Results for "kobie watkins"

Kobie Watkins

Watkins, who has three brothers and four sisters, was born in Chicago on July 26, 1975. His interest in music was sparked at around age three when he first saw his father playing drums at a local Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God. Prior to devoting himself to religion, Alious C. Watkins Jr. had played trap drums and other percussion instruments with the Pharaohs, a now-legendary jazz-funk group in which Earth, Wind & Fire leader Maurice White had been the original drummer, and he also backed the Dells on local engagements. His dad’s drumming led Kobie and his brothers to bang on pots and pans around the house

Scott Sawyer: Night Visions

By TROY DOSTERT

As a North Carolinian, guitarist Scott Sawyer may not enjoy the visibility of his counterparts in better-known jazz meccas, but fans of contemporary jazz guitar shouldn't pass him up. With some smart songwriting instincts and a knack for finding talented bandmates, not to mention possessing terrific guitar chops, Sawyer delivers on the promise of a career ...

Night Visions

By SCOTT SAWYER

Label: Self-produced
Released: 2020
Track listing: John A.; Crawl; Biz; Passage; Tripper; Safe; Via; Blue Lounge; To Be Determined.

Steve Haines: And the Third Floor Orchestra

By JEROME WILSON

In the Fifties and Sixties it was very common to have jazz recordings that would feature a vocal or instrumental soloist like Ella Fitzgerald or Stan Getz in front of a full orchestra. That still happens today but nowhere as frequently as it once did. Bassist and composer Steve Haines revives that tradition with an amazing ...

Movement

By KOBIE WATKINS

Label: Origin Records
Released: 2018
Track listing: Movement; Prayer for Peace; Catch The City; Six Moods; Ga-Rum-Ban; Inner Motion; Rivet; MBDC; Falling Upward; Manteca.

James Austin, Jr: Songs in the Key of Wonder

By GEANNINE REID

Hailing from the windy city of Chicago, James Austin, Jr. has established himself as an accomplished pianist and bandleader. He honed his craft under the tutelage of a number of legendary musicians, including extensive study with renowned jazz educator Barry Harris, receiving numerous accolades and awards along the way, including the honor of being selected as ...

Bobby Broom: Soul Fingers

By JIM TRAGESER

A thematic sequel to his 2007 release, Song and Dance, Bobby Broom's Soul Fingers is a deep-pile take on late 1960s--early 1970s pop, with Broom in his best Wes Montgomery vein, giving new soul-jazz life to one-time chart hits. And yet, it's also a break from Song and Dance because Broom has changed his ...

Bobby Broom: Classic Compositions from Yesterday to Today

By COREY HALL

What would your sensibilities say if an established jazz guitarist, supported by organ and drums, reinterpreted Seals and Crofts' “Summer Breeze," the Beatles' “Come Together," and Steely Dan's “Do It Again"? Perhaps you have heard this guitarist before with Sonny Rollins or Stanley Turrentine; maybe you heard the album where his guitar-acoustic bass-drums trio ...

The City

Album: Movement
By KOBIE WATKINS
Label: Origin Records
Released: 2018
Duration: 8:41

Kobie Watkins: Movement

By K. SHACKELFORD

Solidifying a musical 'voice' could take five years, or it could take 15 years. Yet when an artist's 'voice' or style comes, well, you just know it. The result is work with musical moves that are distinctive and ideas that are au courant. Drummer/Composer/Bandleader Kobie Watkins' voice resounds with artistic certainty and savoir faire on his ...