PASSINGS: MR. QUARTER NOTE-JIMMY COBB

Talk about a long life giving one’s all to the music. That was Jimmy Cobb…one of the sweetest men in the business. He got along with everybody, commanding respect and honesty on and off the bandstand with a demeanor that you couldn’t resist…..calm, cool and fully present in real time. Playing with Jimmy was something all jazz musicians would have loved to experience. His quarter note on the cymbal, seemingly one of the most obvious and direct method for getting everybody’s attention to feel the same thing at the same time was relentless. It made one commit to the quarter note and all that implies. This includes the all-important placement of that quarter note in relation to the ongoing pulse (top/bottom of the beat, etc.) Jimmy’s relationship with the quarter note was quite observable and definitely felt. In his hands the quarter note served as a rhythmical reminder to all towards what is truly important. JC gave Miles some of that medicine decades ago and surely wherever his most recent gig was. In the final analysis, jazz is about drums. For Jimmy the quarter note was king and could be considered a secret weapon, summoning performers and listeners alike to get it together on Mr. Cobb’s watch. (And by the way moving towards that goal, don’t forget to SWING….no matter what.!!)

RIP brother.….time to rest.