Doug Watkins

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Doug Watkins
Watkins c. 1950
Watkins c. 1950
Background information
Born(1934-03-02)March 2, 1934
Detroit, Michigan, United States
DiedFebruary 5, 1962(1962-02-05) (aged 27)
near Holbrook, Arizona
GenresJazz
Occupation(s)Musician, composer
InstrumentsDouble bass, cello
Years active1950–1962
LabelsBlue Note, Prestige, Atlantic
Associated actsArt Blakey, Horace Silver, Sonny Rollins, Hank Mobley, Charles Mingus, Red Garland, Donald Byrd, Kenny Burrell, Lee Morgan

Douglas Watkins (March 2, 1934 – February 5, 1962) was an American jazz double bassist.[1] He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.[2]

Biography[]

Watkins was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States.[1] An original member of the Jazz Messengers, he later played in Horace Silver's quintet[3] and freelanced with Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley,[3] Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, and Phil Woods among others.[4]

Some of Watkins' best-known work can be heard, when as a 22-year-old, he appeared on the 1956 album, Saxophone Colossus by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, with Max Roach and Tommy Flanagan.[1]

According to Horace Silver's autobiography, Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty, Watkins, along with Silver, later left Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers because the other members of the band at the time (Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley and Blakey) had serious drug problems, whereas Watkins and Silver were tired of being harassed and searched by the police every time they went to a gig in a new city and club.[5]

When Charles Mingus briefly ventured over to the piano stool in 1961, he hired Watkins to take over the bass part; Oh Yeah and Tonight at Noon were the results.[1]

Watkins recorded only two albums as leader: Watkins at Large for Transition; and Soulnik for New Jazz.[4] The latter, recorded in 1960, with Yusef Lateef, features Watkins on cello with Herman Wright backing him on bass.[6] The cello was an instrument he had started to play only a few days before the recording session.[6]

Watkins died in an automobile accident near Holbrook, Arizona, on February 5, 1962,[7] while traveling from Arizona to San Francisco to meet drummer Philly Joe Jones for a gig.[1]

Discography[]

As leader[]

As sideman[]

With Pepper Adams

  • Baritones and French Horns (Prestige, 1957)
  • Critic's Choice (World Pacific, 1957)
  • The Pepper-Knepper Quintet (MetroJazz, 1958) with Jimmy Knepper
  • 10 to 4 at the 5 Spot (Riverside, 1958)

With Gene Ammons

With Art Blakey

  • At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 1 (Blue Note, 1955)
  • At the Cafe Bohemia, Vol. 2 (Blue Note, 1955)
  • Originally (Columbia, 1956 [1982])

With Tina Brooks

With Kenny Burrell

With Donald Byrd

With John Coltrane

  • Dakar (Prestige, 1957 [1963])

With Tommy Flanagan

  • The Cats (Prestige, 1957)

With Curtis Fuller

With Red Garland

With Benny Golson

With Bill Hardman

With Wilbur Harden

With Thad Jones

With Yusef Lateef

With Jackie McLean

With Charles Mingus

With Hank Mobley

With Lee Morgan

With The Prestige All Stars

With Paul Quinichette

With Dizzy Reece

With Rita Reys

  • The Cool Voice of Rita Reys (Columbia, 1956)

With Sonny Rollins

  • Saxophone Colossus (Prestige, 1956)
  • Newk's Time (Blue Note, 1957)

With Horace Silver

  • Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers (Blue Note, 1955)
  • Silver's Blue (Columbia, 1956)
  • 6 Pieces of Silver (Blue Note, 1956)

With Louis Smith

With Idrees Sulieman

  • Roots (New Jazz, 1958) with the Prestige All Stars

With Billy Taylor

With Phil Woods

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Colin Larkin, ed. (2002). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Fifties Music (Third ed.). Virgin Books. p. 479. ISBN 1-85227-937-0.
  2. ^ "Doug Watkins | Artists". Bluenote.com. Retrieved 2018-06-26.
  3. ^ Jump up to: a b "Doug Watkins: The Hard Bop Homepage". Hardbop.tripod.com. Retrieved 2019-10-29.
  4. ^ Jump up to: a b Yanow, Scott. "Doug Watkins". AllMusic. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  5. ^ Silver, Horace (1 August 2007). Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty. University of California Press. ISBN 978-0520253926.
  6. ^ Jump up to: a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1470. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  7. ^ Rhyan, Dianna (2003). "Watkins, Doug(las)". Grove Music Online (8th ed.). Oxford University Press. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
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