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2009 NEA Jazz Master
		James "Jimmy" Cobb Born January 20, 1929, Washington, DC Rhythm Instrumentalist Interview >>
Photo by Tom Pich/tompich.com

"I am humbled to be included among the great musicians in our American history. I express my gratitude to these jazz giants, many of whom were close friends, who shaped this great American art form called jazz and ultimately helped to shape my life as well. I thank the NEA committee for recognizing America's jazz masters and the art of jazz itself and I am honored and privileged to be a part of this legacy."

Known for his work as both an accomplished accompanist and soloist, jazz drummer Jimmy Cobb was born in Washington, DC, on January 20, 1929. Largely self-taught, Cobb spent his years in DC playing engagements with Charlie Rouse, Frank Wess, and Billie Holiday, among others.

Cobb left DC in 1950 to join Earl Bostic, with whom he cut his first recordings. Cobb played extensively with Dinah Washington, Billie Holiday, Pearl Bailey, Clark Terry, Dizzy Gillespie, and Cannonball Adderley, before joining Miles Davis in 1957. Between 1957 and 1963 Cobb worked with Davis, John Coltrane, and Adderly. He also played on the Miles Davis recordings Kind of Blue, Sketches of Spain, Someday My Prince Will Come, Live at Carnegie Hall, Live at the Blackhawk, Porgy and Bess, among others. In 1963, Cobb left the Davis band to continue to work with his rhythm section: Winton Kelly, Paul Chambers, and Wes Montgomery. After disbanding the band in the late 1960s, Cobb worked with Sarah Vaughn for nine years and then freelanced for the next 20 years with artists and groups such as Sonny Stitt, Nat Adderly, Ricky Ford, Hank Jones, Ron Carter, George Coleman, David "Fathead" Newman, and The Great Jazz Trio with Nancy Wilson.

Cobb released his first CD/Music Video for the A&E network in 1986, featuring Gregory Hines, Freddie Hubbard, and Bill Cosby. In 2006 Marsalis Music Honors Jimmy Cobb was released. Several albums would follow with Cobb as leader: New York Time, Cobb's Corner, and West of 5th. New York Time featured Christian McBride (bass), Javon Jackson (tenor sax), and Cedar Walton (piano); West of 5th featured Cobb, accompanied by Hank Jones (piano), and Christian McBride (bass); and his latest, Cobb's Corner, released in 2007, featured The Jimmy Cobb Quartet with Roy Hargrove (trumpet), Ronnie Mathews (piano), and Peter Washington (bass).

Jimmy Cobb continues to play music in New York City, where he lives with his wife and two children. He now leads the Jimmy Cobb "So What" Band, celebrating 50 years of Kind of Blue and the music of Miles Davis, and travels the international circuit as he approaches his 80th birthday. Cobb currently teaches master classes at Stanford University's Jazz Workshop and has taught at The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music, the University of Greensboro in North Carolina, the International Center for the Arts at San Francisco State University in California, and international educational institutions.

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