Jimmy Cobb

Jimmy Cobb

Personal Info

  • Known for

    Acting

  • Gender

    Male

  • Birthday

    1929-01-20

  • Day of Death

    2020-05-24 (91 years old)

  • Place of Birth

    Washington, D.C.

Biography

Wilbur James "Jimmy" Cobb (January 20, 1929 – May 24, 2020) was an American jazz drummer. He was part of Miles Davis's First Great Sextet. He was awarded an NEA Jazz Masters Fellowship in 2009.

Cobb joined Miles Davis in 1958 as part of the latter's First Great Sextet, after Adderley recommended him to Davis. Cobb's best known recorded work is on Davis' Kind of Blue (1959). Cobb was the last surviving player from the sessions, a distinction that, after Davis's death in 1991, he held for almost three decades. He also played on other Davis albums, including Sketches of Spain (1960), Someday My Prince Will Come (1961), Miles Davis at Carnegie Hall (1962), In Person Friday and Saturday Nights at the Blackhawk, Complete, and briefly on Porgy and Bess (1959) and Sorcerer. His subtle and understated demeanor drew the admiration of many including Davis. However, this also meant that he did not get the same level of recognition that his fellow drummers would. Cobb had the propensity to eschew publicity and did not record his first set as bandleader until 1983, with the release of So Nobody Else Can Hear.