Doug Watkins


Douglas Watkins was an American jazz double bassist. He was best known for being an accompanist to various hard bop artists in the Detroit area, including Donald Byrd and Jackie McLean.

Biography

Watkins was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. An original member of the Jazz Messengers, he later played in Horace Silver's quintet and freelanced with Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, and Phil Woods among others.
Some of Watkins' best-known work can be heard, when as a 22-year-old, he appeared on the 1956 album Saxophone Colossus by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, with Max Roach and Tommy Flanagan.
According to Horace Silver's autobiography, Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty, Watkins, along with Silver, later left Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers because the other members of the band at the time had serious drug problems, whereas Watkins and Silver were tired of being harassed and searched by the police every time they went to a gig in a new city and club.
When Charles Mingus briefly ventured over to the piano stool in 1961, he hired Watkins to take over the bass part; Oh Yeah and Tonight at Noon were the results.
Watkins recorded only two albums as leader: Watkins at Large for Transition; and Soulnik for New Jazz. The latter, recorded in 1960, with Yusef Lateef, features Watkins on cello with Herman Wright backing him on bass. The cello was an instrument he had started to play only a few days before the recording session.
Watkins died in an automobile accident near Holbrook, Arizona, on February 5, 1962, while traveling from Arizona to San Francisco to meet drummer Philly Joe Jones for a gig.

Discography

As leader

  • 1956: Watkins at Large
  • 1960: ''Soulnik''

    As sideman

With Pepper Adams
With Gene Ammons
  • Jammin' with Gene
  • Funky
  • Blue Gene
  • Boss Tenor
  • Velvet Soul
  • Angel Eyes
  • Nice an' Cool
  • Jug
With Art Blakey
With Tina Brooks
  • Minor Move
With Kenny Burrell
With Donald Byrd
  • Byrd's Eye View
  • Byrd Blows on Beacon Hill
  • 2 Trumpets - with Art Farmer
  • Jazz Eyes - with John Jenkins
  • Byrd in Paris
  • Parisian Thoroughfare
  • Fuego
  • Byrd in Flight
  • Chant
With John Coltrane
  • Dakar
With Tommy Flanagan
  • The Cats
With Curtis Fuller
  • New Trombone
With Red Garland
  • Coleman Hawkins with the Red Garland Trio
  • Satin Doll
  • Rediscovered Masters
With Benny Golson
  • Gettin' with It
With Bill Hardman
  • Saying Something
With Wilbur Harden
  • Mainstream 1958
With Thad Jones
  • Mad Thad
  • Olio
With Yusef Lateef
  • Jazz for the Thinker
  • Jazz Mood
With Jackie McLean
  • Presenting... Jackie McLean
  • Lights Out!
  • 4, 5 and 6
  • Jackie McLean & Co.
  • Alto Madness - with John Jenkins
  • Bluesnik
With Charles Mingus
  • Oh Yeah
  • Tonight at Noon
With Hank Mobley
With Lee Morgan
  • Introducing Lee Morgan
  • Candy
With The Prestige All Stars
  • Wheelin' & Dealin
With Paul Quinichette
With Dizzy Reece
  • Soundin' Off
With Rita Reys
  • The Cool Voice of Rita Reys
With Sonny Rollins
  • Saxophone Colossus
  • Newk's Time
With Horace Silver
  • Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers
  • Silver's Blue
  • 6 Pieces of Silver
With Louis Smith
  • Here Comes Louis Smith
With Idrees Sulieman
With Billy Taylor
  • Interlude
With Phil Woods'
  • ''Pairing Off''