© 2025 KUNR
Illustration of rolling hills with occasional trees and a radio tower.
Serving Northern Nevada and the Eastern Sierra
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations
Your gift to the station will go twice as far thanks to a generous matching grant from the Greg Nelson Trust.
Now is the time to act: Click here to donate to KUNR today. 🧡

'Tain' Watts: What's In A Name?

Jazz drummer Jeff "Tain" Watts leads a new album called Watts. But it's no ego trip; the disc is inspired, at least in part, by Los Angeles' Watts neighborhood, hometown of jazz great Charles Mingus. The Los Angeles Times calls the album "a collection of anxious hard bop and blues" from a musician who's always felt a sense of connection to the place.

Watts was an original member of the Wynton Marsalis quintet, and the group won three Grammy Awards while he was with the ensemble. He also was a member of the Branford Marsalis Quartet.

Watts features several prominent jazz musicians, including Branford Marsalis, trumpeter Terence Blanchard and bassist Christian McBride.

Fresh Air's jazz critic has a review.

Copyright 2022 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air.

Kevin Whitehead is the jazz critic for NPR's Fresh Air with Terry Gross. Currently he reviews for The Audio Beat and Point of Departure.