Blue Notes: by Robin Lynam
Drummer Jimmy Cobb is the last surviving member of the Miles Davis band that made one of the most popular and influential albums in jazz: Kind of Blue.
It seemed none of the other musicians were born to make old bones, with the borderline exception of Davis, who died in 1991 aged 65.
The effects of accumulated substance abuse finished off pianist Bill Evans at 51, a stroke killed saxophonist Julian "Cannonball" Adderley at 46, liver cancer took saxophonist John Coltrane at 40, and epilepsy did for pianist Wynton Kelly (who played on only one track on the album, ) at 39.
The youngest casualty was Cobb's rhythm section partner, Paul Chambers, one of the finest bassists in jazz, lost to tuberculosis at just 33.
Cobb, 85, appears to have lived a healthier life than his bandmates, and is still working hard both as a performer and as a music educator. He - justifiably - trades on to some extent, leading two ensembles which play the music on the album and other pieces from the Davis repertoire.
The So What Band duplicate the sextet format, and play larger gigs. For clubs and other engagements suitable for a small group, he performs with a quartet called 4 Generations of Miles, comprising a changing cast of musicians who played with the trumpeter during his career.
