Lee Sklar on Billy Cobhams Spectrum

John Wentzien · #1 04-22-2008, 04:38 PM

I always thought Lee's playing was particularly inspired on this album. It has cuts with Ron Carter on upright also.
Not to mention Tommy Bolin, and Jan Hammer.
Worth a listen Guys!

John Wentzien · #2 04-22-2008, 05:09 PM

I guess it's all about gear now... sad ..

PocketGroove82 · #3 04-22-2008, 06:12 PM

Lee is awesome...Billy has only one dynamic.
I love'em both!

JimK · #4 04-22-2008, 07:45 PM

Spectrum has long been regarded as a seminal Fusion album.

Ever read Will Lee's story about it? He was supposed to be the bassist...IIRC, Cobham told him he needed to get his tone happenin' if he ever wanted to record.

fr3tl3ssjunki3 · #5 09-06-2008, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by John Wentzien

I always thought Lee's playing was particularly inspired on this album. It has cuts with Ron Carter on upright also.
Not to mention Tommy Bolin, and Jan Hammer.
Worth a listen Guys!

One of my favorite albums! Tommy was one of my guitar heroes (probably #2.)

ElMon · #6 09-06-2008, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimK

Spectrum has long been regarded as a seminal Fusion album.

Ever read Will Lee's story about it? He was supposed to be the bassist...IIRC, Cobham told him he needed to get his tone happenin' if he ever wanted to record.

I believe Will was using a hot-rodded Pbass with added pickups and a preamp. I believe it was in a Bassplayer issue that I read that.

loendmaestro · #7 09-06-2008, 09:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr3tl3ssjunki3

One of my favorite albums! Tommy was one of my guitar heroes (probably #2.)

Right on! Tommy is so woefully underrated. One of the late, greats.....

jerry · #8 09-06-2008, 09:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by fr3tl3ssjunki3

One of my favorite albums! Tommy was one of my guitar heroes (probably #2.)

He was on fire for that album, one of my favorite guitar albums ever. When they throw around the word "incendiary" in reviews, this is one album where it was very true. It seemed they all had something to prove with that album, a motive that matched up perfect for early fusion. IMHO

Hoover · #9 09-07-2008, 09:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PocketGroove82

Billy has only one dynamic.

I'm not sure if you're specifically referring to his playing on Spectrum (and it's been a long time since I've listened to that album) or just his playing in general, but everything I've heard Billy Cobham play in the past 15 or 20 years has exhibited a stunningly wide dynamic range, as well as impressively precise control over those dynamics. Yeah, he can be kinda bombastic at times, but he's one of the few virtuosos who can be bombastic at a pianissimo when he desires.

fr3tl3ssjunki3 · #10 09-10-2008, 11:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Hoover

Yeah, he can be kinda bombastic at times, but he's one of the few virtuosos who can be bombastic at a pianissimo when he desires.

Like Ron Howden of Nektar. He's all over the kit, but can play whisper quiet and still make you feel it.

zac2944 · #11 09-10-2008, 11:25 AM

One of my all time favorite albums. I've learned a lot from every musician on it; not just the bass. Try transcribing some of those keyboard or guitar lines. Great stuff!

KJung · #12 09-10-2008, 11:47 AM

Spectrum really blew us all away back in the day. Sklar said that is the session he is the most proud of in an interview a while back.

I'm actually going to the Bill Cobham Spectrum concert tonight in Detroit (at the Jazz Cafe in Music Hall). The band is Dean Brown (Marcus' guitarist), Tom Coster (the Santana guy from way back) on keys, and I believe Victor Bailey on bass.

While obviously not the original band (Bolin passed away years ago), it will be fun to hear those tunes again.

jerry · #13 09-10-2008, 07:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

I'm actually going to the Bill Cobham Spectrum concert tonight in Detroit (at the Jazz Cafe in Music Hall). The band is Dean Brown (Marcus' guitarist), Tom Coster (the Santana guy from way back) on keys, and I believe Victor Bailey on bass.

Oh man, I would dig that show!

emblymouse · #14 09-10-2008, 07:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Spectrum really blew us all away back in the day. Sklar said that is the session he is the most proud of in an interview a while back.

I'm actually going to the Bill Cobham Spectrum concert tonight in Detroit (at the Jazz Cafe in Music Hall). The band is Dean Brown (Marcus' guitarist), Tom Coster (the Santana guy from way back) on keys, and I believe Victor Bailey on bass.

While obviously not the original band (Bolin passed away years ago), it will be fun to hear those tunes again.

Wow, I didn't realize that was an ongoing thing. I still have my old vinyl copy and I still spin it. It's like a swingin' Mahavishnu!

KJung · #15 09-10-2008, 08:09 PM

Just got back from the show. It was just 'OK'. Very little chemistry between Victor Bailey and Cobham. Cobham also seems to have lost a step. It was kind of like seeing a great ballplayer like Willie Mays or Mantle who played one season too long.

It was enjoyable, and the history thing of seeing Cobham and Coster (who sounded GREAT) was very cool. However, the time felt funny all night, and the playing by both Cobham and especially Bailey was suprisingly sloppy to me (of course, I'd love to play half as well as those guys, but you know what I mean... it just wasn't quite right to me).

Dean Brown played with a lot of emotion, but his playing sounded very 'Berklee'.... fast, strung together modes without saying a whole lot.

I hate to bang on them, but it was kind of a sad performance for me.

Brad Johnson · #16 09-10-2008, 08:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Spectrum really blew us all away back in the day. Sklar said that is the session he is the most proud of in an interview a while back.

I'm actually going to the Bill Cobham Spectrum concert tonight in Detroit (at the Jazz Cafe in Music Hall). The band is Dean Brown (Marcus' guitarist), Tom Coster (the Santana guy from way back) on keys, and I believe Victor Bailey on bass.

While obviously not the original band (Bolin passed away years ago), it will be fun to hear those tunes again.

They're here tomorrow night... and I can't go. I'm a big Cobham, Dean Briown and Victor Bailey fan.

Edit: Just read Ken's post. Thanks for the heads up.

KJung · #17 09-11-2008, 05:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad Johnson

They're here tomorrow night... and I can't go. I'm a big Cobham, Dean Briown and Victor Bailey fan.

Edit: Just read Ken's post. Thanks for the heads up.

One thing that was clear is that Cobham is a very cool guy. He sounded very thankful to be gigging, and some of his comments were a little sad (he mentioned that he was so appreciative of the Detroit audiences, since he rarely gets that kind of reaction anymore.). Very nice cat, and of course a legend.

It was kind of strange hearing those huge, open tuned toms again. I'm so used to the younger cats with those high tuned, somewhat muted small toms, small bass drums, etc. Billy's kit sounded HUGE.

I think maybe the main issue I was hearing was just a clashing of styles (along with Billy being thirty years older than the last time I saw him). Each player in the band seems to have come from a totally different place musically, stylistically, etc., and it just didn't fuse in to a 'band sort of thing'. One of the things I love about the Spectrum disc is the groove... as mentioned above, it swings, which makes the chops very musical. The notes were there last night, but the groove was not.

Victor's live tone was strange. I'm not really that familiar with him (I tried to listen to the late Weather Report and Zawinal stuff, but too much 'one change modal noodlin' for my taste). Interestingly, I just watched his Fender video where he talks about his bass, and the tone on that was very similar to what I heard last night. It was basically a 'bridge only Jazz Bass tone (which I typically dig), but with a huge amount of upper bass or lower mids dialed in... that sort of 250hz sort of woofiness that sucked a lot of the definition out of the tone. It was a very 'tiring' bass tone for the listener.... it kind of pounded you in the head instead of the chest, if that makes any sense at all.

The club in Detroit (Jazz Cafe) was very cool. It only seats about 100, and was basically the 'cocktail lounge' back when the Music Hall was one of the great movie houses back in the 30's. The main hall is amazing at the venue (I saw the Gary Burton reunion tour there with Metheny), and it sounded great. I think Billy and the boys had a little too much volume for the room, but what the heck, it's fusion!

Anyway, it was an interesting night.

On a side note, Victor was walking with a cane. I hope he's OK. I don't know much about his health situation. He played seated all evening. Seems like a very nice cat also.

Bruce Lindfield · #18 09-11-2008, 07:15 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

Spectrum really blew us all away back in the day.

Yes - I can remember buying that album on vinyl in 1973 when it first came out - it was about the same time as "Love Devotion and Surrender" which I also bought then on vinyl!

It's amazing people are still talking about it 35 years later!!

I can remember there was a big resurgence of intrest here - when Massive Attack sampled it for a tune that was very big on dancefloors and which actually got in the charts here!!

People I knew, were then very surprised how much was Billy Cobham's when I played them the original - Massive Attack were a very "hip" band and Jazz Fusion was the last thing these people would think of listening to...

Thunderthumbs73 · #19 09-11-2008, 07:20 AM

Wow. I didn't know Lee played on this. Awesome. I will have to check it out now. Thanks.

Hoover · #20 09-11-2008, 07:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by KJung

On a side note, Victor was walking with a cane. I hope he's OK. I don't know much about his health situation. He played seated all evening. Seems like a very nice cat also.

I went to college with Vic and he always walked with a kind of stooped-over limp back then...pretty sure he used a cane on occasion even then.