Wilbur James "Jimmy" Cobb (January 20, 1929 – May 24, 2020) was an American jazz drummer.[1] He was part of Miles Davis's First Great Sextet. At the time of his death, he had been the Sextet's last surviving member for nearly thirty years. He was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2009.
Jimmy Cobb
Cobb drumming c. 2008
Background information
Birth name
Wilbur James Cobb
Born
(1929-01-20)January 20, 1929 Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died
May 24, 2020(2020-05-24) (aged 91) Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Cobb was born in Washington, D.C., on January 20, 1929.[2][3] Before he began his music career, he listened to jazz albums and stayed awake into the late hours of the night to listen to Symphony Sid broadcasting from New York City.[4] Raised Catholic, he was also exposed to Church music.[5]
Cobb joined Miles Davis in 1958 as part of the latter's First Great Sextet,[3] after Adderley recommended him to Davis.[10] Cobb's best known recorded work is on Davis' Kind of Blue (1959).[11][12] Cobb was the last surviving player from the sessions, a distinction that, after Davis's death in 1991, he held for almost three decades.[2] He also played on other Davis albums, including Sketches of Spain (1960), Someday My Prince Will Come (1961), Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1962), In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete, and briefly on Porgy and Bess (1959) and Sorcerer.[2][3] His subtle and understated demeanor drew the admiration of many including Davis.[2][13] However, this also meant that he did not get the same level of recognition that his fellow drummers would.[2] Cobb had the propensity to eschew publicity and did not record his first set as bandleader until 1983,[14] with the release of So Nobody Else Can Hear.[6]
In June 2008, Jimmy Cobb was the recipient of the Don Redman Heritage Award.[25] On October 17, 2008, Cobb was one of six artists to receive the 2009 National Endowment for the Arts NEA Jazz Masters award.[26]
Personal life and deathedit
Cobb was married to Eleana Steinberg Cobb until his death. Together, they had two daughters, Serena and Jaime, both of whom survived him.[2]
Cobb died on May 24, 2020, at his home in Manhattan. He was 91 and had been suffering from lung cancer.[2]
^Ron Wynn. "Jimmy Cobb – Biography". AllMusic. Archived from the original on May 8, 2015. Retrieved July 12, 2011.
^ abcdefghWeiner, Natalie (May 25, 2020). "Jimmy Cobb, The Pulse Of 'Kind Of Blue,' Dies At 91". NPR. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^ abcdeHelmore, Edward (May 25, 2020). "Jimmy Cobb, drummer on Miles Davis's Kind of Blue, dies aged 91". The Guardian. London. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Sharp, David (August 20, 2019). "'Kind of Blue' drummer still keeping time as album turns 60". Associated Press News. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^"Bledsoe: Knoxville Jazz Festival headliner sunny 50 years after 'Blue'". knoxnews.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
^ abcReed, Ryan; Shteamer, Hank (May 25, 2020). "Jazz Drummer Jimmy Cobb, Who Played on Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue,' Dead at 91". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Hart, Ron (August 17, 2019). "As 'Kind of Blue' Turns 60, Drummer Jimmy Cobb Shares Miles Davis Memories". Billboard. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^ ab"Jimmy Cobb – Bio". National Endowment for the Arts. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^ ab"Jimmy Cobb". Vail Daily. July 7, 2004. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^ abContreras, Russell (May 25, 2020). "Jimmy Cobb, 'Kind of Blue' drummer for Miles Davis, dies". Associated Press News. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^"All-Time 100 Albums – Kind of Blue". Time Entertainment. January 27, 2010. Archived from the original on March 1, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
^"The Dozens: The Golden Anniversary of Porgy and Bess". Jazz.com. Archived from the original on January 7, 2014. Retrieved August 30, 2008.
^ abcdeBernstein, Adam (May 25, 2020). "Jimmy Cobb, consummate jazz drummer for Miles Davis, dies at 91". The Washington Post. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^ abcAswad, Jem (May 25, 2020). "Jimmy Cobb, Last Surviving Member of Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' Band, Dies at 91". Variety. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^ abDillon, Nancy (May 25, 2020). "Jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb, last surviving member of Miles Davis' 'Kind of Blue' sextet, dies at 91". Daily News. New York. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Litweiler, John (March 1, 2003). "George Coleman/Mike Stern/Ron Carter/Jimmy Cobb: 4 Generations of Miles". JazzTimes. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Owsley, Dennis (April 29, 2016). "The Career Of Jimmy Cobb". St. Louis Public Radio. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Edwards, Michael (June 1, 2004). "David "Fathead" Newman: Song for the New Man". JazzTimes. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Was, David (September 1, 2006). "Geri Allen's 'Timeless Portraits and Dreams'". NPR. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Verrastro, Scott (November 29, 2006). "Bassist Walter Booker Dies at 72". JazzTimes. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^"Jazz Events". The New York Times. June 28, 1982. p. C13. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Chinen, Nate (January 20, 2017). "A Take Five Salute to Jimmy Cobb, the Consummate Hard-Bop Drummer". WBGO. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^"JJ 09/59: Miles Davis – Porgy And Bess". Jazz Journal. September 1959. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^Kahn, Ashley (November 1, 2003). "Jimmy Cobb: The Reluctant Don". JazzTimes. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^"Jimmy Cobb, jazz drums". MSU College of Music. Michigan State University. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
^"NEA Jazz Masters – Jimmy Cobb". Washington: National Endowment for the Arts. Archived from the original on March 23, 2014. Retrieved March 11, 2014.
^"Jimmy Cobb | Album Discography | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
External linksedit
Jimmy Cobb - Legendary Jazz Drummer – includes full discography