Concert celebrates jazz album anniversary
Melissa Cowan
Issue date: 10/12/09 Section: Culture
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And the only surviving original member of the band, Jimmy Cobb, and his "So What" Band are celebrating the milestone with a world tour.
They will play on Oct. 17 at the Gem Theater in Kansas City as part of the 13th annual American Jazz Museum's "Jammin' at the Gem" concert series.
"This was a time when music was changing," said Cobb, of when the album was made. "It was a lot of show tunes and chord changes - this album was completely different from that. … Something magical was happening."
The music on Kind of Blue has fewer notes and chords.
"It's harder to improvise off of that little bit of material," Cobb said. "But the guys Miles had in the band could handle it."
Cobb started playing drums when he was 15 years old. Growing up in Washington, he said he "used to hear a lot of good music."
One of his friends was a drummer.
"I had some jazz records," Cobb said. "We used to sit around and listen to them. And we used to play along with them with our fingers on the side of the table. … It was the beginning of be-bop."
Cobb was inspired by a variety of musicians, including Max Roach, Kenny Clarke, Charlie Parker and, of course, Davis, just to name a few.
When he decided he wanted to learn how to really play, it wasn't a simple feat.
Cobb was raised by his single mother. She didn't have the money to buy him a drum set.
"So, I had to get a job," Cobb said.
He worked multiple jobs to save up money, with the ultimate goal of pursuing his dreams in music.
He worked in a pharmacy with his mother, as a bus boy and as a dishwasher.
"Back in those days, pharmacies had counters where you could get ice cream sundaes and all that stuff," Cobb said.
Eventually, he saved up some money.
But when he went to buy drums, he still didn't have enough.
Since he had a job, however, the salesman made a deal with him.
"(The salesman) said, 'You seem like you really want to do this,'" Cobb said.
So he let Cobb make weekly payments. But he had no idea the favor he had done, not just for Cobb, but for jazz music as a whole.
At the time, Cobb said there was no jazz radio station in his neighborhood.
"I used to listen to a jazz station that came in from New York," he said.
The station played jazz from midnight to 6 a.m. And Cobb stayed up all night to hear it.
"Then I tried to get up and go to school at 8 a.m. Most of the time that didn't happen," he said with a laugh.
Cobb finally got his first real start playing in Washington.
At 21, he began traveling and played with various musicians, including Billie Holiday.
"Music was the best thing to happen to me," Cobb said.
He has played all over the world, but he looks forward to coming back to Kansas City.
"I always like Kansas City," Cobb said. "I'm always interested in going there."
To purchase tickets to the Kind of Blue 50th Anniversary, call 816-474-6262 or visit www.ticketmaster.com.
Tickets are also available at the door.
mcowan@unews.com
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