+ Deep Dive Eight: Jeff “Tain” Watts +

PART ONE:
INSPIRATION

TAIN.
FOR THE WIN.

Jeff “Tain” Watts is one of the most exciting drummers to ever walk the Earth. His swing feel is amazing. He plays other grooves with so much swagger – take a listen to him play a 6/8 beat or even some kind of funk-based rhythm. It’s so locked in with so much attitude and it feels great. Then, on top of that he always brings a level of technique and vicious muscle that is kind of why many of us started playing drums to begin with. In short, he just rips! And his creativity and musical sensitivity rounds out what I can only imagine is one of the most complete and beautiful drummers we have.

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PART TWO:
IMITATION

Transcription:
“BLUTAIN”

This is a transcription from David Kikoski’s “Blutain” from an album called “Consequeces.” It’s a trio record with Kikoski on piano, and Christian McBride on bass. Tain has played this song (one of many namesake tunes) on other recordings. This one jumped out at me right away as having some great vocabulary and a terrific time feel. So I dove in and tried to decipher what he’s doing in one particular one-chorus solo.

His phrases are melodic and sensitive, then he rips into the drums toward the end of the 12-bar blues form. He pulls out various triplet accents from different parts of the 3-note groupings, and mixes in other rates like sixteenth notes and sextuplets. You’ll hear him resolve phrases on the “4” of a few lines, and in some cases he smashes the hell out of his trademark Sabian Rocktagon crash. It’s explosive, and he’s explosive.

Going into the solo, he plays a hard-swinging groove that’s a bit like a Blakey shuffle. It hooks up with McBride in a way that is so tight. And then some of his solo phrasing is akin to some things Elvin may have done on many a record. This drumming on this song sounds like a perfect combo of Elvin and Blakey influences, but with expansions and aspects that make it so unmistakably Tain. His voice is so unique on the drums and all of his recordings have that element. A true modern master.

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PART THREE:
INNOVATION


From there, Tain plays one more beat on the end of that phrase, but he varies it. Sometimes, he’ll play another triplet. Or a group of sixteenth notes. Or, even some fast sextuplets. Along with that variation, he plays different accents, or rolls, or crashes on the cymbal. So, he orchestrates and accents that final beat differently each time, but the flow of the phrase itself is relatively similar. It is essentially a three-beat phrase with a pick-up note. The variations I’m trying to pull out of it here involve different rates and accents on that third beat of the phrase, as well as using it in both 3/4 and 4/4. Obviously, in 3/4 it resolves itself in one bar. In 4/4, it creates an over-the-barline cycle, which could be yet another subliminal homage to Elvin. Make no mistake though, this phrasing and attitude is all Tain. Last thing- check out the dynamic range in this solo. He starts out very quiet and builds it over the course of the form. Damn!

I’m zeroing in on a particular phrase that Tain bends and varies in his solo on “Blutain.” It begins with an accented upbeat and flows into two triplets. The first triplet has an accent on the middle note. The second triplet has an accent on the third note, which he plays on the left hand as a pullout stroke:

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One:
PHRASING IN THREE

Starting out, just getting comfortable with this 3-beat phrase Tain plays within the solo on Blutain. It starts w/an upbeat and then there are varied accents over three triplets. Since the accents shift around, it creates a cool pattern, and it resolves itself when played in 3/4. This phrase is the base of what I’m creating variations on below.

Two:
MIXING IN
SIXTEENTHS

Next, instead of playing triplets throughout, Tain would vary the phrase by playing 16th notes for the last beat of the 3-note phrase. This instantly makes it have a more Elvin-esque, rolling feel. Tain really only hits this variation once in the 12-bars, but I'm repeating it a bunch just to get the feeling of it internalized.

Three:
ACCENTED
SIXTEENTHS

Expanding on that last variation, here is that final set of 16th notes, but played with an accent pullout. This makes it both rolling and jagged at the same time. Still rocking it in 3/4 so that it resolves itself each measure. Soon, I'll drop this into 4/4 and have the 3-beat cycle do its thing (also an Elvin specialty, but played with Tain's vibe). I could play stuff like this all day (and probably do without knowing it).

Four:
NOW WITH ROLLS

Here's that same 3-beat phrase, but with rolls added in for that third beat. Just a small variation but it helps get so much mileage out of one idea. Tain's rolls have such a specific sound, and that specific sound is "good."

Five:
DROPPING IT
INTO 4/4 TIME

Here's taking that 3-note master phrase and playing it in 4. A classic way to phrase vocabulary, but it never sounds old when Tain does it because it's with complete conviction.

Six:
SOME 6/8 PHRASING

Since the main phrase is triplet-based, I thought it might tuck in nicely into a 6/8 feel. The jury's still out on this one, but nobody got hurt for trying.

Seven:
ADDING A TRIPLET

Here is a variation where I'm adding a triplet to the end of the 3-note phrase, and accenting it. Weave this together with the original phrase and you've got enough music to last you for a good while. The extra phrase resolves in 4, and the original can give you that cool 3-beat cycle.

Eight:
FAST ROLLS

Toward the end of Tain's solo, he plays some really fast rolls that are within the skeleton of triplets. Imagine playing eighth note triplets, but mixing fast six-stroke rolls into that rhythm. He uses it to create a bit of fireworks toward the end, which is so cool because the beginning of the solo starts out melodically with a soft touch. Just listen to him do it.

Nine:
TONY ALLEN-ISH

Here's a piece of that original phrase with an extra triplet, only played on the hi-hat in an Afrobeat style. So, kind of like a weird melding of Tain and Tony Allen, and for some reason there is no bass drum on the "1."

Ten:
OVER FORM

Here's taking that phrase from Tain and playing it over the melody of another blues, "Blue Monk."

Eleven:
OVER FORM AGAIN

Hey- why not? Another stab at using it over “Blue Monk.”

Twelve:
TIME SOLOING

Here's a bit of playing that's kind of in that weird zone between time and soloing, hence the nickname "time-soloing." Really original naming convention, right?