Congo - Music

Kobie Watkins
Drummer• Pecussionist•Composer
Watkins Who Has Three Brothers And Four Sisters Was Born In Chicago On
July 26 1975. His Interest In Music Was Sparked At Around Age Three When
he First Saw His Father Playing Drums At A Local Apostolic Overcoming Holy
Church Of God. Prior To Devoting Himself To Religion Alious C. Watkins Jr.
had Played Trap Drums And Other Percussion Instruments With The
Pharaohs A Now-Legendary Jazz-Funk Group In Which Earth Wind & Fire
leader Maurice White Had Been The Original Drummer And He Also Backed
the Dells On Local Engagements. His Dad’s Drumming Led Kobie And His
brothers To Bang On Pots And Pans Around The House. Kobie Took Up
trumpet In Fourth Grade Played It In The Jazz Band While Attending Orr
High School And Later Used It In His Work As An Elementary School Music
teacher In Joliet Illinois Where He Also Played Oboe Flute Clarinet Trombone Tuba And French Horn In Order To Demonstrate Them To His
fourth- And Fifth-Grade Students.
Alious Bought A Toy Drum Set For Kobie When He Was Nine And A Real One
when He Was 12. Kobie Shared The Set With His Younger Brother Asa Who
remains Active As A Drummer In Los Angeles And They Began Playing It In
church Where Their Father Had Become Pastor. The Lessons Learned From
playing For A Pentecostal Church Choir Continue To Inform Kobie’s Playing.
“The Intuitive Part That Goes With Gospel Drumming Is Making Sure Your
eyes And Ears Are In Tune With Whatever’s Happening In Front Of You ”
Watkins Explains. “Those Are Probably The Most Important Things That I
have Learned With Music In General Especially In Jazz. When People Tell Me
that Jazz Is All You Need I’m Like Wow!
“A Lot Of Times With Gospel Music It Had To Be In The Moment. You Had To Be
there Spiritually And Musically. That Was Probably The Hardest Musical
experience I Feel I’ve Ever Had Especially As A Kid. If You Don’t Play
correctly They Will Put You Off The Drums Right In Mid-Song. They Will Point
to Someone Else And Tell Them To Get On The Drums. It’s Happened To Me. If
the Shout Beat Is Not Right They’ll Throw You Off. It’s One Of The Most
devastating Things That Can Happen To You As A Kid But You Also Learn And
your Skin Toughens. It’s Worse Than Being Out In The Jazz Community Or
being Out In The World Anywhere Because At Least They Give You A Better
chance.”
Watkins’s Early Heroes Were All Professional Gospel Drummers Dana David
with The Winans Michael Williams With Commissioned Joel Smith With
the Hawkins Family And Kevin Brunson With The Thompson Community
Choir. He Also Cites Chicago Gospel Blues And Jazz Drummer Kenny
Coleman As An Early Favorite. It Wasn’t Until Watkins Was In High School
that He Started Listening To Buddy Rich Art Blakey Dave Weckl Dennis
Chambers And Other Jazz Drummers.
Watkins Played His First Professional Engagement In 1997 With Pianist
Bethany Pickens And Went On To Play And Record With Her Her Father Willie
Kobie Watkins
Drummer• Pecussionist•Composer
Pickens Trumpeter Orbert Davis Saxophonist Jarrard Harris Pianist Ryan
Cohan Guitarist Bobby Broom And Other Chicagoans. Watkins Also Played
reggae With James Cameron And The Sunshine Festival Gospel Music With
Kim Burrell And R&B And Neo-Soul With Julie Dexter Kendra Ross And
Javier. He Balanced His Gigs Which Averaged Three Nights Per Week With
his Studies At Vandercook College Of Music From Which He Earned A B.A. In
music Education In 1999 His Three Years As A Elementary School Music
teacher And His Graduate Studies At Northwestern University From Which
he Earned An M.A. In Jazz Pedagogy In 2003 . He Has Also Taught At Chicago
State University The Thelonious Monk Institute And Christian Teen Camp
in Lake Geneva Wisconsin.
Recommended To Sonny Rollins By Bobby Broom Watkins Auditioned For
the Legendary Saxophonist In February 2006 While In New York City
attending A Conference Of The International Association Of Jazz Educators.
Besides Rollins The Musicians At The Audition Were Trombonist Clifton
Anderson And Bassist Bob Cranshaw.
Watkins Arrived An Hour And A Half Early To The Audition. “I Was Somewhat
nervous And Somewhat Curious ” He Recalls. “Once We Started There Was No
tension From Anyone. Everyone Was Just Playing Like We Had Been Playing
for Awhile. It Was A Very Comfortable Situation.
“Bob Cranshaw Got Off His Stool And Gave Me A Big Hug. And Then Sonny
took Me Out Into The Hall And Talked To Me. He Said I Should Work On The
calypso And Listen To His Recordings. He Said ‘Keep Thinking About The
music.’ That Was Really Inspirational. He Was Like ‘I Will Be Calling You.’ It
seemed As If He Was Saying ‘Wait By The Phone.’”
The Phone Rang More Than A Half Year Later And Rollins Hired Watkins For
two Engagements In November 2006. There Were A Few More Dates In
2007 Until Rollins Let Him Go In July Of That Year. “I Didn’t Leave On Bad
terms ” The Drummer Says. “It Was Like A Musical Decision He Was Making.
He Was Able To Explain What He Was Looking For.”
Then In 2008 Watkins Got “the Call ” As He Puts It And He’s Been Rollins’s
regular Drummer Ever Since. “It Is Very Intense Very Energetic ” He Says Of
playing With Rollins. “You Have To Have A Lot Of Energy. You Should Always
come Prepared To Listen. You Have To Come In With Intense Focused Energy
all The Time. That Way He Knows That You’re On Board.” read less