“It just sounded good,” Jimmy Cobb told MD in a 1979 interview. “And it just seemed to get better as it got older.” This is a colossal understatement. The “good” album the humble drummer is referring to is Kind of Blue, the Miles Davis disc he played on that is an indisputable pillar of jazz history and the best-selling jazz record of all time, well-surpassing sales of five million. And “understatement” also partially characterizes the powerfully swinging non-flamboyant, commanding drumming that made Cobb one of the most sought-after and recorded drummers in jazz history. The best-known title in an expansive, influential discography, Kind of Blue (1959) captures Cobb masterfully piloting Miles’ legendary sextet—alto saxophonist Cannonball Adderley, bassist Paul Chambers, tenor saxophonist John Coltrane, and pianist Bill Evans (with Wynton Kelly on one track)—through a set of modally colored compositions with smooth, irresistible swing and exquisite touch. In addition, his keen […]

November 2020 Issue