There’s a core thrust behind the vital, expressive drumming that Andy Watson brings to the bandstand: He has a natural affinity for rhythm.
Watson was beating out rhythms on furniture as an infant before he started playing the drum kit at age 4. “I remember digging it,” he says. By the following year he was taking lessons, and at 7 he was playing in a kids’ band. “Drums were fantastic,” he says. “They made me feel like I was home.”
Watson, now a 48-year-old resident of Ridgewood, took that innate interest and parlayed it into a rewarding career that has included performances with such notables as the legendary singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks and ace pianist and composer Toshiko Akiyoshi. He’s also played with such dynamic large ensembles as Woody Herman’s Orchestra, the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra, the Smoke Big Band, the Westchester Jazz Orchestra and Cecil’s Big Band.
The drummer has also made more than 40 recordings, including Hendricks’ “Boppin’ at the Blue Note” (Telarc, 1994), Akiyoshi’s “Hiroshima: Rising from the Abyss” (True Life, 2003) and trombonist and composer Scott Reeves’ “Shapeshifter” (Miles High, 2009).
Watson will appear Monday and Nov. 23 at Cecil’s Jazz Club in West Orange with the Cecil’s Big Band, directed by Montclair-based tenorman and composer Mike Lee. He’ll also play Dec. 5 with the Westchester Jazz Orchestra in Irvington, N.Y.
“First off, I like the writing,” he says. “People do creative things with the pen, then I get to interpret the music, which is a rush. And I like the contrast between the written parts — the challenge of making those feel right — and working behind the soloists, where it’s like playing with a small group and you get to be as creative as you would be there.”
Watson cites Elvin Jones, Philly Joe Jones, Art Blakey and Tony Williams among his small-group drum influences. In the world of big-band drumming, one name stands out: the late Mel Lewis, who worked with so many greats, from Terry Gibbs and Gerry Mulligan to his own Mel Lewis Jazz Orchestra.
Says Watson, “Mel was the father of modern big-band drumming. He brought a small-group approach to the big band. He’s loose in the way he handles ensemble figures, then very interactive when someone’s soloing. He had a great feel.”
At Cecil’s, where he plays most Mondays, Watson relishes interacting with such stalwarts as West Orange bassist Mike Karn (“He and I have a great bass-drums hookup”), trumpeter Nathan Eklund (“He has a great sound, really takes care of business leading the trumpet section”), trombonist Reeves and saxophonists Lee and Craig Yaremko. “It’s an exciting band, as good as any band out there,” he says.
Then there’s the music. “There is a lot of creative writing, great tunes in the book, like Mike Lee’s ‘Old Dog’ or Craig’s ‘Two Kings’,” he says.
Whatever the tune, drums have remained that home that Watson found early in life. “They’re like breathing, they’re so much a part of me,” he says.
Zan Stewart is the Star-Ledger’s jazz writer. He is also a musician who occasionally performs at local clubs. He may be reached at zstewart@starledger.com or at (973) 951-3821.
Andy Watson with the Cecil's Big Band
Where: Cecil's Jazz Club, 364 Valley Road, West Orange
When: Monday and Nov. 23, 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m.
How Much: $7 music charge, $15 minimum. Call (973) 736-4800 or visit cecilsjazzclub.com.
What else: Watson plays with the Westchester Jazz Orchestra, Dec. 5, 8 p.m., at Irvington Town Hall Theater, 85 Main St., Irvington, New York; $5-$35; (914) 591-6602; westjazzorch.org.