The Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival is this weekend in Pittsburgh, including a homecoming for the famed drummer, Jeff “Tain” Watts.
Long prominent in the international jazz scene, Jeff has firm roots in Pittsburgh and is keen to come back home to present a new commission, “Suite Pittsburgh,” Sunday afternoon at 2:45 at the Highmark Stadium on the South Side.
The band will included another Pittsburgh native, pianist David Budway, plus saxophonist Ravi Coltrane, guitarist Paul Boellenback and bassist Robert Hurst.
We talked with Jeff “Tain” Watts this week, and touched on stories from his time in Los Angeles as a part of the Tonight Show band with Branford Marsalis, stories about his time at the Berklee School of music (including with Tony Campbell and Don Aliquo, Jr), and about how he met a very young bassist, Dwayne Dolphin while back in Pittsburgh on break.
We had a great chat. If you’d like more recent insights on Jeff - check out this interview he did this spring with pianist Ethan Iverson, formerly of the band the Bad Plus.
Jeff “Tain” Watts
Jeff also shares stories about how much he appreciates his Pittsburgh upbringing after having been all over the world, the importance of August Wilson’s stories, and his own father, who worked as a Jitney driver in the Hill District back in Jeff’s youth.
September is filled to the brim with jazz events - the Pittsburgh international Jazz Festival 2021 is September 17-19. Then, a day later - BPEP Jazz at the Heinz History Center, September 20th. Also in September - Jazz Poetry Month 2021 which continues locally and internationally at Alphabet City, and the return of a full season at MCG Jazz, starting with the Yellowjackets, September 24th and 25th followed by Keiko Matsui and Kirk Whalum October 2nd and Tierney Sutton and Ann Hampton Callaway in October 16th
The Scene - Thursday at 6pm, Friday and Saturday at noon, Sunday afternoon at 5.
