SPECTRUM

Panamanian born BILLY COBHAM moved to the USA at the tender age of 3 and started playing drums the very next year at 4 in his new Brooklyn, NY based place of youth and would go on to study at The High School of Music & Art. Unfortunately COBHAM got drafted into the US Army in 1965 but escaped the battlefields of Vietnam by playing in the US Army band but it was after his discharge when his career really took off when he played with Horace Silver and as a session musician for bands such as CTI and Kudu. After a short gig in the band Dreams with other jazz greats like Michael Brecker, Randy Brecker and John Abercombie, COBHAM hit the big time by appearing on Miles Davis' early contributions to the fledgling jazz-fusion scene on the classic albums 'Bitches Brew' and 'A Tribute To Jack Johnson.'

It was playing with Miles where BILLY met another up and coming jazz-fusionist, John McLaughlin and the two would continue on to start one of the early 70s most revered bands in the form of the Mahavishnu Orchestra which took jazz, rock and ethnic fusion into the stratosphere and in the process created one of the most successful progressive bands of the entire era. The band played extensive gigs and released three albums but none of the members were really interested in the glory of rock star superstardom and the pressures and fatigue set in and the band fell apart. Fresh from the exhaustive journey with the Mahavishnus, BILLY COBHAM wasted no time working on his own material for his solo album and after recruiting a handful of talented musicians to accompany him on his new endeavors. The wheels were greased for the making of BILLY's debut release SPECTRUM which emerged in 1973 just as the Mahavishnu Orchestra was calling it quits.

In many ways SPECTRUM was a recap of COBHAM's previous works with Miles Davis, the Mahavishnu Orchestra with the funk jazz of artists like Herbie Hancock. The album consists of six tracks of which three have subparts used as intros. The album is basically a mix of two lineups with COBHAM leading the way behind his massive drum kits along with keyboardist Jan Hammer following his footsteps fresh from the Mahavishnus himself. The rest of the musicians were technically sessions musicians with guitarist and future Deep Purple member Tommy Bolin and bassist Lee Sklar playing on four tracks ("Quadrant 4", "Taurian Matador", "Stratus" and "Red Baron') and saxist, flautist Joe Farrell, flugelhorn player and trumpets Jimmy Owens, guitarist John Tropea, acoustic bassist Ron Carter and conga player Ray Barretto playing on the other two tracks ("Spectrum" and "Le Lis.')

This was COBHAM's debut as a composer and he steered his new musical creation into extremely diverse territories that offer a taste of the fiery bombast of what the Mahavishnu Orchestra offered as well as tender atmospheric funk driven grooves that offer touches of the zeitgeist of 60s psychedelia along with the Panamanian Latin roots of COBHAM's origins. The album was also a surprise hit for COBHAM as it hit #1 on the jazz album charts and #26 on the Billboard album charts signifying that the fans were along for the ride for COBHAM's next musical career change. The album is electrified from the very beginning as 'Quadrant 4' opens with an eruption of percussive beats and a ripping guitar solo that continues to build up steam until the bass and keys join into generate a top notch funkified jazz-fusion sound that marries the jazz-fusion sensibilities of Miles Davis with a fiery brand of heavy rock in the vein of Led Zeppelin, Deep Purple and many other popular bands of the era.

After the no nonsense opening bravado, 'Searching For The Right Door / Spectrum' begins the process of more thoughtful jazz fueled compositions. Once again opening with a strong drumming solo performance the track bursts into the guitar free zone with the emphasis firmly placed on the Moog synthesizer, flute and ever present groovy bass. The track takes on some Mahavishnu characteristic with demanding time signature changes and keyboard tradeoffs along with some sizzling sax workouts along with a tremendously tempestuous trumpet performance. 'Anxiety / Taurian Matador' as the name implies begins with a fiery heavy rock drum soloing intro before another cleverly composed mix of jazz, rock and funk only Bolin's guitar antics that began the album are on full display once again.

'Stratus' exhibits a more disciplined restraint with subtle atmospheric constructs slowly percolating up to the point COBHAM begins to deliver another stellar drumming frenzy with some experimental electronic keyboard touches but ultimate three minutes in the track turns into a groovy bass driven track with funk guitar only augmented with jazzy chord progressions and a controlled series of guitar licks that lead to more energetic outbursts of freneticism that manage to maintain a firm grip on the overall melodic construct. 'To The Woman In My Life / Le Lis' starts out as a piano ballad but quickly becomes a swinging sultry display of a groovy bass along with beautiful wind instrumentation. It's also unusual in that COBHAM didn't play on the track and allowed Hammer to create an unaccompanied piano piece. The album ends as brilliantly as it began with the ridiculously cool 'Snoopy's Search / Red Baron' which starts a series of experimental synthesized sound effects that sound like something off of a Klaus Schulze or Tangerine Dream album before finishing the album off with another strong jazz-fusion meets keyboard funk number with the now well established virtuosic displays of percussive drives and keyboard wizardry.

SPECTRUM may not have been as revolutionary as COBHAM's works with Davis or the Mahavishnus but what he does accomplish on his debut album is to prove once and for all why COBHAM has been designated as THE top drummer in all the world of the jazz- fusion. Not only does he display a cool as a cucumber approach of restraint and a healthy mix of both allowing the other musicians to have their moments as well as letting loose himself but he also showcased his abilities as a composer that nurtured six super strong tracks into fruition. I have to admit that SPECTRUM was somewhat of a grower. It struck me instantly as a 4 star album for its brilliant performances but only after several listens did the subtle start to seep into my consciousness. SPECTRUM may not be a free for all display of virtuosic wankery that defined the Mahavishnu Orchestra and it may not carry the same abstract detachment and musical construct of the more surreal moments of Miles Davis but rather it took elements from both and crafted a more accessible funk fueled visionary approach that would be made popular by fellow jazz artists like Herbie Hancock. In other words, this is a flawless and totally fun album.