You have an idea for a novel? An action-packed thriller?
How about a non-fiction book on a personal passion? Or perhaps you want to document and publish your own unique story for posterity?
If you’ve always dreamt of writing – putting thoughts on your favorite subjects on paper – but are not sure how to go about such a daunting and exhilarating project, Sand Scribes will help turn your literary dream into a published book.
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Tom Vater
Sand Scribes know all about telling stories. Brian Gruber and Tom Vater have spent their professional writing lives traveling the world, working in a myriad of creative industries and literary genres. Henry Roi has worked a publicist for independent writers and fiction imprints for the past six years.
Brian has published a globetrotting romance novel, an oral history, and a book on jazz fusion, and runs a writing group on the island of Koh Phangan in Thailand. Tom has published crime fiction as well as reportage for media in the United States, England, France, Germany and elsewhere for 25 years. He has edited more than 30 crime novels along with several non-fiction titles.
Sand Scribes offer a unique, start-to-finish range of vital services that pave your way to a published book: one-on-one coaching while you craft your story, seasoned editing to make your work shine, advice on key writing issues during your literary journey, book cover design and formatting, publishing consulting and hands-on self-publishing support and, crucially, a set of proven programs for marketing your title.
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Brian Gruber did an amazing job! In lieu of a standard BIOGRAPHY or AutoBIO, his unique format for this book has interviews with current band mates & composers. Also past band mates. Billy Cobham speaks very DIRECT & honest. I wish the book was 600 pages.
Great read and insight inside a WORLD CLASS musician. The Author has probed deep. Also the current 6 Night big band shows during the interviews keeps the reader from living in the past.
Brian G leaves the reader to consider (or perhaps – re-consider!) the powerful body of work by BC since his days with MO. I love that, as a reader and avid BC fan, that I was not forced to dwell on the MO period . And yet the author elicited very brutally honest comments about John McLaughlin and that period. Billy Cobham’s early period with Billy Taylor et al is fascinating.
Again, great insight to the personal feelings of a WORLD CLASS MUSICIAN.
Great stories are only great when told by great story tellers and Gruber is top draw, because, this is a great story! The author manages to capture the very essence of the brilliant Mr. Cobham, a musician who has been thrilling us with his musical artistry, for the past 50 years and who mischievously continues to confuse and evade the jazz police’s facile labels. An underrated composer with a prodigious body of work, Billy Cobham is deadly serious about the art of playing drums and is a man who doesn’t suffer fools easily.There are occasional displays of mild irritation at Gruber’s line of questioning, but Gruber, no acolyte, persists and is rewarded with Cobham’s no holds barred responses. I’m guessing this is because there is trust between author and subject. Vignettes like declining Stan Getz’ widow’s request to play Israel or his take on Keith Emerson of ELP and of course, stories of Miles and of him declining Miles’ offer to join the band and then there is the Jan Hammer interview, just some of the gems you will find in this book.
Revelations of his troubled relationship with John McLaughlin are simply riveting and this chapter alone is worth the price of the book. Occasionally funny, but mostly a raw and painful account of their relationship when both were members of the highly successful Mahavishnu Orchestra in the 1970s.
From his early years as the son of immigrant parents from Panama to his painful relationship growing up with his musician father, to his difficult and ultimately strained relationship with John McLaughlin, Cobham holds nothing back. Refreshingly, when asked awkward questions, Cobham, seems to have no filter, but a reckless respect for the truth.
If you really want to know what makes Billy Cobham tick, then buy this book. It is a moving and intimate account of a complex, sensitive and passionate musical giant. To quote Frank Black: “There are secrets being told here. If you listen closely you can spot them”.
Six Days At Ronnie Scotts is such a terrific read. Billy Cobham has been one of my all time heroes- one of the most important drummers in the history of drumming. Billy also goes many steps father than most drummers because of his incredible musical compositions. To be able to read about Billy Cobham’s life from his childhood up to now is very fascinating. So many great stories like when Billy played for Mohammed Ali. Wow. This book gives so much insight about Billy’s life and also insight into how Billy thinks about so many important topics of life, music and drumming. Many thanks to Brian Gruber ( author ) for writing an awesome book about Billy Cobham’s life.
Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s is like having a backstage pass to witness how Billy and his band members express themselves on stage and off stage. Billy’s mental astuteness is amazing and aspirational…. and the other band members are all uniquely inspirational.Because the author interacts so fluidly and comfortably with the entire band (it is as if Studs Terkel interviewed Jazz musicians) you witness the creative process close up. I also unexpectedly gained a much greater appreciation for the uniqueness of each Jazz performance.
My third book, “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation” is getting uniformly rave reviews (see below). It was a labor of love to tell the story of one of the planet’s legendary artists in a unique style, overlaying six days of backstage interviews and observations with six decades of stories of Bill’s musical life. Music fans are loving the book. Bill just told me they are selling big time during his current weeklong Blue Note New York gig with Ron Carter and Donald Harrison.
Here are three easy ways to support the project if you are so inclined. Each would take under five minutes.
Post a review. Hopefully, you have read the book cover to cover but even if you have only checked it out briefly (you can read sections for free on Amazon), reviews are tremendously important. I currently have seven reviews on the U.S. site, all of them five out of five stars; with more five-star reviews on other Amazon sites (UK, etc.). I would love yours as well. Read these — they will give you a good sense of the reading experience.
Post on your social media feed. Something like, “Hey my friend Brian Gruber is getting rave reviews for his new book on Billy Cobham, jazz fusion and the act of creation. If you love jazz, fusion, drums, artist histories, or the Miles Davis/ Mahavishnu Orchestra era of musical experimentation, you will love this book. Check it out. Interviews with some of the greats of the genre.” https://www.amazon.com/Six-Days-Ronnie-Scotts-Creation/dp/1717493009/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1536902143&sr=1-1
That’s it. Thanks for your attention. A new book is in the works for release next year. Come visit Phangan soon.
Book blurb and reviews
Few musicians have transformed a genre like Panama-born, New York-raised Billy Cobham. “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation” is a one-of-a-kind oral history of a legend’s life work. From his early days with Horace Silver and Dreams to the epochal Bitches Brew sessions with Miles Davis to the breakthrough Mahavishnu Orchestra and beyond, here is a first-ever deep dive into six decades of musical innovation. The book’s setting is six days at iconic London jazz club Ronnie Scott’s, as Britain’s hottest arranger Guy Barker orchestrates and leads a big band performing Cobham’s greatest works. Jazz greats such as Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, and Jan Hammer, family members, club owners, critics and superfans provide colorful insights and remembrances. Readers are given an unprecedented behind-the-scenes look into rehearsals, performances, adjustments and preparations between shows, and the evolution of a sold-out six-day run.
“Brian Gruber’s fantastic new book… gives us a rare, behind the scenes look at the making of a six-night performance… Gruber virtually puts the reader in the cafe, the nightclub, or in the car alongside him and Cobham. There are so many fantastic stories and so much musical history… Brian Gruber’s “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation” will certainly stand the test of time alongside some of the greatest tomes ever penned about jazz musicians.” – Eric “Doc” Smith, BeyondChron.
“The book is a massive undertaking… Despite being raised a generation and culture apart from Bed-Sty raised Panamanian born William Emanuel Cobham, Jr., Gruber manages to pull off a remarkable feat of music journalism… The interviews with Cobham cover a galaxy of subjects; from the cruel realities of the New York public school system, to the rhythmic complexity of a woman sashaying when walking or the sonic intricacies of live performance…There is so much information in this book that any serious student of Jazz, Fusion or music history will reap a bountiful harvest…A nice touch is the Spotify Soundtrack for each chapter of the book that contains some very unexpected musical gems. Hats off to Brian Gruber who accomplished what few could have written with such elaborate authority.” – Tee Watts, Cadence Jazz Magazine
“An interesting concept… his questions are knowledgeable and penetrating… rather than dallying in the kind of film-flam that obfuscates the detail, memories and opinions that make a biography breathe… Fast paced with anecdotes pouring from every page, it wraps with Cobham describing his dream line-up to play with. Want to know who? Then go grab a copy.” – Jon Newey, editor-in-chief of Jazzwise, the UK’s biggest selling monthly jazz magazine and the leading English language jazz magazine in Europe.
“The mark of a good read is something that conjures up pictures and just in that description, you’re already putting yourself backstage and seeing these conversations happen… an absolutely fascinating read. Any fan is obviously going to enjoy this.” – Nigel Williams, Jazz FM, the UK’s “home of jazz, soul and blues.”
“Remarkably, Brian Gruber’s book is the first written on this legendary musician and although not a biography, it’s certainly biographical, overlaying six days at Ronnie Scott’s with six decades of Billy’s remarkable life and career… It’s a fascinating read… Cobham opens up and discusses several topics that I have not previously seen him discuss. It’s a terrific insight into the musical and personal life of this game-changing, world class drummer and is an essential read for fans of Cobham, Jazz, fusion and the culture of the 60s and 70s.” – Brent Keefe, Drumhead magazine.
“Well-written and thought-provoking, Gruber’s book builds into a challenging document of a half-century of cutting-edge musical exploration.” Five stars (highest rating). – Geoff Nicholls, Rhythm magazine.
A snapshot of some of the recent reviews that have come in for “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s.” Thanks to all the reviewers for their generous and detailed look at the work.
What They Are Saying About “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s”
“The book is a massive undertaking… Despite being raised a generation and culture apart from Bed-Sty raised Panamanian born William Emanuel Cobham, Jr., Gruber manages to pull off a remarkable feat of music journalism… The interviews with Cobham cover a galaxy of subjects; from the cruel realities of the New York public school system, to the rhythmic complexity of a woman sashaying when walking or the sonic intricacies of live performance…There is so much information in this book that any serious student of Jazz, Fusion or music history will reap a bountiful harvest…A nice touch is the Spotify Soundtrack for each chapter of the book that contains some very unexpected musical gems. Hats off to Brian Gruber who accomplished what few could have written with such elaborate authority.” – TWatts, Cadence Jazz Magazin
From Jon Newey, editor-in-chief of Jazzwise,the UK’s biggest selling monthly jazz magazine and the leading English language jazz magazine in Europe. “An interesting concept… his questions are knowledgeable and penetrating… rather than dallying in the kind of film-flam that obfuscates the detail, memories and opinions that make a biography breathe… Fast paced with anecdotes pouring from every page, it wraps with Cobham describing his dream line-up to play with. Want to know who? Then go grab a copy.”
From London’s Jazz FM,the UK’s “home of jazz, soul and blues” on Nigel Williams’ Saturday show, August 25th, Jazz FM’s highest rated weekly program. “The mark of a good read is something that conjures up pictures and just in that description, you’re already putting yourself backstage and seeing these conversations happen… an absolutely fascinating read. Any fan is obviously going to enjoy this.”
From Brent Keefe, Drumheadmagazine.“Remarkably, Brian Gruber’s book is the first written on this legendary musician and although not a biography, it’s certainly biographical, overlaying six days at Ronnie Scott’s with six decades of Billy’s remarkable life and career… It’s a fascinating read… Cobham opens up and discusses several topics that I have not previously seen him discuss. It’s a terrific insight into the musical and personal life of this game-changing, world class drummer and is an essential read for fans of Cobham, Jazz, fusion and the culture of the 60s and 70s.”
From Geoff Nicholls, Rhythm magazine.Five stars (highest rating). “Well-written and thought-provoking, Gruber’s book builds into a challenging document of a half-century of cutting-edge musical exploration.”
From Eric “Doc” Smith, BeyondChron.“Brian Gruber’s fantastic new book… gives us a rare, behind the scenes look at the making of a six night performance… Gruber virtually puts the reader in the cafe, the nightclub, or in the car alongside him and Cobham. There are so many fantastic stories and so much musical history… Brian Gruber’s Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation, will certainly stand the test of time alongside some of the greatest tomes ever penned about jazz musicians.”
We continue to bat 1,000 with reviews. This one from Jon Newey, editor-in-chief of Jazzwise, the UK’s biggest selling monthly jazz magazine and the leading English language jazz magazine in Europe. “An interesting concept… his questions are knowledgeable and penetrating… rather than dallying in the kind of film-flam that obfuscates the detail, memories and opinions that make a biography breathe… Fast paced with anecdotes pouring from every page, it wraps with Cobham describing his dream line-up to play with. Want to know who? Then go grab a copy.”
Good idea, Jon!
To order the book, or view other reviews, visit our book page on Amazon.
Click on the article below to read the rest (buy it online at jazzwisemagazine.com or on newsstands).
Here is my interview on London’s Jazz FM, the UK’s “home of jazz, soul and blues” on Nigel Williams’ Saturday show, August 25th, considered, I’m told, Jazz FM’s highest rated weekly program. Go to their website till this Saturday to hear it (I’ll get a copy to post after that) or read the interview below. https://www.jazzfm.com/player/od/items/1016/
NIGEL WILLIAMS: So lovely, Aretha Franklin, “It Only Happens.” Now for drumming fans, get ready for a conversation for a new book about Billy Cobham coming up in just a minute. First let’s take a classic moment from him in, “Red Baron.”
“Red Baron” by Billy Cobham at 23:40. Interview commences at 29:00.
NIGEL WILLIAMS: My first guest is the author of “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation.” His name is Brian Gruber, who is actually in Thailand at the moment. Brian, whereabouts are you?
GRUBER: I’m on a beach on the north part of Koh Phangan, Thailand and the sun is going to go down shortly and it’s a beautiful day and you should be here.
WILLIAMS: Yeah, I think we should be, yes, we are all very, very jealous now. Let’s come back to London Soho then, and focus on Ronnie Scott’s. Your book is called “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s.” The obvious question is, what’s it all about?
BRIAN GRUBER: I’ve known Bill Cobham for a while. The longer I knew him and thought I knew all of his stories, every time we would be driving somewhere or backstage at a show, he would have more and more new stories. What do you mean you were in a play with Muhammed Ali? And, what do you mean you jammed in a dance band with Jimi Hendrix at the New York Armory? And finally, I said, you’ve got to get these stories down. You owe it to yourself and to your fans. When he told me he was doing this six day gig with the UK’s fabulous Guy Barker arranging his best songs, with a really top-shelf 17-piece big band, I thought, what an interesting opportunity to go backstage, go to all the rehearsals, the load-in, the sound check, see the chatter between the musicians, how they set up their gear, and overlay six days backstage at this iconic club with six decades of a legend’s musical life. I think that technique worked and what came out of it is a book that a lot of people are enjoying.
WILLIAMS: I think that the mark of a good read is something that conjures up pictures and just in that description, you’re already putting yourself backstage and seeing these conversations happen.
GRUBER: Yeah, and to me, I don’t know whether it’s a fetish, I love being in a club hours before, during a sound check, seeing how these masters test how the acoustics are in different parts of the room, listening to them decide what’s on the playlist, to me, that’s, to use an American term, the “inside baseball.” What I tried to do, in addition to telling Bill’s best stories, was to give a sense of what that experience is like, especially at an extraordinary place like Ronnie Scott’s.
WILLIAMS: How does he, Billy Cobham himself, see this? Because quite often, with these really great artists, you speak to them and effectively, they are not thinking about it, they are just being themselves. Or, others, it really does go to their head. Which is he?
GRUBER: I was sitting with Michael Watt, one of the owners of Ronnie’s, and Bill was onstage, joking and being self-deprecating and Michael turned to me and said, “He shouldn’t do that. He’s a legend.” Bill has fierce pride about his music but is also very humble about it.
The deal we had is, it’s my book, I’ll have creative control but everything that I write you will be able to see before it’s published, and if there is anything too intimate or personal or wrong, then we’ll change that. And there were a lot of things about his family, about race, about his relationship with John McLaughlin, that were very personal. Finally, I persuaded him, that in order to tell your story, it’s your call, but we should keep these things in the book, and we did. So, I think for Bill, 74 years old now, he has never had a full-length book, a work like this, written about him, and I think there was a level of trust based on our relationship over the years. I had full access, I interviewed his wife and his brother, so many people, and ultimately I think he trusted me and I had a passion to tell his story.
WILLIAMS: It sounds like an absolutely fascinating read. Any fan is obviously going to enjoy this. Brian, we will be looking forward to seeing you when you come back to the UK, and do another one of these. Any other artists in mind that you would like to do a similar treatment to?
GRUBER: No, but I’ll tell you, it was so much fun for me. I had dinner with Bill and Kenny Barron and Ron Carter in Phoenix a few weeks ago. It’s a great privilege to hear and tell the story of a musical legend, or a political or business legend for that matter. Loved doing it and would love doing it again.
WILLIAMS: Brian, thanks very much indeed. Let’s play some Billy Cobham now, here with the Mahavishnu Orchestra, back from 1971, the legendary “You Know, You Know.”
Post-song:
WILLIAMS: Now how about that for some drumming then. With the Mahavishnu Orchestra, Billy Cobham there with “You Know, You Know,” much sampled that track, the album is, The Inner Mounting Flame from 1971. If you are interested in the book, it’s called, “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation.”
Another story about Bill’s Crosswinds tour by By Rob Nagy, and another discussion of the new book.
CONCERT PREVIEW: Billy Cobham pays tribute to Crosswinds at the Colonial
In conjunction with the Crosswinds Project Tour, a special free eBook excerpt (first chapter preview) of a forthcoming full-length book about Cobham will be released, written by author Brian Gruber, titled, “Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s: Billy Cobham on Jazz Fusion and the Act of Creation.” This one-of-a-kind book offers a behind-the-scenes look at a grand musical collaboration: British arranger Guy Barker’s orchestration of Billy Cobham’s life’s work for a six-day run with a 17-piece big band at London’s iconic Ronnie Scott’s. In a riveting series of backstage conversations,
“Six Days at Ronnie Scott’s” covers six decades of Cobham’s musical life, from his early days playing with Miles Davis on “Bitches Brew” to the formation of Mahavishnu Orchestra to performances with virtually every jazz great to his still-prolific schedule of touring and recording at age 73. Masters such as Ron Carter, Randy Brecker, Jan Hammer, and Guy Barker, as well as club owners, jazz critics and fans all get in on the action as the transformative early years of jazz fusion are explored, along with what drives Cobham to continue to create. Details of the full print and eBook release will be made public shortly.
“There are flashes of things that happened in my career,” says Cobham. “The things that you go through in life that make you say, ‘Wow I never thought about it like that, until it happens.’ When you put it down on paper it takes on a life of its own. A really great friend named Brian Gruber sat down with me. We used to chuckle about a lot of the funny quirky things that used to happen, over time he said, ‘We should do this.’
Sure enough we did it, the book is here and it’s really interesting.”
“It was fascinating for me to explore what happens with an artist that has that strong impulse to create and Bill’s personal story as to how he has stayed the course all these decades as an innovator and pioneer,” adds the book’s author, Brian Gruber. All the jazz legends that I spoke to said, ‘Billy is one of the greats.’ A very unusual combination of someone who can do it all, not just do one thing great, but from jazz to rock to funk and integrating it all.”
Music critic Geoff Gehman interviews Bill during the Crosswinds tour with a nice mention of the new book.
Q: You collaborated with Brian Gruber on a new book about your life, career and world view set during last year’s sets with Barker’s big band at Ronnie Scott’s. Why did you decide to go so deep with Gruber? I know he’s a fellow adventurer from Brooklyn, a new-media specialist who launched a live-streaming showcase for gigs in jazz clubs.
Bill Cobham: What’s really special abut Brian is that he keeps an open mind. He absorbs information and translates it really well. He puts what I say into words that I think the general public can handle. I feel very comfortable that the passages I’ve read represent what I’ve been through and who I am accurately.
Geoff sent me a follow up note that I don’t mind sharing.
“Looking forward to having your noble, necessary book in my hands. Billy C. is a superior musician, teacher, thinker and envoy. And you and Guy Barker are no slouches, either. All in all a really well-made match.”
Brian Gruber is an author, writing coach, and marketing consultant living on the Thai island of Koh Phangan. He has spent 40 years studying, leading, and founding new media companies and projects.
