Product details
- Label Atlantic
- Artist Billy Cobham
- Format 1LP
- Country United States
- Released Date 1974
- Genre Jazz
- Sealed No
- Media Condition Near Mint (NM)
- Sleeve Condition Very Good Plus (VG+)
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Crosswinds by Billy Cobham.
By 1974, Billy Cobham had already redrawn the boundaries of what a drummer could do at the front of a band, and "Crosswinds" finds him pushing further into the territory where jazz, funk, and orchestral color meet. Released on Atlantic Recording Corporation, this is a record built by a musician who wrote every note, arranged and orchestrated the whole affair, and even shot the front cover photograph himself. It is Cobham's vision from top to bottom.
The music unfolds across a small handful of pieces, opening with the ambitious multi-part "Spanish Moss - A Sound Portrait" before moving through "The Pleasant Pheasant," the tender "Heather," and the title track "Crosswind." Cobham handles drums and percussion throughout, and the writing gives him room to work as both timekeeper and colorist, shaping textures rather than simply driving them.
The band assembled here is a formidable one. George Duke brings keyboards, John Williams anchors the bottom on both acoustic and electric bass, and John Abercrombie contributes guitar, including a passage of acoustic guitar alongside Williams's acoustic bass. Lee Pastora adds Latin percussion, deepening the rhythmic conversation at the heart of the album.
A horn section lifts the arrangements into fuller orchestral shape, with the Brecker brothers featured prominently: Randy Brecker on trumpet and Michael Brecker on woodwind. Garnett Brown rounds out the section on trombone, giving Cobham's charts the punch and shading his orchestrations demand. It is the kind of lineup that reflects the fertile New York studio scene of the era.
The recording history tells its own story of care. Sessions were cut at Electric Lady Studios in New York, then re-mixed across the Atlantic at Trident Recording Studios in London, with Ken Scott serving as engineer for both the recording and the re-mix as well as co-producing alongside Cobham. Razel handled the lacquer cut, and the runouts are etched. All selections were published by Pegasus Music, Inc., BMI.
The package itself carries a personal touch throughout, with art direction by Bob Defrin, design by Basil Pao, and a backliner photograph by Armen Kachaturian to complement Cobham's own front cover image. "Heather" is dedicated to Carolyn and Jack, a quiet human note tucked into an album otherwise defined by its ambition. Printed in the U.S.A. and manufactured by Atlantic Recording Corp. at 75 Rockefeller Plaza, this 1974 pressing remains a cornerstone of Cobham's early solo run and a rewarding addition to any collection built around jazz fusion at its most inventive.
Pressing Details:
Track Listing:
. Spanish Moss - "A Sound Portrait"
B1. The Pleasant Pheasant
B2. Heather
B3. Crosswind
Credits:
John Williams (8) - Acoustic Bass (A1b)
John Williams (8) - Acoustic Bass, Electric Bass (A1a, A1d to B3)
John Abercrombie - Acoustic Guitar (A1b)
Billy Cobham - Arranged By, Orchestrated By
Bob Defrin - Art Direction
Basil Pao - Design
Ken Scott - Engineer [Recording & Re-Mix]
John Abercrombie - Guitar (A1a, A1d to B3)
George Duke - Keyboards (A1a, A1b, A1d to B3)
Razel (2) - Lacquer Cut By
Nathan Weiss - Management [Personal]
Billy Cobham - Percussion
Lee Pastora - Percussion [Latin] (A1a, A1d to B3)
Armen Kachaturian - Photography By [Backliner Photo]
Billy Cobham - Photography By [Front Cover Photo]
Billy Cobham - Producer
Ken Scott - Producer
Garnett Brown - Trombone (A1a, A1b, A1d to B3)
Randy Brecker - Trumpet (A1a, A1d to B3)
Michael Brecker - Woodwind (A1a, A1d to B3)
Billy Cobham - Written-By
Notes:
Recorded at Electric Lady Studios, New York, N.Y.
Re-mixed at Trident Recording Studios, London, England.
All selections published by Pegasus Music, Inc., BMI
Heather is dedicated to Carolyn and Jack.
℗©1974 Atlantic Recording Corporation
Printed in U.S.A.
Mfg. by Atlantic Recording Corp., 75 Rockefeller Plaza, N.Y., N.Y.
Runouts are etched.
Artist: Billy Cobham
Format: 1LP
Genre: Jazz
Label: Atlantic
Catalog Number: SD 7300
Release Year: 1974
Country: United States
Condition: Used
Media Condition: Near Mint (NM)
Sleeve Condition: Very Good Plus (VG+)
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