  • 2:40 is it just me or those drum sticks look like they are 2 & 1/2 feet long?

  • Hey guys, it's Lenny Bruce on Piano!!!

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  • Nice. Old school grip and everything. I never was a fan of his later fusion stuff, not the drums so much, just the music. (stratus was cool though)

  • Horace is killing the piano. Sounds similar at times to the Super Mario piano medley by that asian guy.

  • Bad to the bone Billy. Damn this guy knows how to play all styles of drums so fucking well. Bravo Bravo Bravo..

  • PURE GREATNESS!!!

  • Yes Billy has always played left handed on a right handed kit. Met Billy a few times and he is a bad ass mofo.

  • why when speaking about jazz great drummers ,,,they use to forgot at Billy ?

  • Oh MAN! Billy can SWWAANNGG!! What a great post!

  • seems like a left handed drummer playin´ a right handed kit.

  • Horace banging dem bones, Billy tappin' them skins...it just don't get much better dan dat!! WOW!!

  • Those lights must be hot, or the piano player is on something.

  • @1pick2sticks Horace was into the scag big time...but then a lot of jazz bods were then. It never hindered their game....indeed the opposite.

  • Is the pianist Till Lindeman?

  • Un freaking believable

  • Unbelievable solo... but the groove @ 5:35 to bring the band back in... you GOTTA be kiddin' me!!!!

  • All the greats of past was high high high. Cause the technicallity an creativeity was just awesome. Yes we know that they practice practice practice but they were high doing it.

  • I'm curious... what caused him to not turn the kit around like most lefties.

    Still in all, he's not of this world.

    He holds his right stick conventional style at times, so that validates your statement.

    He was in the Army marching band with Grover Washington Jr. and Roger Glenn. Wonder if he used conventional grip on the marching snare.

  • What makes you think that most of us lefties turn the kit around!! Most of us don't, we just play as if we were right handed. I asked Gary Chaffee about this (also a lefty, who plays a right handed set up) and he agreed that there are an enormous proportion of left handed drummers out there,

    Billy's a hero for thinking outside the box and just swapping the cymbals over. So much more convenient and creative.

  • @Whelouski

    Thanks for the clarification. I was going by personal experience only - from life observation and apparently wrong assumption.

    Billy's power combined with feel is another dynamic that makes him unique, his fluid speed aside.

    Otis 'Candy' Finch didn't want me to budge his kit one bit, and told me to just learn to play what you sit down on. He played with Dizzy, Turentine - and may be a very common thing in a world I was never really a part of.

  • @billytheweasel

    You defo know your stuff dude. What I like is those clean, staccato, double strokes he plays.

    So wonderful to find this video. I saw Billy playing when he was touring the "Power of 5" album, playing some really gutsy jazz like this. I love the fact that there's a bit of testosterone flowing. Jazz can really rock!

  • I'm curious... what caused him to not turn the kit around like most lefties.

    Still in all, he's not of this world.

  • billy rockin' the traditional grip. don't think of billy as traditional gripper. cool.

  • this is incredible. thank you very much for the upload.

  • Amazing clip! Big fan of Horace and Billy, never seen this before !!!!

  • Bill was gettin' busy! :) Cool jams.

  • Matched grip, left hand lead, 1968. He is an alien.

  • @billytheweasel He's a lefty playing on a right handed kit

  • @billytheweasel I know...talk about Carter Beauford- DMB

  • Billys still underrated, he plays with total class. I know he would appreciate drummings next big thing, MMA's ray3handssnow.

    Bro, hes changing the instrument, hes an absolute freak..

  • @MyHandsofstone Stop that self-promotion, lamer.

  • I always appreciated Billy's BeBop playing far-and-above his fusion style.

  • Always amazing to listen to these guys. Horace looks like he's tripping balls man!

  • I HAD NO IDEA BILLY COBHAM WAS A JAZZ DRUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • @WahkibaJ Where do you think he got his chops from, daddy-o?? There would be no Spectrum,without those jazz meters and freestyle fellowship

  • WOW... a Great Quintet..!!

    Vintage in black & white... Horace & Billy really Cook...!!

  • AWESOME!!!!

  • Fantastisch!

  • I love this video footage. I think Billy has a real Buddy Rich kind of savage attack approach to his playing. What a unique and inspiring player

  • Wow the key man sure is sweating alot? Hmm...

  • @DAN59823 that's horace and he sweated pure blues.

  • @rillloudmother Yes he did, i'm sure every drop was part of his life...they live it, breath it, sweat it, they ooze blues and there hard work. Buddy Rich, Stevie Ray, B.B.King, Albert Collins..among many more.

  • @DAN59823 idk about the SRV inclusion in that company :D, but hell yeah.

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  • Ahh yeah I saw the the big name Billy Cobham twice. He wasan't so god like on the kit in person. Alot of drumms was his gimmick,very efficient with the left hand..But Joe Morello had more natural ability check the take 5 solo or a couple others of his on here.That mo fo was a bit twisted ,and of course Buddy Rich who was the king of all drummers of all time Port this and Dave that..Foooooowe! Oh yeah Cobham had a bit of an attitude. I kinda turned off towards him. He was snooty!

  • @rocknrollhoocheecoo Sounds like you're a bit jealous. Cobham is one of the most high-regarded, influential, and great drummers of all time. Your opinion is in the minority.

  • cocaine style !

  • Man this man can play drums. Guitdude I know you're following me. So tell Portatrd this is more of my league right here. No I'm not this good but I'm not that much behind either. And portard has 0 chance to ever play anything of this caliber that smokes his non playing ass..

  • @drummerforreal1 This video has nothing 2 do with Portnoy u dumb fuck n portnoy is very talented shut up stop hating on people that r better then u

  • I first saw Billy at a little music festival in Ona, WV at a race track. He was playing with Dreams then (a funky horn band which included both the Brecker brothers). He was playing a small kit like this one (maybe the very same one for all I know), and man did he make us forget whoever else was on the bill. Believe it or not, Grand Funk Railroad was the headlining band that evening. Dreams came on, then a band called Zephyr (including a guitarist by the name of Tommy Bolin).

  • search: Amorphic drum  .....( 1st video result ).

    what technique is this??

  • great phat sound!

  • Incredible play, he was already a precursor!!!

  • Cobham is such a monster. This is great to see him in his younger days.

  • i've never, ever, ever, EVAR, seen someone use/tear up (in a good way) a tiny little 6 piece kit like that before!!!

  • just amazing 

  • I never knew Cobham used a traditional grip, Horace's solo is killer. At the end he looks high!! It's so funny how he acts right as the last note hits and addresses the audience. This is when jazz was so strong. Like Mtume said, "jazz stopped when the real jazz players refused to use electric instruments." But they didn't need electric instruments here, because they are on fire, they brought their own electricity. After this year, Cobham started playing on Miles sessions and hooked up with JM!

  • now That's Passsion!

  • Man theyre COOKIN

  • It's amazing that he plays lefthanded with a righthanded set.

    That was a total pleasure to see/hear.

  • @DAGUY  Billy Cobham is ambidextrous.

  • @breadcrumbsins actually he's not. He is truly right-handed and at a local drumclinic he held, he said when playing drums his left hand is stronger.

  • Op, never mind, I guess I should have paid attention. I think it is a pillow

  • afro beat on speed

  • Man, seeing him flip the drumstick in his right hand during this solo around just after the 3:25 mark is really something.

    not too much footage of Cobham playing like this.

    thanx for posting.

    Horace Silver is great.

  • How is he raising the pitch of the floor tom at 2:31?

    Has that tom got a pedal like a kettle drum?

  • he's got a tunable 'multisound' floor tom. Like a timpani drum with a pedal. this was a common feature of the ITALIAN made Hollywood Meazzi President model drums that he is using. Those toms are hard to find and sound great. Max Roach and a few other greats also used them.

  • Thanks for that. Great answer, appreciate it.

  • no problem. my favourite drums. search youtube for tronicdrums by meazzi for another original idea from them in the 60s.

  • @gavbag1234 I think he just presses a stick down on the head. My friend and I always did that in jazz band

  • I think he's pushing up on the bottom head of the floor tom with his foot. you can kinda see him transition back to the bass drum after he does it.

  • how is he bending the pitch of his floor tom??

  • Wow...............4:32.....wha­t was that?????

  • I think what Cobham decide early on was to approach things in a totally logical way; the way he plays makes perfect sense.

    Having read an interview in Modern Drummer he did get some weird looks when he was at College but insisted on sticking his guns. He'll always be a big hero of mine.

  • @bdwami If you'd bothered to read my post, you'd realize Cobham uses an open handed technique. Look it up.

  • Interesting to see Cobham using traditional grip. He holds them as if he's left handed, but the kit isn't set up that way. The ride cymbal is where you'd expect for a lefty, but nothing else is. This is the earliest example I've seen of what came to be known as 'open handed' drumming, which BC was an early pioneer of. Cool video, thanks.

  • @Asymmatrix Whatever gets the job done ;)

  • Horace Silver looks like a black Abraham Lincoln! :) Mad skills though!

  • Billy looks so into his beats!!! 5:35 is awsome to hear and hilarious to watch!

  • john williams sure is a lot less black these days

  • This dude silver is zo cool the way he playes the pino

  • Its pretty cool to see Billy Cobham playing in this genre, I heard about his playing days with Horace Silver but never got a chance to see or hear it.

  • go look at dennis chambers october 1986 drum solo

  • If you want to hear the ULTIMATE Gaddalways listen To Peter Erskine. I f you want to go to the topof the atmosphere it's always Tony williamsand Buddy Rich. gadd doesn't even enter my equation

  • Billy smoking that lame gadd ass in groove and most definetley in chopland .

    Smoke that ass Billy.

    hahahahahahahahahahahahaha

  • Yeah, Steve Gadd really sucks! Now Micky Dolenz could lay some real shit down if you ask me.

  • So much for account closed asswipe.

  • You know what is really too bad is that peter erskine doesn't go back and rerecord everything that Gadd has ever done to up the level. don't you think. Corea ain't shit compared to this Horace silver BTW.

  • I saw Billy Cobham at a drum clinic a few years back. Someone asked him a straight question, are you right or left handed? He wouldn't give a straight answer. I tried to see him sign albums and autographs later, but the crowd was too dense. I suspect he is a left hander who plays a right handed kit. During the clinic he played traditional grip both right handed and left handed ^_^

  • billy cobham is a god!

  • What drums was he playing there?

  • @Psycho9263

    Meazzi Hollywood with a foot pedal tunable floor tom...very cool kit! Wish I coul stumble over one those...

  • @Psycho9263

    Meazzi Hollywood with a foot pedal tunable floor tom. Very cool kit!

  • Billy is so amazingly talented that I really don't think it matters.

  • These guys are good man...............

  • I always thought Cobham was a right handed player who played left hand lead, but he switches to trad grip in his right hand here? so he's actually left handed but with the kick on the right??

    anyone?

  • He leads with his left hand but uses his right foot on the kick, like Carter Beauford.

  • no no mang, carter beauford like billy cobham

  • yes!

    ......he's a lefty with the kick on the right.

    i used to play that way. now I play full left with the kick in my left.

    also I have seen someone right handed who played in a right set (all right) but he played left hand lead, he was starting the stickings with his left........ weird!

  • thanks for clearing that up. Some guys change their set-ups intentionally for a period, to train in their weaker side, so maybe that's what you saw?

    Most of us has enough to contend with figuring things out as they are ; )

  • what I saw was his natural playing!...very very weird!!

    As you said, it's very helpfull to change your set-up.....I used to do it in the past because of the fact that I was sharing a set with my friend and I was bored to changing it all the time!

    you train your balances very well....try it!

    best wishes!

  • You have to be able to do it both ways. I practice everything as much as possible with both hands doing the opposite parts. The only thing you don't try with your right hand is the traditional grip, that's only for the left.

  • Seems Billy would disagree with you pyro, as you see in this video he is playing on a drum set set up for a right handed player, but a couple times in this video is playing traditional grip with the right hand, NOT the left. BTW, at 65 years old, Cobham has lost nothing, and has even gotten better which is hard to fathom. He's STILL one of the funkiest drummers with some of the most incredible technique around.

  • But that's Billy though, my teacher said to not to use it on your right hand unless you are really really left handed and have the hihat on the right side as well.

  • pyro, Yes, I would agree with what your teacher says. But realize there are many ways to do the same thing. A good teacher will show you the tried and true methods that have been developed over the years. A good teacher should also tell you their way is not the only way. You learn the "rules" before you break the rules. In the end, a great drummer will play the way that is best for them after learning the standard methods. The teacher should also tell you to be open to all information available.

  • Sure thing, I'll also do that when people ask me about traditional grip.

  • It's just that some people just DON'T get the fact that it's unsafe to try it with both hands. So do you think I should refer them to this video so that they can see that it takes a LOT of practice and an immortal such as Billy Cobham to accomplish such a thing.

  • pyro, that's JUST NOT TRUE! Or maybe I misunderstand you. Please define "unsafe".

    What is unsafe? What will physically harm a drummer? If they hold trad grip like a left handed drummer on a right handed drum set?

    I suggest you go through Gary Chester's New Breed #1 book to dispel these notions you have that a right handed player should not learn things in a left handed way. Lot's of drummers do this. Carter Beauford and Lennie White are 2 more drummers for you to check out that do exactly this.

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  • pyro, how in the world can you say that Max Roach almost NEVER used traditional grip? That's just not true...again. Maybe towards the end of his life it would be true. Max's legendary recordings with Charlie Parker, then with Clifford Brown, then with his early groups he almost exclusively used traditional grip. You really need to research the whole history of such a legendary drummer before you make such a broad sweeping statement about that drummer.

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  • @irka6utu FYI billy cobham is not a lefty. he's truly right handed actually.

  • @McYaballow so, he's right handed but he plays the drums like a lefty (on the hands). it's rare but it happens... e.g. I play the drums fully as a left handed but I play the guitar as a right handed... I cannot in any other way!

    all these have to do with what you feel comfortable for you....

  • These Gentlemen are a gift to the world, y'all had better appreciate that.

  • And How!

  • bien ahi

  • scary thing is hes only like 23 or 24 here, lol.

  • Love the Les Dawson tribute @1:38.

    I guess only the UK guys will appreciate that one {:o |

  • This dude is fuckeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeen good in this it's not even funny. Who could give a rats ass how mediocre Dennis chambers is in comparison. WTF am I saying Chambers can't EVEN SWING!!!! God I like this and Tony Williams and Philly JOe so much.

  • Wonderful, thanks!

  • this is beautiful.

  • amazing

  • i think this is very rare video!! thx for upload!

  • This is even better than the Total Eclipse era when I discovered this master. I'm now certain that my decision to quit was correct, after seeing this so many years later. I could never master the instrument enough to say what I felt.

  • you are a weasel.