About Cobra Basement

Established in 1995 by Billie Goegebeur, Cobra Basement manages the PR, press, booking, and general behind-the-scenes representation for Jazz drummer, pianist and composer Billie Davies and oversees Billie Davies' music production, album releases, global distribution and performances.

The name stems from her early creative projects; she recorded two albums in the mid-1990s titled Cobra Basemento and Dreams.
Since 2012, Cobra Basement has functioned as the exclusive entity managing almost every aspect of Davies' career acting as the organizational backbone for Davies' avant-garde jazz projects.

To contact Cobra Basement

Use the Contact Form in the sidebar to your left. 

Recording Projects & Studio:

Much of Billie Davies' work, including the album On Hollywood Boulevard, was recorded by Mike Davies, Billie's husband, and mixed by both Mike and Billie, at their own studio, which is named Cobra Basement. Mike Davies has overseen most of the logistics and performed much of the engineering and/or post production for mastering. When Billie Davies steps away from her drums, her music playing, recording, composing, directing or performing, she becomes Billie Goegebeur and Cobra Basement.

      

Cobra Basement  has been responsible for releasing her major works like all about Love. (2012), 12 VOLT (2013), Hand In Hand In The Hand Of The Moon (2015), On Hollywood Bouleverd (2016), Perspectives (2018), Whadeva (2020), Thinking of Marie Laveau (2024), Retrospectives (In the Key of Jazz) (2025) and 2455 (Music for the Future) (2025).After having worked with CD-Baby and AWAL, her music is now exclusively and globally distributed through TuneCore.

Representation:

The organization manages her PR, press, booking, and general behind-the-scenes representation.

Learn To Know Billie Davies:

Billie Davies is a pioneering avant-garde jazz drummer and composer whose performances fuse free improvisation, experimental sounds, and a deeply expressive, boundary-pushing style.


Musical Style and Approach

Billie Davies is renowned for her free improvisation and avant-garde jazz performances, blending raw rhythmic energy with experimental sound textures while maintaining an emotional and expressive core...
Her music hits differently… There is a certain depth and drive in her sound that lingers long after a track ends.
What stands out most is that she is not chasing trends... She has been building her own musical lane.
. She approaches the drums not just as a rhythm instrument but as a canvas, creating dynamic, evolving soundscapes that challenge traditional jazz structures. (Wikipedia)
. Her compositions often blend classic jazz influences with experimental improvisation, electronic loops, and non-standard instrumentation, resulting in performances that are both unpredictable and immersive (All About Jazz)
. In the studio and live, she treats improvisation as a storytelling tool, making every performance unique and unrepeatable. (elasticstage.com)


Throughout her career, Davies has worked with a variety of accomplished musicians. Her duo and ensemble projects often explore avant-garde concepts:
On her latest album "2455 (Music for the Future)" released in December 2025, Branden James Lewis (trumpet, digital keys) contributed, helping create complex, improvisational soundscapes and Damani Butler (electronic loops and waves) contributed adding layers of experimental sound that enhanced the free-flowing, avant-garde nature of her work. 


Her latest ensembles she formed in New Orleans to perform, like Billie Davies Trio and Billie Davies & The Bad Boyzzzz, feature combinations of piano, trumpet, woodwinds, trombone, bass, and sometimes vocals, as on "On Hollywood Boulevard" and "Perspectives", for which Billie writes the lyrics, focusing on spontaneous composition and live exploration of musical forms.

Pioneering Projects

Some highlights of her avant-garde output include:


2455 (Music For The Future) (2025): Part of the No Boundaries, Music for the 25th Century series, this album captures free, instinctive improvisation, pushing jazz into speculative sonic territories 


Perspectives (2018): Live improvisations recorded in New Orleans, exploring multi-layered emotional and musical ideas 


Hand in Hand in the Hand of the Moon (2015): An eight-movement improvised jazz symphony inspired by Belgian painter Serge Vandercam, combining visual art and music in avant-garde performance 


On Hollywood Boulevard – Live at The Mint in New Orleans (2024): A digital live album where Davies combines electronic drums with synthesizers and live instruments in avant-garde jazz exploration 


12 VOLT - A highly acclaimed avant-garde jazz album released in October 2013 by American drummer and composer Billie Davies. The album is celebrated for its fearless innovation and was recognized as one of the best trio avant-garde jazz recordings of its year.

Live Performances and Improvisation

Davies’ live shows are highly regarded as transformative experiences, emphasizing spontaneity, emotional depth, and interaction between musicians. 
Her improvisational style encourages audiences to experience music as an evolving journey rather than a structured composition. Reviewers and listeners have compared her drum playing to Tony Williams, listeners often compare her intense, high-voltage drumming style to Tony Williams, Paul Motian, her melodic approach and unconventional timekeeping, Milford Graves, her mastery of polyrhythmic, organic drumming that reacts to, rather than strictly follows, the music, and reviewers have compared her work’s evolving unpredictability to that of The Jimmy Giuffre 3, The Art Ensemble of Chicago, Ornette Coleman, Cecil Taylor, highlighting her commitment to exploration within the jazz genre.

Influence and Recognition

Named "Jazz Artist of the Year" at the 23rd Annual Los Angeles Music Awards in 2013.
Nominated "Best Contemporary Jazz Artist" by "Best of the Beat" & "OffBeat Magazine" in New Orleans in 2017.
Nominated "Best Drummer" by "Best of the Beat" & "OffBeat Magazine" in New Orleans in 2019.
Named an Iconic Female Jazz Drummer by Jazz Fuel in 2022. 

In Summary:

Billie Davies’ avant-garde performances are characterized by intuitive improvisation, innovative drumming, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and the constant exploration of new musical terrains, making her one of the most compelling figures in contemporary avant-garde jazz.

Recognized for her contributions to avant-garde jazz and free improvisation both in Europe and the U.S., her work combines the traditions of jazz masters like Max Roach, John Coltrane and Cecil Taylor with experimental approaches that expand the genre.
Her performances are often described as emotionally charged, technically inventive, and sonically adventurous, leaving a lasting impression on her audiences. 

To contact Billie Davies use the Contact Cobra Basement Form in the sidebar to your left.