Reviews

DeTAINed at the Blue Note, Half Note Records
By John Kelman

From drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts' introduction to the live recording Detained at the Blue Note -- ”Hey everybody, it's Saturday, let's get loose!”--you know this is going to be a fun event. With a group that includes the ubiquitous pianist Dave Kikoski, bassist Eric Revis, who works with Watts in Branford Marsalis' band, guitarist Dave Gilmore (not the “Pink Floyd” David Gilmour), tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland and, guesting on three tracks, alto saxophonist Kenny Garrett, the ingredients are all there for a performance that bristles with excitement. And bristle it does, as Watts and his group work through five pieces that, at over seventy minutes, are extended workouts with plenty of space for everyone to blow.

Starting with a clever interpretation of Bjork's “107 Steps,” Watts shows that it is, indeed, possible to reinvent a pop tune into something that retains the flavour of the original while, all the while, swinging hard. Strickland, a player who is in increasing demand these days, is an energetic player with an impressive rhythmic bent. Gilmore's solo shows just how underappreciated he is outside of music circles; when the tune settles into its irregular-metered ostinato he plays with fire that crosses a straightahead bebop approach with a taste of M-Base. Watts, also soloing over the ostinato, demonstrates how he is the torch-carrier for Art Blakey and, most notably, the recently-departed Elvin Jones, while at the same time incorporating a subtle sense of hip hop that makes things swing in a completely modern way.

”JC is The Man” starts as a light-hearted swing with a simple theme that everyone treats as a round, but before long it's an “everyone-in-the-pool” piece of collective improvisation that is notable for the incredible communication between Strickland, Gilmore and Kikoski.

But things really take off when guest Kenny Garrett takes the stage for “Mr. JJ,” a modal workout where Watts' playing pays deep homage to Elvin, while Kikoski supports Garrett in true McCoy Tyner fashion. Garrett's solo, much as when he played at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival this past summer, starts at 60 mph and takes off from there. Three minutes into the solo he's in an extreme duet with Watts, blowing steadily ascending long tones that build in intensity, seemingly without end until the band finally rejoins and raises the temperature even further. Even when the band takes things down a notch or two, as they do with the nineteen-minute “Sigmund Groid,” Garrett's sheer power is felt, and what makes him all the more effective is that he's not all about sheets of sound; he is equally aware of the need for space and builds his solo in equal measures of density and openness.

Impeccably recorded for the Blue Note Club's fledgling Half Note Records, Detained at the Blue Note gives Watts a chance to work material from his last two studio releases in a more extended setting.

Drummer Watts propels impressive quartet

By Dan Emmerson, Minneapolis, Minnesota. July 19 2006.

Even though drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts has spent much of his career in a supporting role to more high-profile musicians — such as brothers Wynton and Branford Marsalis — his unique, post-bop percussion style has often drawn the spotlight his way.

But, leading his quartet in the first of a two-night stand Tuesday at the Dakota Jazz club, the former Tonight Show drummer still demonstrated that he may make his greatest contributions by complementing and bringing out the best in the other musicians onstage.

Watts opened the early set with his clever re-arrangement of Icelandic singer/songwriter Bjork's minor-key tune "107 Steps." The piece showed how much harmonic complexity a savvy arranger could build out of the bare-bones structure of a simple pop tune.

The star soloist of Watts' current group is young tenor saxophonist Marcus Strickland, who showed why he is one of the most highly regarded saxmen of his generation. Strickland is accustomed to backing adventurous drummers, having recently completed an extended stint with ageless drum wizard Roy Haynes.

On the opening tune, Strickland blew an extended solo that was evoked the late, great John Coltrane in its tonal range, complexity and fluidity. Then Watts led the combo through "Lings Lope" an as-yet unrecorded piece he wrote for sometime band-boss Branford Marsalis. The tune included some quirky spaces and abrupt stops that recalled the composing style of the great Thelonious Monk; Strickland's tenor tone also recalled that of longtime Monk sideman Charlie Rouse.

Watts propelled the swinging tune with his usual verve, accenting the backbeat with some crisp rimshots, one drumstick laid flat atop the snare drumhead.

Watts' group also includes another member of Branford Marsalis' combo, acoustic bassist Eric Revis, whose rhythmic synchronicity with Watts is undoubtedly the product of many nights together on the bandstand.

Watts' quartet includes his latest "discovery" — 20-something pianist Lawrence Fields, whose expansive soloing showed the influence of mid-'60s Herbie Hancock and later McCoy Tyner, but still contained some surprises.

On the next Watts composition, a tribute to Stevie Wonder called "Stevie in Rio," Fields used a synthesizer to emulate Wonder's trademark harmonica sound, while playing chords on the grand piano with his left hand.

Strickland switched to soprano sax and showed an impressive mastery of the challenging, straight horn, maintaining a flawless, smooth tone even while soaring into the upper register.

Watts used a pair of mallets to launch the spiritual, Coltrane-like "Attainment," hammering out some low tones on his snare and bass drum. Bassist Revis used a bow to add some unusual, cello-like tone colors to the mix.

The set closed with Watts' instrumental ode to distilled intoxicants, "Vodville." As he did throughout the set, the fun-loving Watts impressed with his ability to hammer out drum thwacks and cymbal taps that not only answered but often echoed the phrasing and notes being played by the horn and piano soloists. It was a reminder that one of the requisite skills for any top-flight jazz musician is being a great, untiring listener.

Earshot Jazz Festival, Triple Door, Seattle.
Tuesday November 1st, 2005

The Modern drum titan leads a thrilling quartet. For 20 years a drummers' drummer, Jeff "Tain" Watts came to prominence through his stellar early collaboration with saxophonist Branford Marsalis, which bristled with intense interplay and in which it was not always clear who was in charge, so provocative was the hypertalented percussionist. His work with his own band, including on his on last year's Detained at the Blue Note, a live record, have revealed that he has the compositional talent and sense to drive a whole band to great heights, too. Combining muscle and finesse, Watts is a startling technician with an uncanny ability to parse out time and reconfigure it to great effect, always driving the music and his bandmates forward. He has explosive power, blinding speed, and mastery of percussion complexity, but he also plays with delight, wit, elegance and composure. The style of his composing is straight ahead, in-the-pocket, and informed by his great love for John Coltrane, and many other of the jazz greats, and the great jazz drummers.