Six Days at Ronnie Scott's: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation Paperback – May 28, 2018

Great stories are only great when told by great story tellers and Gruber is top draw, because, this is a great story! The author manages to capture the very essence of the brilliant Mr. Cobham, a musician who has been thrilling us with his musical artistry, for the past 50 years and who mischievously continues to confuse and evade the jazz police’s facile labels. An underrated composer with a prodigious body of work, Billy Cobham is deadly serious about the art of playing drums and is a man who doesn’t suffer fools easily.There are occasional displays of mild irritation at Gruber’s line of questioning, but Gruber, no acolyte, persists and is rewarded with Cobham’s no holds barred responses. I’m guessing this is because there is trust between author and subject. Vignettes like declining Stan Getz’ widow’s request to play Israel or his take on Keith Emerson of ELP and of course, stories of Miles and of him declining Miles’ offer to join the band and then there is the Jan Hammer interview, just some of the gems you will find in this book.Revelations of his troubled relationship with John McLaughlin are simply riveting and this chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Occasionally funny, but mostly a raw and painful account of their relationship when both were members of the highly successful Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s.From his early years as the son of immigrant parents from Panama to his painful relationship growing up with his musician father, to his difficult and ultimately strained relationship with John McLaughlin, Cobham holds nothing back. Refreshingly, when asked awkward questions, Cobham, seems to have no filter, but a reckless respect for the truth.If you really want to know what makes Billy Cobham tick, then buy this book. It is a moving and intimate account of a complex, sensitive and passionate musical giant. To quote Frank Black: “There are secrets being told here. If you listen closely you can spot them”.D Shah

If you're a jazz fan, you know the name Billy Cobham: legendary drummer who helped Miles Davis, and then the Mahavishnu Orchestra, re-write jazz history during the 1970s. The self-appointed jazz police of the time wanted Mr. Cobham and his ilk arrested for their jazz/rock/fusion genre. But the times, they were a changin' and the music form evolved and captured new listeners with help from the likes of Billy Cobham and friends.This book takes me back to my college days at Long Beach City College when the Mahavishnu Orchestra was my gateway to the wide world of jazz. Author Brian Gruber lets Mr. Cobham and many others tell the story in their own words; a story encompassing six decades of Cobham's musical history, along with six days of much more recent gigs at London's iconic Ronnie Scott's jazz club.Full disclosure: How could I possibly know when I was a college kid in the mid-70s listening to Billy Cobham's band at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, that someday a photograph I would make of Mr. Cobham some 40 years later, would end up on the cover of a book? It happened and that makes this book all the sweeter.

Brian Gruber did an amazing job! In lieu of a standard BIOGRAPHY or AuotBIO, his unique format for this book has interviews with current band mates & composers. Also past band mates.Billy Cobham speaks very DIRECT & honest.I wish the book was 600 pages.Great read and insight inside a WORLCLASS musician. The Author has probed deep. Also the current 6 Night big band shows during the interviews keeps the reader from living in the past.Brian G leaves the reader to consider (or perhaps - re-consider!) the powerful body of work by BC since his days with MO.I love that , as a reader and avid BC fan, that I was not forced to dwell on the MO period . And yet the author elicited very brutally honest comments about John McLaughlin and that period. Billy Cobham’s early period with Billy Taylor et al is fascinating.Again, great insight to the personal feelings of a WORLD CLASS MUSICIAN.Thanks to author Brian Gruber.Mike PaschallPhiladelphia PA

I have been a fan of Billy Cobham since 1973 when I first heard him on a recording with Dreams. Later, I heard Billy with the Mahavishnu Orchestra. Wow! The intricate music and the musicianship was amazing. I started buying Billy's solo material and he demonstrated musicianship along with excellent song writing skills. This book is outstanding both for long time Cobham fans and for those who have just started listening to this master musician. The author gives insight into Billy's development with some of the jazz greats, like Dr. Billy Taylor, and gives a history of Billy's solo career. This is an absolute must read any jazz fan.

I have been lucky enough to meet Bill, study under his tutelage and get to know him. Brian Gruber has really done a great job of giving us a peek into Bill's view on life, music, and great stories from so far, a life well lived. I think if you are a Jazz, Fusion, Rock music lover, you need to pick up a copy of Six Days at Ronnie Scott's. Brian is a great writer and his style is such that he puts you right into the middle of these day in the life conversations he was part of while writing this book.

Brian Gruber's fantastic new book about the legendary drummer Billy Cobham, "Six Days At Ronnie Scott's", is perhaps the greatest tome ever written about one of the most influential musicians of this, or any era... An absolute page turner that I couldn't put down from the moment I first read it. Gruber captures Cobham's anecdotes, insights, and humor like no one before him... A must read for music lovers and musicians alike...

I enjoyed reading Brian Gruber's wide-ranging discussions with Billy Cobham and musicians who have played with him. From the mundane to the deeply insightful, it offers a glimpse into the world of those obsessed with creating good music, and gave me a much better appreciation of Cobham's determination and work ethic.

Finalmente un libro su una leggenda vivente del drumming mondiale di tutti i tempi!Un visione del mondo della musica sotto forma di intervista a un batterista che ha rivoluzionato la batteria agli inizi degli anni 70...dopo niente sara'piu' come prima!