Customer Reviews

Watts at Scott's (Dig)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

Charlie Watts is the world's greatest drummer. He never speeds up or slows down and is steady enough to check your heartbeat by. His punctuation and fills are sublime.

After 40 years as a Stone, you'd expect anyone to be locked-in on the groove. But as a jazz drummer, Mr. Watts shows his formidable and impressive range. I cannot image the difficulty of playing soft after years of holding steady the collossal twin musical egos of Mick Jagger and Keith Richard.

Mr. Watts's understatement here is so precise and such a joy to hear. There's not a wasted lick nor roll made for the sake of showing off.

Lest I overlook the superlative talent of his tentet, I'll simply summarize by saying they're equal to the challenge and clearly unintimidated by making music with rock royalty.

The song selection spans ballads (my favorites being "What's New," "Elvin's Song," and "Body & Soul") to swing and BeBop.

The venue, Ronnie Scotts, is sacred ground amongst British jazz lovers. Mr. Watts and Co. have done themselves proud, and we're the beneficiaries.

I stumbled upon Charlies Solo projects some years ago and have always been amazed at how much talent this man has. This release proves no exception. Charlie Watts and his band were recorded live for this double disc set and I so wish I could have been at this show. The recording picks up on the energy that must have been in the room and the songs just feel like songs that flowed out of these guys totally unpromted. My favorite is the take on the Thenonious Monk song Bemsha Swing. Its on the first disc and it really sets the bar for the CD that is never lowered. The packaging is great as well. Thanks Charlie.

This is an album for anyone who enjoys the sounds of Duke Ellington and Peter King style jazz.Easy going and smooth with all the right textures.Romantic pieces thrown gently in the mix with the right instruments all in sync.Charlie always facinates me with his versitile drumming style.I saw the Stones Thursday night at Giant Stadium and even though he went through his ordeal with throat cancer he's a true hero with determination to not slow down.This kind of tour finishing up in March of 2006 has got to be tiring for him,but his perserverance will keep him going.This album is a must for those cold days of winter or a date. ENJOY

Charlie Watts and his 10 piece jazz group are featured in a live British date here. This is an instrumental set and the vibes and sax are featured prominently in a few of the cuts. Very well done and enjoyable- jazz fans should like this set.

Take music from Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington and Miles Davis - with a tribute number to Elvin Jones, Elvin's Song - and a wonderful arrangement for Take the A Train, and you quickly understand the musical direction of Charlie Watts and the Tentet.

This jazz goes down real smooth in a swing and bebop kind of way.

Recorded in June 2001 during gigs at Ronnie Scott's, the two CD set delivers more than two hours of subtle leadership by Watts, with a band playing to the audience and the spirit of Charlie Parker heard in the sax solos.

Several numbers are from the Watts-Jim Keltner project, but it's Main Stem & Sunset and the Mockingbird (Ellington), Bemsha Swing (Monk) and Little Willie Leaps (Davis) that demonstrates the respect Watts has for the art of jazz. The band lets loose on Tin Tin Deo, as Luis Jardim delivers percussion with some sizzle.

Even Mick Jagger and Keith Richards find a place on the bandstand through the song, Faction. A rousing rendition of Take the A Train - a number that has been played before the Rolling Stones take to the stage on numerous concert tours - has the audience cheering for more.

Watts takes the listener on a jazz journey from the 1940s to 1960s, with musicians who take the history and shape it into outstanding performances in the present which will stand the test of time in the future.

That's all I can say about this release---WOW! This is phenomenal. I'm not even going to go in to a track by track analysis here. This is absolutely the best jazz CD I own---and I own a lot of them.

Money well spent. I guarantee you---you will not be disappointed!

The skill and natural abities of all the group shine through the entire CD. It is a joy to listen to and my admiration for Charlie Watts grows even further. He makes his music look so easy and all other drummers sound like amateurs.