Jeff "Tain" Watts: Citizen Tain

Opening with "The Impaler" (whose only real relation to its title is a stake-driving pre-recapitualtive solo and an ired vamp made famous by the Ohio Players), Tain avoids going from Vlad to Hearst through the tale of "Muphkin Man," a rhythmic cat far cooler than Rosebud's owner could ever be. Though it is ocassionally difficult to discern who is the cap-Tain of the musical ship, Jeff takes the floor mightily in such offerings as "Attainment," "Trieste" and the "Silent Night/6 O'Clock News"-y "MLK Shake-Up Call," a turbulent tribute to Dr. King and the victims of the 1994 Northridge earthquake. From tributes to lost heroes and reworkings of older compositions to a final multi-layered/multi-influenced musical conversation, Watts and friends cover many bases in this ten inning game. Though some of his solos get a bit noisy and unwieldly, Tain's strong and subtle support of his talented bandmates shows him to be a well-positioned bandleader who does not need the help of a late night comic to get the audience involved.