Billy Cobham

Jazz/Fusion Drummer Billy Cobham quietly and humbly makes his entrance on stage, takes his place behind a mountain range of drums and cymbals and proceeds to musically blow the roof off Variety Playhouse. His cast of supporting musicians guitarist Dean Brown, keyboardist Gary Husbands and bassist Ric Fierabracci performed well above par playing past Spectrum jams and riveting solos.

Bill Cobham and his band have made an impressive show , music from new album is high quality and all musicians are at their top , this sow is a must !

The show was great, even though you'd think revisiting songs off his early 70s album, Crosswinds, would sound dated. Many of the songs had newer arrangements, and all of the songs were executed at a very high level by Billy and his band. As a drummer, I've always admired Billy Cobham for his unique style....not to mention his composing skills! He plays with 100% commitment, as always, and has managed to forge a singular place for himself in the music business. All-around a very inspiring performance and I highly recommend checking it out!

Great Show. Billy "Still Got It"! First Show for reopened Sony Hall -- Staff did a great job

This was a great show. I'm so glad I finally got to see Billy Cobham! I love the venue. The only reason I gave it 4 stars and not 5 is that I don't love sitting sideways to the stage and turning my head the whole time, but it's fine once in a while.

Top-notch band delivered all night- great show. I'd see them again anytime anywhere any place.

The band was tight and great the crowd was there For the music Billy Cobham a great concert

Almost 2 hr of continuous high energy, complex, virtuoso music. I purchased tickets months ago in anticipation of visiting NY and was our first of five nights in the Big Apple. It was hard to beat (no pun intended).

My husband is the drummer in the household !! But I was totally and completely amazed by Billys' playing, and the beautiful melodies that they played. The guitar player caught my eye immediately because he was dancing from the start !! The piano player and his chops and tones were amazing. He used a moog synthesizer like effect that was perfectly placed, and left us wanting more! Bass player, too !! Each player was given ample solos, and they left us wanting more also. Billy, a gracious kind and thankful, humble drummer has not lost a chop!! This was well worth the time and money !! Cant wait to see him again!!

Billy Cobham at 71 has more musicianship than most drummers half his age. He may not be as bombastic as he once was, but he hits the accents that are essential and is still Mr. Precise. He legitimized match grip. As a drummer he influenced me more than any other single drummer, giving me his unique fills and approach that I could then use in bars. Of course I can't play like Cobham, I can't even figure out what he's doing sometimes. But as intimidating as he sounds, he basically inspires me to want to set up a fusion jam in my basement and just work on my chops. Billy Cobham is a remarkable drummer in the history of music. Anyone studying drums should have been there to learn. And whoever was running the sound did a fantastic job - i heard every tiny snare drum beat. Thanks Billy! You are the best.

I was amazed at the way Mr Cobham played. He had the energy of a 20 year as he played. He still had the skill set I remebered from back in the day. I didn't know he was still performing until I saw the calender for the Birchmere. What a great show.

I've seen Billy numerous times and he still has what it takes to amaze me. The man is 70yrs young and doesn't look a day over 50. He has the energy of a 20yr old when playing. His bass player was killing it too..

Absolutely fabulous concert!! The sound was amazing !! Lots of energy and great vibes. Billy was tremendous at 70 years old!!!!! Non-stop jazz fusion. Highly recommend you see this band whenver you can.

Bill Cobham is an amazing drummer! The Spectrum 40 Band was awesome and the entire band really clicked. They demonstrated that they all really enjoy what they do and put on a wonderful performance!

I've been a fan since seeing Billy Cobham playing with the Mahavishnu Orchestra back in 1972. He was amazing then and he is amazing now. He has a new band, Spectrum 40, and they are extremely talented and tight. Don't second guess yourself if Cobham and his buddies are in town, just go.

He had a great keyboard player and lead guitar player. I had never seen any of these musicians play but they were all very good. Great show. Great venue. Great drummer. What a powerhouse. He can litterly make the room vibrate, especially when he gets into his double bass drums. Pure thunder! You can feel it in your chest. If you get the chance to see Bily Cobham, do it.

The hall was a refurbished movie hall, a great place to see anyone. The fact that i sat 2nd row center didn't hurt, but it was the man himself and his incredible band that made my night. Billy joked with the audience and introduced songs and played Heather (from Crosswinds) live to a very appreciative (albeit small) audience. He invited the audience to a meet and greet and I took advantage of that to shake his hand. This man is history.His band was Dean Brown Guitar, Ric Fierbracci -Bass (5 string) Gary Husband on keys. That's the same gary husband who is famous for his drumming skills. It was a 10 star concert as far as I was concerned.

It was as if we saw one of the best jazz (or any kind) of drummer in the world. I saw him play about 40 years ago and it seems he hasn't missed a beat!!! Although the band had great musicians their part of the music bogged down occassionally and then Conham would do something outragious and help me refocus. When he came to the microphone to talk about the pieces we had heard or were about to hear he appeared sincere, engaging and clearly wanted to please the audience. I was disappointed to see the wonderful venue less than half full but he didn't seem to mind and put together a really special set.

My husband was given the album Spectrum by a friend when he was a young man and he absolutely loved it. He is not a drummer either. When he found out that Billy Cobham was doing the 40 year anniversary concert, we just had to go, and we were not disappointed. In fact, we were amazed at how lively and entertaining and yet so humble this artist is after all these years!

Billy Cobham is first class. The entire performance was fantastic. It was good to see him behind his regular D-Bass kit. The percussion sounds were very familiar. Thanks for booking him at a great venue Variety. He is a must see anytime.

- Billy Cobham sat like a buddha behind the drums, taking the audience with him on an exploration of how drums can and should be played. Playing with and without drum sticks, painting the room with sounds, always impressive and even subtle at times. Even after displaying his mastery of the instrument, you sensed his humility and appreciation for the audience and fans. - I have always been a Jerry Goodman fan and he was absolutely awesome. It amazes me how he can blend his violin into the music, yet stand out when he wants to show you what he can do. His presence was a major bonus and he was awesome. - Watching Dean Brown on guitar was like watching bacon fry, you couldn't wait for what came next. Versatile and engaging, it was my first time seeing him live and hope to see him again. His past music associations are like a who's who of jazz greats. He was a show unto himself. - Ric Fierabracci brought Billy's compositions to life, especially that driving bass line in 'Spectrum'. Forgive the comparison, but when Ric got to solo his experimentation reminded me of Jaco Pastorius with his subtlety and playfulness. I was amazed at the sounds he was able to produce yet keep the band together with his rhythm.

No let-down, that's for sure. Five great musicians collaborating with a surprisingly-restrained+tasteful Billy COBHAM <guess 40yrs will so slice the previously fanatic, all-out young-man chops>...And it's all for the best. People who still long for the top-gear Mahavishnu-delivery just have to settle back & enjoy this version of Billy. For me, I was especially grateful to hear Jerry GOODMAN's electric-violin chops!

Really enjoyed the show, beyond my expectations. I figured it would be fun and somewhat of a nostalgia trip. It was much better than that. Great solos and interplay by all the band members. Billy still has that insistent beat that's special for a drummer but never overwhelms the rest of the band. Jerry Goodman's violin gave it a great Mahavishnu orchestra-like sound. Dean Brown on guitar is very versatile and did some nice solos. Nice mix of funky, rocking, and jazzy music.

The band not only showed the genius of Cobham, as composer and performer, but also that of each of the members. The complexity and beauty of the compositions were shown by the unsurpassed quality of each of the performers. Mr Cobham was very gracious meeting his fans after the concert. Highly recommended for any fan of the rock-fusion genre.

Cobham carefully picked some excellent fusion musicians for this tour, and he allowed them each to showcase a song or two of their own. There were only three songs from the Spectrum album, but they were the memorable ones. The quality of this show was excellent--fantastic, in fact. The only bone I had with the whole thing was that they only played for 1 1/4 hours. Bottom line is that this is the purest fusion tour I have seen in years, and it was wonderful. I highly recommend seeing it.