Kobie Watkins
This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification. (February 2019) |
Kobie Watkins | |
---|---|
Born | July 26, 1975 |
Origin | Chicago, Illinois United States |
Genres | Hard bop Post-bop Progressive jazz Soul-jazz Jazz-funk Latin Gospel |
Occupation(s) | Musician, Composer |
Instruments | Drums |
Labels | Origin Records |
Associated acts | Sonny Rollins Kurt Elling The Bobby Broom Trio The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation |
Website | www.kwgmusic.com |
Kobie Watkins (born July 26, 1975) is an American drummer and percussionist in Jazz, Latin, and Gospel music genres, and a music educator.
Biography[]
Kobie Watkins was born July 26, 1975 in Chicago. He began as a small child listening and watching his father, , who was a drummer for their church.[1]
Watkins studied percussion at Vandercook College of Music with vibraphonist and percussionist at school by day. By night, Watkins spent time playing jazz with alto saxophonist , performing in the pit at local theaters and performed for cabaret shows. He earned his bachelors in Music Education from Vandercook in 1999. He received his Masters of Music from Northwestern University in in 2003.
He became a public school band director. At night, he played gigs around the Chicago area and throughout the United States. Watkins developed the nickname the Swing Master of Chicago. He was depicted in a front-page article in the Joliet, Illinois’- Herald, -a local newspaper titled, "Teacher has Alter Ego as Jazz Musician."[2]
Honors[]
- , Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL) - 1998
Side man[]
Watkins has played in groups on stage and in recordings for:
- Sonny Rollins
- Kurt Elling
- Curtis Fuller
- Arturo Sandoval
- George Coleman
- Ira Sullivan
- Sonny Fortune
- Fred Anderson
- Ari Brown
- Willie Pickens
- Bobby Broom
- The Bobby Broom Trio
- The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation
- Orbert Davis
- Ryan Cohan
- James Austin
- Kim Burrell
- Javier
- Kendra Ross
- Dom Flemons
Kobie has toured extensively in Africa, Europe, Asia, Canada, South America and the United States.
As music educator[]
Watkins worked with Wynton Marsalis at Martin Luther King High School in Chicago, IL. at a clinic for high school students learning Jazz. He worked with the Ravinia mentors program of the Chicago Public High School system, as well as "Attention for Boys" a MusicAlive mentoring and teaching program that was started by Orbert Davis and Mark Ingram for inner-city youth ages 8 to 18 years.[3]
Since 2004, Watkins led a teen band in worship at a Christian Teen Camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He works with the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensembles in North Carolina.
Recordings[]
As leader[]
- (2006) – Origin 82532
As sideman[]
- – The Spin Quartet (Origin 82676)
- Upper West Side Story – Bobby Broom (Origin 82617)
- Bobby Broom Plays for Monk – Bobby Broom (Origin 82534)
- – Bobby Broom (Origin 82504)
- – Bobby Broom (Origin 82475)
References[]
- ^ "Kobie Watkins". Kobiewatkins.com. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ "Kobie Watkins: Involved". All About Jazz. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- ^ Records, Origin. "Origin Records Artist Kobie Watkins - Drums". Originarts.com. Retrieved 25 February 2019.
- 1975 births
- Living people
- American jazz drummers
- The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation members