Now, A Jazz Moment...

MUSIC: "Some Day My Prince Will Come" (Miles Davis), CD: Someday My Prince Will Come, Columbia/Legacy CK 65919 (cut 1)

In 1957, NEA Jazz Master Jimmy Cobb joined one of the great jazz ensembles in history - the Miles Davis Sextet. Cobb recalls his first gig.

Jimmy Cobb: The first official gig, Miles called me about 6:30 in the evening in New York, and says, "I want you in the band." So we went through the particulars and all of that, I said, "Okay, well where are you working next?" He says, "Actually, I'm working tonight." I said, "Really? Where?" And he says, "Boston." He must have been in Boston then. So I asked him, "What time you start?" So he said, "I start at 9:00." I said, "What? How am I going to get to Boston by 9:00, man?" He said, "You want the gig, don't you?" I said, "Yes, okay, man." I went to scrambling, and I got the drums together. I went to LaGuardia Airport where they had a shuttle going from New York to Boston in 55 minutes. I got that and went to Boston. By the time I got out, and went and got a cab, and got to George Wein's club, they were playing on the bandstand without the drums. They were playing Round About Midnight . So I crept up and put the drums up, and by the time I got them up where I could play them, they were right at the interval in the song Round About Midnight that says (bop) (bop) (bonnnnnng)(bop) (bop) (be-doop) (bop) (bonnnnng) (bop). And I played that with them. And I was in the band!

MUSIC: "Round About Midnight" (time bridge with Jimmy above), CD: Round About Midnight Columbia CK 40610 (cut 1)

This Jazz Moment with drummer Jimmy Cobb was created by the National Endowment for the Arts. I'm Delfeayo Marsalis.