When he burst onto the international stage in 1971 with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham had already recorded with Miles Davis and dozens of others. But it was his otherwordly playing with Mahavishnu that redefined what was possible on the drum set. Cobham's first solo album, 1973's Spectrum, became a number one hit, spawned three future jazz standards, and cemented his place as a drumming legend for all time. But Cobham was far from finished, and in a career that has now spanned seven decades, he is considered one of the titans of the instrument, someone whose work is essential study. Written with Cobham's direct involvement and culled from dozens of hours of interviews with him, the book presents a biography of his early years and the development of his career, and then documents select important recordings and projects from 1968 up to the present day. Cobham gives his views on the industry, writing music, leading a band, recording, education/clinics, and other topics. Presented in a coffee-table style full-color layout, an extensive collection of photos (many culled from Cobham's personal archives) documents Billy's history - including his contributions to the innovative setup of the instrument itself: left-hand-lead/ambidextrous playing, double bass drums, the contemporary large kit with instrument innovations such as the gong drum, and an endlessly creative approach to playing the drums in ways that continue to defy convention. The book includes many note-for-note transcriptions from throughout Cobham's career, including tracks from the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Miles Davis, his extensive library of CTI recordings, and many of his own albums, including classics from Spectrum, Crosswinds, Total Eclipse, Warning, Power Play, and more.