Some things you can bank on - Tiger Woods and a ten foot putt, LeBron James and an uncontested dunk, Derek Jeter with men on base in the bottom of the ninth of game seven of the World Series. Add one more to the list - the unerring time and feel of Jimmy Cobb's signature cymbal beat. That rhythmically assured pulse fueled countless sessions over the past six decades, including some of the all-time classics by jazz giants like Miles Davis, Wes Montgomery, Cannonball Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington, and Wynton Kelly. And at age 80, the indefatigable Cobb is still going strong as a leader in his own right, still swinging after all these years.

On Jazz in the Key of Blue, the Washington D.C. native leads a stellar crew that includes trumpet sensation Roy Hargrove and guitarist extraordinaire Russell Malone. Veteran bassist John Webber, a charter member of Cobb's Mob (Jimmy's working quintet), is the glue that holds things together on this intimate ballads session. "We just picked out tunes that we thought Roy would sound good playing," says Cobb in typically unassuming fashion. "He really loves playing ballads, and you can hear that side of his playing here."

Cobb explains that he first encountered Hargrove in Texas back in the mid 1980s when the trumpeter was still in high school. "We went down there and played for his class," he recalls. "And when Roy made his gigs around that time, his mom and dad used to come with him to the gigs because he was still so young. Oh, he was a great little trumpet player then. I knew he was going to be a monster, so he just turned out to be what you thought he was going to be. He's the kind of cat who just loves to play. And he's getting better and better at it every day."

Hargrove blew into New York in 1989 and took the Big Apple by storm with his crackling energy and bristling high-note facility. Over the past two decades he has matured considerably, revealing himself to be a seasoned ballad player of uncommon depth and sensitivity. That quality comes across in no uncertain terms on Jazz in the Key of Blue.

Though Cobb remains a forceful presence behind the kit, he stuck strictly to brushes on this more subdued ballads session. His sheer mastery of the brushes underscores each track with finesse and an all-knowing sense of cool. In short, Jimmy knows how to make the music FEEL good, regardless of the setting. Whether it's a burning uptempo romp, an earthy blues shuffle, or the most fragile of ballads, he somehow comes up with just the right groove to make it work. As his wife and producer Eleana puts it, "Jimmy's such a great drummer. I always thought that Kind of Blue never wouId've been Kind of Blue without him as the drummer. It would've been a whole other record with Philly Joe Jones or someone else. He's just got a way of playing where everybody floats, which really comes across on tunes like 'Flamenco Sketches' and 'Blue in Green.' It's quite remarkable how he does that. So I thought it might be nice to lay back on this one and do a long tone kind of record, where people could just put it on and make a magical mood with this music."

That sublime mood sustains from track to track, and Cobb's inimitable touch with brushes sets the proper tone throughout.

They kick it off in elegant fashion with "Every Time We Say Goodbye," which opens with Malone's gorgeous chordal melody intro. Cobb underscores this melancholy lament with alluring brushwork while Hargrove takes his time and sings the plaintive melody through his horn before breaking loose with a sparkling improvisation that is brimming with virtuosic curlicues and bursts of bold-toned brilliance. Malone's easy-going solo culminates in some spirited chordal melody and octave playing.

Their version of Billy Preston's beguiling minor key waltz, "With You I'm Born Again," is handled with tender loving care by the crew. Cobb's sensitive brushwork again defines the fabric of the piece while Hargrove carries the haunting melody with a decidedly lyrical approach, supported by Malone's pianistic chording. Roy becomes emboldened during his solo as Russell deftly feeds him rippling arpeggios and soulful Stax/Volt-type chording. Malone also contributes some beautiful chordal melodies and tasteful single note runs in his own refined solo.

"I'll Still Be in Love With You," by songwriter Steve Satten (who also wrote the title track to Cobb's 1981 recording with Gregory Hines and Freddie Hubbard, So Nobody Else Can Hear), is another vehicle for Hargrove's remarkably nuanced vocal phrasing on trumpet. Malone's solo here is glistening and tastefully executed with an emphasis on color and mood.

"Emily" is a buoyant waltz that is fueled by Malone's expert pianistic type comping on guitar and Cobb's inimitable cymbal beat. Hargrove plays the melody with gusto and kicks up the energy level a notch on his solo, nonchalantly double-timing the tempo on this easy-going number. Malone's solo is playfully cascading and Webber contributes a fine bass solo to cap this appealing number.

"Stairway To The Stars" is a tune that Cobb remembers playing with Dinah Washington during his three-year stint with the great singer in the early '50s. "I've always had a thing for that one," says the great drummer who embarked on a worldwide tour this summer with his special edition So What band to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Miles Davis' landmark recording, Kind of Blue. "Certain tunes throughout your lifetime stick with you, and this is one of those for me." Hargrove's solo on this somber piece is virtuosic and free flowing - an inspired highlight of the session.

"I Had the Craziest Dream" introduces a more spirited tempo to the proceedings. Malone's solo here, breezy and swinging, is right out of a Joe Pass-Herb Ellis bag and culminates in some profoundly blue statements. Webber also contributes a potent bass solo on this oft-recorded chestnut from the Great American Songbook, written by Harry Warren, one of the most prolific composers for movie musicals during the 1930s.

"Remembering U," which Cobb wrote with pianist and frequent collaborator Dave Matthews, returns to the balladic theme of the record. Hargrove displays soulful restraint in singing the melancholy melody through his horn. The energy lifts during Roy's solo as Jimmy supplies a jaunty swing factor underneath. And Malone contributes more sweet, rich-toned chordal melodies that go down like a box of dark chocolate covered cherries.

"What Will I Do?," an Irving Berlin classic that has been covered by everyone from crooners like Bing Crosby, Perry Como and Johnny Mathis to Chet Baker, Rosemary Clooney, Julie London, and Nat King Cole, is handled with a jaunty touch by Cobb and his crew. Webber puts some bounce in his bass line and Hargrove responds with some spirited soloing on top. Malone adds another beautiful melodic solo and Cobb grounds the plaintive melody with just the right touch on brushes.

"If Ever I Would Leave You," a tune long associated with Robert Goulet from his acclaimed role in the 1960 Lemer and Loewe musical Camelot, is treated here as an alluring bossa nova. Hargrove embraces each note as Cobb deftly plays one brush on the snare while keeping time with a stick on the rim. Malone adds a cascading chordal melody and Webber kicks in another deep-toned solo.

The collection closes on a swinging note with an effervescent take on "We'll Be Together Again." Cobb's slyly syncopated brushwork sets a breezy, upbeat tone on this standard, which is generally handled as a down ballad (including classic renditions by such great singers as Billie Holiday, Chet Baker, Tony Bennett, June Christy and Johnny Hartman). Whereas Billie's version was rendered as a painful, plaintive farewell, Cobb and his crew merely sign off swinging lightly and politely with plenty of bounce in their step. It's more hopeful than heart breaking, providing a fitting conclusion to this classy encounter between the revered elder and his accomplished young sidemen.

- Bill Milkowski
Bill Milkowski is a regular contributor to Jazz Times and Drum! magazine. He is also the author of "JACO: The Extraordinary and Tragic Life of Jaco Pastorius" (Backbeat Books).