 william emanuel "billy" cobham (born may 16, 1944, panama) is a panamanian american jazz drummer, composer and bandleader, who permanently relocated to switzerland during the late 1970s. coming to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s with trumpeter miles davis and then with mahavishnu orchestra, and on countless cti releases, cobham according to allmusic's reviewer is "generally acclaimed as fusion's greatest drummer with an influential style that combines explosive power and exacting precision. ==biography== ===early life and career=== born in panama, cobham's family moved to new york city during his early childhood. a drummer from his youth, cobham attended new york's high school of music and art, graduating in 1962. he played in a u.s. army band from 1965 to 1968. following his discharge, cobham joined an ensemble led by pianist horace silver for about a year, also playing or recording with saxophonist stanley turrentine, organist shirley scott, and guitarist george benson. ===jazz fusion work=== cobham branched out to jazz fusion, which blended elements of jazz, rock and funk, playing and recording with the brecker brothers (notably in their 1970-founded group dreams), and guitarist john abercrombie, before recording and touring extensively with trumpeter miles davis. cobham's work with davis appears on a tribute to jack johnson (1971), among other recordings. cobham is one of the first drummers to play open-handed lead: a drummer that plays on a right-handed set but leads with his left hand on the hi-hat instead of crossing over 
1944_births American_expatriates_in_Switzerland American_jazz_drummers American_people_of_Panamanian_descent American_rock_drummers American_session_musicians Atlantic_Records_artists Fania_Records_artists Fiorello_H._LaGuardia_High_School_alumni Jazz_fusion_drummers Living_people Mahavishnu_Orchestra_members New_York_Jazz_Quartet_members