Billy Cobham and "Best Drummer."
First of all, there is no such thing as the "best drummer." That is a crazy term that means nothing. What really counts is who your favorite drummer is, right? But there are obviously drummers who are better than others. This is the first guy to unseat Buddy Rich in the Downbeat polls.
One of the best drummers of all time when it comes to technique, power, velocity, timing, speed, phrasing, influence, etc., is definitely Billy Cobham. I have seen him live, and his shows are absolutely incendiary. If you are into drums and aren't familiar with his work, you probably should be. You have heard his influence in other drummers, such as Neal Peart.
He has two live concert DVDs that are worth seeing.
Here is a great quote that I found on the Web.
"The jazz-fusion era produced three great drummers: Lenny White, who played with Return to Forever; Alphonse Mouzon, who worked with Weather Report; and Billy Cobham. Of the three, the Panamanian-born Cobham is without question the most fearsome. Cobham has fashioned a unique style that combines the brain-melting power of hard-rock rhythm keepers with the agility of jazz men: imagine Led Zeppelin's John Bonham, the Who's Keith Moon and Elvin Jones all rolled into a singularly gifted musician.
The career of pioneering drummer-composer-bandleader Billy Cobham is well into its fourth decade. The man is all but worshipped today as a master drummer responsible for raising the bar in the areas of style and technical proficiency. The first stickman to unseat Buddy Rich in the DownBeat readers poll, Cobham is responsible for some of the most awesome displays of drumming ever witnessed. "
Rudiments: The Billy Cobham Anthology CD (recommended)
Not for the terminally jittery, high-energy jazz-rock fusion drummer Billy Cobham's anthology of his Atlantic Records tenure from 1973's Spectrum until 1978's Inner Conflicts is like a straight shot of double espresso to the brain. Arguably his most inspired solo years, and certainly his most prolific, these 24 tracks spread over two discs capture every rimshot, roll and kick of one of music's best and most respected drummers. Fresh out of the legendary original version of John McLaughlin's Mahavisnu Orchestra -- one of the first popular jazz-rock fusion outfits and still one of the finest -- Cobham exploded with his debut Spectrum, still his best selling album. With a stellar supporting cast featuring rocker Tommy Bolin (Deep Purple, James Gang) on guitar as well as fellow Mahavishnu-man Jan Hammer on keyboards, Spectrum remains the stickman's finest hour as well as a textbook example of how a drummer can construct a cohesive album around his talents without resorting to overlong solos. This compilation kicks off with over a half-hour of music from the groundbreaking disc.
- his collection of his best work for the Atlantic label does a tremendous job in presenting these tracks ó many of which have never been available on CD -- in terrific sound where Cobham's incendiary trap-work can be best appreciated in the context of his amazing bands. On many cuts, it sounds like there are at least two drummers playing simultaneously, but it's just Billy's two hands and feet flailing away with lightning precision."