Jeff “Tain” Watts © Andrea Canter

One of the leading drummers of his (or any other) generation, Jeff “Tain” Watts storms back to the Dakota for two hot nights, July 18-19. Last heard here with the Joey Calderazzo Trio a year ago, Watts now leads his own quartet, featuring tenor saxophone titan Marcus Strickland.

Columbia Records praised traps master Jeff “Tain” Watts for his “incomparable technique, sweltering sense of swing, and an extraordinary ability to imbue his music with majestic grace and elegant repose.” The Pittsburgh native followed in the footsteps of legendary hometown drummers Kenny Clarke and Art Blakey. He first played snare in fourth grade, but until age 17, he exclusively studied classical drumming. “Then my parents bought me a drum set," Watts says, "and I started to check out popular music on the radio. After my 17th birthday, my brother James would buy me fusion records, and I began a backtracking process that other musicians in my age group share. I'd check out a Chick Corea album, then find out that Chick Corea played with Miles Davis, who played with Charlie Parker, et cetera."

Even through college at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Watts focused on classical percussion, primarily timpani. Enrolling at Berklee, he studied jazz with Branford Marsalis, Greg Osby, and Marvin Smitty Smith. From that point, it was all jazz. "I became a jazz head!" he recalls. "I was playing all kinds of different music, preparing myself to do any gig that came along.” What came along was the Wynton Marsalis Quintet, then stints with George Benson, McCoy Tyner, and Betty Carter. In 1989, he joined the Branford Marsalis Quartet and eventually the Tonight Show Band. He joined Kenny Garrett in the mid 90s, also gigging with Danilo Perez, Michael Brecker, Betty Carter, Kenny Kirkland, Courtney Pine, Geri Allen, Joey Calderazzo and Claudia Acuña.

Watts released his first recording as leader, Citizen Tain, in 1999.Bar Talk followed in 2002, and his latest recording as leader is MegaWatts (Sunnyside, 2004).

Marcus Strickland © Jimmy Katz

I first heard young tenor/soprano saxophonist Marcus Strickland two years ago with the Roy Haynes Quartet at St. Paul’s Artists Quarter. Haynes has a gift for identifying new talent, and in Strickland he found a supernova in the making. Raised in Miami, Marcus and twin brother (drummer) E.J. Strickland were immersed in music by their father, a former percussionist for the Fort Lauderdale Symphony Orchestra and a jazz enthusiast. When he was 11, Marcus was attracted to the saxophone displayed by his middle school band teacher: “It just looked cool and looked like the most complicated,” he said. Starting on the alto, he received a soprano sax for Christmas at 13, and took up the tenor in high school. In 1997, the Strickland brothers moved to New York as students at the New School Jazz and Contemporary Music program. Soon the brothers were headlining at the Tribeca Performing Arts Center’s “Jazz In Progress” series.

Strickland has gained extensive experience with The Carnegie Hall Big Band, The Mingus Band, the Village Vanguard Orchestra, Tom Harrell Big Band, Milt Jackson Big Band, The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, Reggie Workman's African American Legacy Band, Eric Reed, Ravi Coltrane, Russell Malone, Freddie Hubbard, Nnenna Freelon, and Robert Hurst. In addition to the Roy Haynes Quartet, he currently works with the E.J. Strickland Project, Lonnie Plaxico Group, and Jeff “Tain” Watts, and participates in Jazz Reach, a program that incorporates live music, film and narration to educate students of all ages about the past, present, and future of jazz.

Strickland recorded his first CD as leader at age 22, after only a short time in New York. At Last (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2001) included pianist Robert Glasper, bassist Brandon Owens and twin brother E.J. on drums. This strong debut was followed in 2003 by Brotherhood (Fresh Sound New Talent) with the same quartet and more heavily emphasizing Strickland’s chops on soprano. When not playing with Watts, Haynes, or Dave Douglas’ Keystone, Marcus Strickland keeps busy with his own New York quartet featuring pianist Robert Glasper, bassist Vicente Archer, and drummer Kendrick Scott, and his new Twi-Life Quartet with E.J., guitarist Lage Lund, and electric bassist Brad Jones. The two quartets recently released Twi-Life, a 2 disc set, on Strickland’s new label, Strick Muzik.

Jeff “Tain” Watts © Andrea Canter

It will be a performance of “mega-watts” proportions when the Jeff Tain Watts Quartet with Marcus Strickland appears at the Dakota!

The Dakota is located at 1010 Nicollet Mall in downtown Minneapolis; visit www.dakotacooks.com for reservations and additional information. The quartet moves on to the Detroit Museum of Arts on July 21.

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