Billy Cobham Live – Flight Time (CD)

 

Sound: B-     Music: B-

 

 

Drummer Billy Cobham is without a doubt a great drummer and Billy Cobham Live – Flight Time captures his work during a tour way back in 1980.  Joined by Barry Finnerty on guitar, Don Grolnick on keyboards and Tim Landers on bass, this seven-track jam session is pretty good, with the only flaw being that it is simply not long enough at 47 minutes:

 

Those tracks include:

 

1)     Flight Time

2)     Anterries

3)     6 Persimmins

4)     Days Grace

5)     The Whisperer

6)     Princess

7)     Jackhammer

 

 

As I listened, I considered that a majority of concerts at the time were only recorded in audio and not video, which has its advantages actually making them fun on their won without an image and leaving something to the imagination.  Any real fan of Jazz or related genres will really appreciate this disc.

 

The PCM 2.0 16/44.1 Stereo sound is lacking despite the disc crediting itself as a “compact disc reference edition” sounding a bit compressed like the DVD release of Billy Cobham’s Culturemix – Paris Concert At New Morning did from the same company, but it is still listenable and fans will still enjoy it despite some sonic issues.  Too bad this was not an SACD.  I wonder if the disc being an A-D-D and not an A-A-D CD mastering has something to do with it.

 

You can read about the terrific Billy Cobham’s Culturemix – Paris Concert At New Morning at the following link:

 

http://www.fulvuedrive-in.com/review/2484/Billy+Cobham's+Culturemix+-+Paris

 

 

-   Nicholas Sheffo