This interview originally aired on The Afternoon Cruise on 3/3/25
READ THE FULL TRANSCRIPT OF THE INTERVIEW BELOW:
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
It’s the afternoon cruise on jazz88 I got the pleasure of chatting with Bobby Commodore. Tomorrow night at the Dakota, Bobby Commodore takes a final bow as a performer and drummer. It is his 72nd birthday tomorrow, and he’s decided that while he’s got a lot more to give to our musical universe, the days of lugging an 18 inch bass drum up a flight of stairs are behind him. I invited Mr. Commodore on to talk about his decades of service to the world of music and to celebrate this milestone in his life. Bobby Commodore, happy early birthday to you, and thank you for visiting jazz88.
Bobby Commodore
Thank you, Sean, so much for having me here. You’ve been a blessing to the music community, and we love having you around. But my friend, if we are ranking blessings, I will take second place in this booth that we’re in. In fact, I’ll take third place because let’s tip our hat to the Spokesman Recorder, a publication that’s been going for 90 years in Minnesota, and they did a really wonderful write up about your story, talking about your history. It’s not just jazz, it’s gospel, it’s jazz, it’s soul, but it’s also not just a performer. You’ve been behind the kit for a lot of the greatest moments in Minnesota history, but some that you weren’t behind the kit for, you were behind the mixing board for, or you engineering that they happen in some way. You’ve been at this for quite some time, and you’re hanging up your symbol bag. So we speak. What was the moment where Bobby Commodore knew this is going to be the centerpiece of my life, you know, besides for family and things like this, but this is going to be the center of my universe. Career was, Wow, That’s a good question. I actually started playing drums in the eighth grade by accident. Okay? Our grade school, st, Peter Claver, over in St Paul, started working with the Schmitt Music Okay? And they I was in eighth grade, and by the time I got downstairs to pick an instrument, drums are the only thing left, and so I picked that and here we go.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
You’resaying there was a number of eighth grade boys who chose other things before drums? Because usually I feel like the eighth grade boys are just, I want to hit stuff. Can I kind of hit stuff? But the saxophones were taken.
Bobby Commodore
They had saxophone we had a couple trumpet guys and a couple piano Guys, and that was, that was all we had.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
We are so lucky that that happened back when you were in eighth grade. And are you saying that, basically, in those first couple months of starting to work in that program, you went, This is my thing. This is where I’ll be by the time I graduated.
Bobby Commodore
And, you know, started really enjoying it. Yeah, I think that was that, was it. Although at that point I didn’t have a drum myself, so I just had some sticks and a pillow.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Hey, listen, you can get a lot, a lot of, lot of rudiments, a lot of Ted Reed syncopation is all good. I’m chatting with Bobby Commodore, getting ready for a big show tomorrow night, hanging up his cymbal bag. He’s been doing this for quite some time, stepped on the stage that he could come Dakota for the first time in 1987 do we got that right? 1987 Yeah, and has been a fixture at that club and the world over since that time. And it’s really exciting that you’re, you know, finishing on your own terms. And you mentioned that you got more to give to this musical world, but you’re just done with playing the drums. I see a lot of planning and purpose in this particular concert. You got folks who I know take a while at the book, like Brian Z Yonathan Bekure, Daryl Boudreaux, G sharp, Erin Schwab, Ashley Commodore, some relation there. We mentioned that you clearly have been thinking about this concert for some time. What made you decide to wrap up your performing career in this fashion.
Bobby Commodore
I’ve been going through some things with my body, and it’s just getting time. And we did this last year at the Dakota for my birthday as well. And after I listened to the recordings, I could tell I’m slowing down just a little bit, and then just the headache of trying to put something together, talk to the club owners, and you got to have a hook now. You got to have a tribute show. You got to do this, you got to do that, and it just got to be too much. Got to be too much.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Well, good for you. A, for a picking it on your terms and B for sort of going, Okay, it’s time. It’s time for a new chapter. You know,
Bobby Commodore
as older parents, or when you have older parents, you get to that time where you got to take their keys away from them, and I didn’t want somebody to come and take my sticks away.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Let’s I want to think about something, which is that, Bobby, I’ve been able to be on a couple meetings with you and things like that related to the Twin Cities Jazz Fest. This is our first time talking on microphones on the radio, but this is probably the fifth time your name has come up, whether it’s interviewing somebody else from the Commodore clan or whether it’s just JT going, Yeah, Bobby helped us get in so I could see Jeff ‘Tain Watts play with Kenny Garrett at the old Dakota. And you know, you not only have a lot of incredible children who are in the music world who don’t take away his drumsticks, all right, just let the man finish out this. But beyond that, there’s a whole generation of musicians who have benefited from your support and you putting your arm around. How does that feel for you at this point?
Bobby Commodore
It feels good, you know, as I started going through, you know, the list of recordings I played on and shows that I’ve done, and just trying to think of all the people that I have met through the Dakota, it was amazing time. And, yeah, I snuck a lot of people in to see shows. But it was good because they were other musicians that you know otherwise couldn’t afford to see some of those shows, and they were their idols. And why not?
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
It is very easy to think about institutions being really important. Where you go, Oh, the Dakota or oh, you know, these, these events that happen every year. Walker West, you just go. This is really important, I want to point out so that you know, those places don’t mean a thing without you, right? Like I’m saying that without the actual human beings that go, I’m gonna make sure that this kid’s got a seat where he can see the concert somebody who’s a little light on money, they can still see the person they’re trying to check out. This stuff doesn’t work without the human touch. And you have been that human touch for decades.
Bobby Commodore
And I’ve been blessed. I’ve been blessed. And Lowell Pickett, who I consider a friend, has been a blessing to all the musicians in town. And you know, I was in more by four in 1986 we formed, and we’re at Ruby’s cabaret city came and closed rubies down low, opened the door to the Dakota to more by four in, I think it was January or February of 87 and we’ve been together ever since. And that’s been home, but I was there when there was like, no pa in there, and more right forward had brought in our PA at that point. And Lowell liked that, and then he decided he was going to try to book some more national acts. And my first national act to do there was McCoy Tyner, and I was so blessed. I probably got to see him seven, eight times, and his trios were so good. And I just being able to talk to those guys, you know, as regular human beings, was such a phenomenal thing, blessing. But it was all because of the Dakota
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
A life well lived, right? The life is not over. You’re making some decisions about what you’ll be involved with, and drums. Performing drums in public isn’t going to be a part of the equation. But I hope, speaking as a comparatively young man speaking to you, I hope you know how special the life you’ve lived is. Yes, you’ve been blessed, but you’ve blessed a lot of people, and that’s a beautiful thing,
Bobby Commodore
and I’m happy to hear that, and the people that have been reaching out to me in this last week or so, you know, makes me feel good. I got a friend driving down from Ely, Minnesota, come sit in with us tomorrow night, and that’s a long way to go, and I think he’s gonna drive right back, but, yeah, but he’s got, he’s got to be there. We’ve been together probably since early 70s. He played, he played r&b with, you know, like the mystics and class action and good vibrations, all those old bands. But he was doing horn arrangements. He went to North Texas, state, and he was doing some horn arrangements for the Sam Davis gospel ensemble. And that recorded that we were doing, and we met back then. So that was like 76 maybe 76 was this person’s name. His name is Rick Cornish. Rick Cornish. He’s a guitar player by trade. But yeah, it’s
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
He’s gotta wake up every morning. I’m the funkiest guy in Ely, Minnesota. I don’t even know who comes inside. It is the afternoon cruise. I’m chatting with Bobby Commodore, a legend who’s finishing out his performing career and still giving a lot to the musical world, Bobby, there’s young people running home from their private lesson right now. There’s folks who are getting started in their career. There’s folks who are in the equivalent of eighth grade getting handed a pair of drumsticks and going grab a pillow and practice you did this. Do you have advice to impart on people who are starting their journey as you finish yours? Do
Bobby Commodore
it because you love it, not because you think is going to make you cool or whatever. Do it because you love it. You have to, because you have to practice your trade and you have to try and play all the different styles. Learn as much as you can. I regret that I never got into the Latin things I don’t know. One Latin rhythm from another,
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
a rhumba could walk into this room.
Bobby Commodore
I don’t play the same thing. But yeah, learn your craft, and don’t be afraid to play all the different things. I grew up playing in a rock and roll band in high school, later turned into a big horn band like Chicago and stuff like that. And then I started hanging around with some r&b bands, but I never got to play with those. But my first real playing. With the sounds of blackness when I joined them in 1974
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
That’s early Sounds of Blackness. Are you the first man behind the kit for sounds of Blackness? First,
Bobby Commodore
officially, man behind the kit. They had just recorded an album right before I got in there, but that guy was not in the group, gotcha. And I joined the group and stayed with them until late 80s. Wow.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Lot of history in this room, a lot of knowledge in this room.
Bobby Commodore
That’s where I met my wife, too. Yeah, yeah. So Ginger was singing with sounds already, with the sounds, yeah, gotcha.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
I’m out of questions, Bobby, and I’m good with that. It’s just one of those things where I’m sitting with somebody who’s done it, who’s done things that I’ve admired, and I’ve been aware of you and your influence for a long time, and just to have the opportunity. You know this probably better than I do, there’s a lot of people that aren’t around to say goodbye. There’s a lot of people that absolutely pass unexpectedly, and, you know, can’t go on their own terms. And for you to just go, I’m good with this being the end as a performer, I just, I hope you are proud of how much control and and poise you have at this moment,
Bobby Commodore
I’m feeling blessed, and that’s why I think it was time I recognized what I have done. I’m proud of what I’ve done, I’m happy with what I’ve done, and it’s time to say, sayonara.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
you’re looking at your set list for the show tomorrow right now. What’s going to be the coolest moment of this performance?
Bobby Commodore
that’s ever evolving, but I think probably for the last song. One of my favorite groups growing up was the Allman Brothers, yeah, and I always wanted to play one of their songs, and so I think Brandon and I are going to do a whipping post, okay,
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
at the end of the show. So last song would be 18 minutes long. We’ll see.
Bobby Commodore
I don’t think I can play that long anymore.
Sean McPherson (Jazz88)
Bobby Commodore, it’s been such an honor to talk to you. The show is tomorrow night at the Dakota celebrating a life well lived behind the drum kit and also as a fixture in the Twin Cities music world. Even beyond your work as a drummer, there’s more to come from you. But this chapter closes, and jazz 88 is so thankful to be here. And I also, again, want to tip my hat to the Spokesman Recorder, who did a really great piece about you as well. Good luck tomorrow on stage. And thank you so much for visiting jazz88
Bobby Commodore
Thank you. And decode cooks.com 612-332-5299, thank you, my friend. Thank you.
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