Kind of Blue at 50: Jimmy Cobb's So What Band

“Kind of perfect” is the universal assessment of Kind of Blue, the Miles Davis masterwork from 1959 that has lost none of its power to captivate and inspire. As the only surviving musician from that stellar session, drummer Jimmy Cobb is touring to memorialize Blue on its 50th anniversary. Aside from doing interpretations of the album’s five brilliant songs, Cobb and his super group will do classics by Coltrane, “Cannonball” Adderley and other jazz icons of the era. Still young and vibrant at 80, Cobb has had a fantastic career; aside from a decade of playing with Miles Davis, he has also performed with giants such as Dinah Washington, Dizzy Gillespie, Sonny Stitt and Sarah Vaughan. Joining this drumming master are the kind of jazz veterans needed to finesse so daring a tribute: Wallace Roney trumpet, Javon Jackson tenor saxophone, Vincent Herring alto saxophone, Larry Wills piano and John Webber bass.
“I play Kind of Blue every day – it’s my orange juice. It still sounds like it was made yesterday.” – Quincy Jones