Charlie Watts

Charlie Watts

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GIVIN' THE DRUMMERS SOME
Charlie Watts and Jim Keltner Collaborate on a Percussive Love-Fest
They say there's a brotherhood among drummers, and from talking to Charlie Watts and Jim Keltner, you just have to believe it. To hear these two world-class drummers -- Watts, the backbone behind the Rolling Stones; Keltner, a session man's session man who's worked with John Lennon, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, Bob Dylan, the Traveling Willburys, and Ry Cooder (to name a select, if telling, few) -- discuss their favorite drummers (including each other) is to witness unconditional love. The respect for their brother percussionists informs all of their WATTS/KELTNER PROJECT, a wildly imaginative recording whose every track is named for a legendary jazz drummer. The dapper, affable and strikingly knowledgeable Watts sat down for morning tea with Barnes&Noble.com's Steve Futterman. The loquacious, instantly likeable Jim Keltner stopped by an hour later -- understandably late after having spent the previous evening beating the skins for Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young -- ready to add his own take on things. It's soon obvious that these two rockers have plenty of jazz on their minds. Here's what they had to say on a few of their favorite subjects.

Watts on Kenny Clarke
Kenny Clarke and Davey Tough are my idols. I saw Kenny Clarke play with Bud Powell in Paris, and in London at Ronnie Scott’s club when he recorded the album VOLCANO as part of the Francy Boland-Kenny Clare big band. I stood right behind Clarke at that performance. The great thing about Kenny Clarke was his touch. The only person who comes close to him is Billy Higgins.  

Keltner on Roy Haynes
Charlie and I caught him at a club in Los Angeles while we were recording. He was playing better that night than when I saw him as a kid sneaking around the Renaissance club in Hollywood. We couldn’t afford to get in, but there was a little crack in the door and we used to take turns watching. I saw Roy with Stan Getz, Steve Kuhn, and Scott La Faro. He was at the top of his game. But at the age of 73 in Catalina! Roy always had this thing where the time was just insignificant to him, he was so in control. This night he didn’t even play the high hat! He just made this beautiful whirl, this gorgeous groove on top of it all. And his soloing! I still have this one eight (bar phrase) in my mind. Now, at 75, he still plays great, and he keeps getting better.

Watts on Roy Haynes, Tony Williams, and Elvin Jones
Roy Haynes is incredible, unbelievable. That night that Jim and I saw him, I could see where Tony Williams got it from -- before that I could never figure out where Tony got his style from. I had seen Tony play in London when he was 19 with Miles Davis. He was just amazing; nobody did things like him. He was always someone I used to just shut out because you’d pack up -- really. laughs But that night Roy played as well as when I first saw him in the early ‘60s. He’s come to see the Rolling Stones play once in while—that is really daunting. Next to him, what we’re doing is just entertainment. You shake hands with Roy Haynes and you wonder, 'what am I going on about?’ Then Jim and I went to see Elvin Jones, who was 70, and he had a band that was like 50 years younger than him! And he was fantastic. He’s such a joy to be around. He’s still such a beautiful-looking guy -- when he was 20, he looked 40; at 70, he looked 40. In a way I wish that he and Roy would retire, then it would give me a reason to!

Keltner on Charlie Watts
As far as playing goes, there were four life-changing experiences: Billy Higgins, Elvin Jones, Levon Helm, and Charlie Watts. (When I saw Tony Williams, I just wanted to quit.) From the minute I saw Charlie play, I was transformed. First of all, I realized that as a rock player you shouldn’t be killing your drums, you shouldn’t be trying to break your drums. Charlie doesn’t hit hard, and that’s how he gets that great rock feel. That’s just one thing about him. Then there’s the way he plays fills. It’s the epitome of the best way that all rock and r&b is played. It’s not about precision…it’s like a heartbeat. I don’t know how he does it. I’ve tried to do it for many years, since Day One when I first heard him. And every drummer I’ve known has tried to be Charlie Watts. And none of us can do it, which is really great when you think about it. You just can’t do it, but I know what it is…and that’s even more frustrating! I know enough about music to know what it is that he’s doing, but I can’t pull it off -- and I’ve tried.

Keltner on his favorite Watts recordings
“Paint It Black,” “Get off My Cloud” “Under My Thumb,” -- those simple grooves are the kind of grooves I’ve tried to get all my life. Like “Beast of Burden” -- How in the world do you get a groove like that? I could go on and on and on.

Watts on his favorite Keltner recordings
His work on John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy” comes to mind, but it’s really hearing him play live. To stand next to him while he’s playing is just fantastic because he gets all these sounds going. He’s a fabulous player --incredibly tricky. He’s got these wonderful hands. I had heard a lot about him, but we first met at a Rolling Stones concert at Leeds in 1970. He stood right behind me on the drum riser -- he scared the life out of me!

Steve Futterman