Though Reggie Watkins has made his bones (so to speak) as a trombonist, leading his own bands and playing with such stellar units as Orrin Evans's Captain Black Big Band, he is a top-notch composer as well. The best proof of that to date is his strong new album, "Rivers," his fourth as a leader and the first of his efforts to offer all originals.
RICHMOND, Calif., Feb. 28, 2025 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania—trombonist-composer Reggie Watkins's adopted hometown, and one of America's richest jazz cities—is at the heart of "Rivers," Watkins's fourth album as a leader, to be released March 28 on BYNK Records. But the album doesn't confine itself to the City of Bridges. Ever the restless explorer, Watkins uses a Pittsburgh-based, post-bop jazz quartet featuring pianist Michael Bernabe, bassist Eli Naragon and drummer Jason Washington Jr. to take on the world.
Even the title of the record (the first to comprise all Watkins originals) isn't as specific to the city as it may seem. Of course "Rivers" refers on one level to Pittsburgh's geographic foundation, the confluence of the Allegheny, Monongahela, and Ohio. "You can't get away from river culture," Watkins says. "Whatever you do, wherever you go, there are always those three rivers you have to cross." At the same time, however, the album (and its title track) also nods to Sam Rivers, the innovative Boston saxophonist who is one of Watkins's inspirations.
Watkins also pays tribute to other musical inspirations and friends from locations far and near. The wily opener "Blues for 3-D" is dedicated to the three D's (trombonist, composer, and Oklahoma native David Gibson, as well as Andre Hayward and Steve Davis); playful but angular "Ocularity" tips its hat to Texan geniuses Ornette Coleman and Don Cherry; and the high-stepping "Blue 6" takes its cues both from New Yorker Thelonious Monk and from Jimmy Knepper, the California trombone great who is one of Watkins's prime heroes. Even the far-flung locations themselves receive salutes on the album, as with the fond (and self-explanatory) closer "Shanghai Strut."
Even so, Pittsburgh—and the life and career Watkins has built for himself there—remain a constant presence on "Rivers." "Hide n Seek," with its blissful feel and affectionate romp of a trombone solo, is an ode to his children. "Meditations," a tune that is exactly what its title promises, nonetheless suggests the placid ebb and flow of the river waters that remain the city's defining feature.
"I've just always had this connection to the city and the people and the jazz scene here," the trombonist notes. "Musicians from Akron and Cleveland are coming to Pittsburgh and vice versa so now you have influences going in both directions." Naturally, he expresses that bond in part through the powerful chemistry he shares with the album's locally based band. "There's special meaning to hooking up with talents like Eli, Michael, and Jason, who was only 23 when we first played together but played beyond his years," says Watkins.
Taken together, "Rivers" is the story of all these things rolled into one—and hence, a story of Watkins himself.
Reggie Watkins was born August 24, 1971, in Wheeling, West Virginia, 60 miles outside of Pittsburgh. A music lover and aspiring brass player in his teenage years, he tried his hand at trumpet and tuba before finding the trombone in high school. He found it again, on another level, when he discovered J.J. Johnson while studying music at West Virginia University. Thereafter he dove headlong into jazz.
After graduating, Watkins worked for a few years as a musician on the cruise ship circuit before moving to Pittsburgh in 1998, where he worked with noted drummer and native Pittsburgher Roger Humphries. At that point, legendary trumpeter and big bandleader Maynard Ferguson came calling, and Watkins toured with him for several years, becoming his musical director as well. From Ferguson, Watkins went to pop singer-songwriter Jason Mraz, with whom he worked for six years.
Watkins recorded his first album, 2004's "A-List," while still with Ferguson, and his second, 2010's "One for Miles, One for Maynard" (released in 2014), while with Mraz. His third, "Avid Admirer: The Jimmy Knepper Project" (featuring pianist Orrin Evans), came in 2016 after Knepper's daughter Robin gifted Watkins her late father's trombones. In addition, Watkins has recorded as a member of the funk ensemble Steeltown Horns, whose debut album "5 Years of Funk" was released in 2023.
For the last eight years, Watkins has recorded and toured with Orrin Evans and his three-time Grammy-nominated Captain Black Big Band. He is featured on their albums "The Intangible Between" (2020) and "Walk a Mile in My Shoe" (2024).
The CD release show and after party will take place Sat. 3/29 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall aka The Carnegie Carnegie in Carnegie, PA (Greater Pittsburgh). Watkins will also be performing at Con Alma in Pittsburgh, Wed. 4/30 and Wed. 5/14, as well as at The Bop Stop, Cleveland, Fri. 6/20 and Smalls, NYC, Mon. 6/23.
Media Contact
Terri Hinte, Terri Hinte Public Relations, +15102348781, [email protected],
SOURCE Reggie Watkins
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