THE ROLLING STONES
STONE ALONE
Charlie’s extracurricular work
With Dave Green in The A,B,C&D Of Boogie Woogie at Le New Morning, Paris, Oct 2, 2011
DAVID WOLFF - PATRICK/REDFERNS; GRAHAM WILTSHIRE/REDFERNS; HULTON-DEUTSCH COLLECTION/CORBIS/CORBIS VIA GETTY IMAGES
HOWLIN’ WOLF THE LONDON HOWLIN’
WOLF SESSIONS
CH ESS, 1971
Watts joins Eric Clapton, Bill Wyman and Steve Winwood backing the legendary bluesman in this finely grooved series of recordings at Olympic. Hubert Sumlin, Ringo Starr and Klaus Voormann also feature, as the British R&B men pay appropriate tribute to a founding hero of blues. 8/10
ROCKET 88 ROCKET 88
ATLANTIC, 1981
Ian Stewart formed Rocket 88 as a boogie-woogie band featuring seasoned R&B performers Alexis Korner and Jack Bruce, with Charlie on drums. This fab live album from Hanover was their only official release, with cover designed by Charlie. 8/10
THE CHARLIE WATTS ORCHESTRA LIVE AT FULHAM TOWN HALL
COLUMBIA, 1986
Watts self-funded this short tour featuring first-rate jazzers drawn from both bop and free jazz, who play a set that includes Lester Young’s “Lester Leaps In” and Charlie Parker’s “Scrapple From The Apple”. Players include Courtney Pine, Evan Parker, Jack Bruce and Alan Skidmore. 7/10
CHARLIE WATTS QUINTET TRIBUTE TO CHARLIE PARKER WITH STRINGS
CONTINUUM, 1992
A lovely tribute to the sax legend, with Bernard Fowler on vocals and narrating episodes from Parker’s life. Low-key but very stylish in typical Watts fashion. All five Charlie Watts Quintet recordings are worthwhile. 8/10
CHARLIE WATTS/JIM KELTNER THE CHARLIE WATTS-JIM KELTNER PROJECT
CYBER OCTAVE RECORDS, 2000
Watts and Keltner combine for this sonically ambitious and imaginative tribute to great jazz drummers, with each track named after and inspired by the likes of Art Blakey, Max Roach and Elvin Jones. 8/10
THE ABC&D OF BOOGIE WOOGIE THE MAGIC OF BOOGIE WOOGIE
VAGABOND
RECORDS, 2010
The first of two albums by the ABC&D Of Boogie Woogie, a tight boogie woogie band named after the first names of Axel Zwingenberger, Ben Waters, Charlie Watts and Dave Green. Tracks include genre classics and improvised moments like “Sympathy For The Drummer”. 6/10 PETER WATTS
Stone and sticks: onstage with Rocket 88, Dingwalls, London, 1978