Charlie Watts Jazz Anthology Released

BMG recently released Anthology, a comprehensive collection of jazz music from the renowned drummer Charlie Watts, who is best known for his work with the Rolling Stones.

The Anthology album, available in both 2-LP and 2-CD editions, showcases Watts’ diverse jazz recordings spanning nearly 20 years. It includes various ensemble configurations such as quartet, quintet, tenet, and orchestra, with several previously unreleased tracks from 1978.

Anthology pays tribute to Watts’ remarkable musical talent and his ability to highlight the skills of his collaborators. Throughout the collection, listeners will hear exceptional performances by esteemed musicians like Dave Green, Peter King, Evan Parker, Courtney Pine, Gerard Presencer, Jim Keltner, and Bernard Fowler, who have contributed to Watts’ jazz projects over the years.

The retrospective begins with material from 1986 when Watts released his first album under his own name, a humble decision made 25 years after he first gained recognition as a drummer. The collection features tracks from various Charlie Watts Quintet albums, including From One Charlie (1991), A Tribute to Charlie Parker with Strings (1992), Warm and Tender (1993), and Long Ago and Far Away (1996). Additionally, it includes recordings from the Charlie Watts – Jim Keltner Project collaboration in 2000 and a live set from 2001 by the Charlie Watts Tentet, recorded as Watts at Scott’s in 2004.

The expanded CD version of the Anthology includes three highly sought-after tracks from a 1978 performance by Watts and his group at Swindon Arts Centre. These tracks, namely “Rockhouse Boogie,” “Ain’t Nobody Minding Your Store,” and “Swindon Swing,” further enhance the listening experience.

To provide additional context, the album Anthology features liner notes written by Paul Sexton, a respected music journalist and broadcaster. In 2022, HarperCollins published Charlie’s Good Tonight: The Authorized Biography of Charlie Watts, a book written by Sexton.