Billy Cobham: Past and Present on ‘Times of My Life’
The drummer on Miles Davis, Mahavishnu Orchestra, ‘Spectrum’ and ‘Times of My Life’.
Billy Cobham has been part of the story of jazz fusion for more than fifty years, although he has never seemed particularly interested in taking much credit for it. He recorded with Miles Davis, joined John McLaughlin in the original Mahavishnu Orchestra, and then made ‘Spectrum’, a record that went on to influence musicians well beyond jazz.
Cobham himself tends to talk about those years rather differently. When we interviewed him in 2021 and asked about the drummers who had shaped him, he spoke about Elvin Jones, Tony Williams, Art Blakey, Roy Haynes and Louis Bellson before describing himself simply as “the other drummer”.
When we spoke again in 2025, he remembered ‘Spectrum’ as a way of showing what he could do as a player and producer. What happened to the record afterwards was another matter.
His new album, ‘Times of My Life’, reaches back across different parts of his catalogue. ‘A Little Travelin’ Music’, ‘Total Eclipse’, ‘Tinseltown’ and the title track sit alongside newer pieces including ‘Bombay Chill’, ‘Red Moon’ and ‘Mescalero’.
Last year Cobham told us that he likes to approach older music by “infusing the present into the past”. That is heard on ‘Times of My Life’.
Several of the questions in the following interview were sent to Billy Cobham by John Wisniewski. The remaining questions and editorial text are by It’s Psychedelic Baby Magazine.
“I saw myself as just another passenger”
Your name is closely connected with the early history of jazz fusion. Did you feel at the time that you were helping to create something new?
Billy Cobham: The concept of jazz fusion began, in my opinion, with the release of a Miles Davis LP entitled ‘E.S.P.’ [released in 1965]. It was not my idea to set any standard that would attribute to me, as a reflection of my personal musical philosophy, an influence on the platform.
I saw myself as just another passenger who chose to hitch a ride on that particular “bus”. Reason: it was the most agreeable thing to do and took no effort to participate in helping to establish and solidify its foundation.
And here we are today.
What were you listening to during the 1960s?
The Jazz Crusaders, Miles Davis, ‘Birth of the Cool’, Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, Cannonball Adderley, Stan Kenton, Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Oscar Peterson, Charlie Parker, Les Double Six de Paris, Dizzy Gillespie, Gil Evans and Orchestra USA.
Did rock become part of your listening too? Are there musicians whose influence you can still hear in your own playing?
I tend to listen to rock music that I can relate to as much as I can. The rock platform is quite extensive and deeply rich, so I allow myself to keep an open mind regarding what to focus upon, requiring personality, involvement, quality and subject matter.
Influences that can be heard in my performances arrive from many different individuals, groups and environments, so I find this difficult to spotlight with any specificity in mind.
You have previously said that the ‘Jack Johnson’ session was one of the Miles Davis recordings where everything seemed to work. What do you remember most about that session?
Miles had a way of matching up musicians with the music to be performed. I learned much from him in this regard and have incorporated this “fundamental” element in my productions.
In the ‘Jack Johnson’ production, Miles chose to give us the latitude to be freely creative in the way that the music was developed in real time and presented in the recording session. ‘Jack Johnson’ was music for a documentary soundtrack. My participation in its development made up less than two hours of the required three-hour recording session set for that production.
The musicians included Michael Henderson on bass, John McLaughlin on guitar, Herbie Hancock on keys, Steve Grossman on saxophone, Miles and me.
He knew what he had before we played it.
‘Spectrum’ reached number one on the jazz chart and became one of the records most closely associated with you. What did that success feel like at the time?
To be voted by my peers in a positive way was and will always be a BIG PLUS for me.
‘Spectrum’ being acknowledged as a top hit caught me by surprise. It felt good, of course.
What was working in the Mahavishnu Orchestra actually like? Did it feel creatively fulfilling at the time?
Working with the Mahavishnu Orchestra was the equivalent of working in a post-graduate atmosphere, where I was able to explore much of the “unknown” and come away with a deeper understanding of the “why”, “who” and the “when” in music.
To say that it was fulfilling would be a gross understatement.
‘Times of My Life’ brings together music from very different periods of your career. What made you want to return to those pieces now?
‘Times of My Life’ is the title of my recording production. It reflects highlights of certain periods of my performances and productions from 1973 to the present.
We have produced a CD and an LP.
The song list reads as such:
‘Times of My Life’
‘A Little Travelin’ Music’
‘Total Eclipse’
‘Bombay Chill’
‘Spectral Wheel’
‘Red Moon’
‘Mescalero’
‘Tinseltown’
‘Mescalero Reprise’
When I complete my productions I am always excited on all levels.
Billy Cobham Website / Facebook / Instagram / X
