A gifted jazz drummer is worth his weight in musical gold, and one of the best is the legendary Jimmy Cobb. The 83-year-old D.C. native returns to Blues Alley this weekend with guitarist Larry Coryell and jazz organist Joey DeFrancesco. The trio pays tribute to Jimmy Smith and Wes Montgomery.
“Anybody who plays guitar has to come through Wes Montgomery, and anybody who plays organ has to come through Jimmy Smith,” quipped Cobb, who together with his “other little band called Cobb’s Mob” played Blues Alley years ago. “It’s like coming home; I lived here for 21 years.”
The trio will perform jazz standards from the American Songbook, coupled with some surprises, as well.
“Some of the tunes will be Miles Davis — not noticeably so,” Cobb continued. “But everything you do will probably touch on something Miles did, too.”
| Onstage |
| ‘Tribute to Jimmy Smith & Wes Montgomery’ |
| Where: Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW |
| When: 8 and 10 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday |
| Info: $35; 202-337-4141; bluesalley.com |
Cobb knows whereof he speaks. A brilliant, self-taught musician, he worked with Miles, John Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley from 1957 until 1963. He was part of the Miles Davis iconic masterpiece, “Kind of Blue,” doubtless the most popular jazz album in history. Cobb also played on Davis’s “Sketches of Spain,” “Live at Carnegie Hall,” “Porgy and Bess” and many more. In 2002, he released an album titled “Four Generations of Miles” with guitarist Mike Stern, bass player Ron Carter and George Coleman on tenor sax.
Currently on a little break from touring, Cobb joins Coryell and DeFrancesco on stage at Blues Alley for six weekend shows.
“I’ll be back home for a minute.” Cobb said, laughing.
