| True to form, Jeff "Tain" Watts shows his gift for | | | | movement artist who died at just 28, shows that |
| interpretation and improvisation on Folk's Songs ; he is | | | | Tain's creativity draws from all of his senses and |
| a chameleon of the music world, Tain becomes the | | | | experiences. The groove between the saxophone and |
| music. | | | | the drums contains the feeling of rebellion, creativity, |
| Folk's Songs: Samo ©, Rotation (Jarrett), Ling's | | | | and peace, which may have been the state of mind of |
| Lope, Seed of Blakzilla, Laura Elizabeth, Galilee, Blues 4 | | | | Jean Michel Basquiat as he spray-painted his way |
| Curtis, Rotation II (Jarrett), Same Page..., Blasphemy | | | | from graffiti, with the now famous spray-painted |
| (Kirkland) | | | | "Samo" (same ol' ...), to fame. Track 2, Rotation, is |
| Personnel: Jeff "Tain" Watts: drums, percussion; | | | | dedicated to Tain's former band mate, saxophonist |
| Marcus Strickland: tenor and soprano saxophone; | | | | Dewey Redman. What better track than a |
| Christian McBride: acoustic and electric bass; David | | | | free-flowing Keith Jarrett song to play in memory of |
| Kikoski: pianoforte; Juan Tainish: vocals; David Gilmore: | | | | one of America's foremost free jazz musicians. Tain |
| guitar; Henry Hey: keyboards; Samuel Torres: | | | | shows off his skills as he tackles Keith Jarrett's |
| percussion | | | | improvisational style with its characteristic departure |
| Tain & the Ebonix - Folk's Songsreleased on the | | | | from standard chord changes and tempo, and Marcus |
| Dark Key Musiclabel contains songs dedicated to | | | | Strickland and Tain are up to the challenge. Ling's Lope |
| friends and influences of Jeff "Tain" Watts. Giving | | | | shows some swing and takes the tempo down as |
| back to his fans, friends, and influences is just one of | | | | Tain dedicated this track to his longtime friend Branford |
| the many endearing facets of Tain. An extraordinary | | | | Marsalis. Seed of Blakzilla is definitely a fun and |
| musician, an in-demand drummer, an innovator of | | | | rollicking track that fits perfectly as Tain dedicates this |
| sound, tempo, and pace, and in some circles, he has | | | | to comedian Dave Chappelle. Transitioning tracks, like |
| been called one of the most important drummers of | | | | only Tain can do with his beat and music, he follows |
| this generation, but with all of this said, Tain remains | | | | Seed of Blakzilla with the romantic Laura Elizabeth, |
| approachable, humble, and all about the music. To add | | | | which is a tribute to trumpeter Laura Kahle. Staying |
| to the excitement of Tain's latest release, which he | | | | with this change in tempo, the band rolls into the |
| had been telling me about for almost 2 years, I had the | | | | ghostly 'hymn-like' track - Galilee, this track is in |
| opportunity to experience Tain & the Ebonix live | | | | memory of pianist James Williams, another young |
| at The Living Room in New York on April 2007 for his | | | | talent who passed on before his time. The release |
| Folk's Songs CD release party. | | | | rounds out with Blues 4 Curtis, a tip-of-the-hat to Curtis |
| Folk's Songs starts with Samo ©, which Jeff has | | | | Mayfield; Same Page, which is a tribute to the Citizens |
| dedicated to Jean Michel Basquiat. Born in the same | | | | of Earth; and Blasphemy, which is a dual tribute to |
| year, their rise to fame seemed to parallel one another. | | | | drummer Don Alias, and composer Kenny Kirkland. |
| Jean Michel Basquiat's influence, a Neo-expressionist | | | | |