I’m thinking about Charlie Watts today. To my mind, he is one of the three greatest drummers of the modern era, along with Levon Helm and Jim Keltner. Charlie played the songs, he didn’t simply play the drums. It wasn’t the “less is more” approach, because he had a lot going on at any given time within a song. But he played what the song needed, and if that was fewer fills, then that was that. It was Jazz that first, and always, inspired him. It was Chico Hamilton he really wanted to be.

Jazz carried Charlie all through the years, not Rock and Roll, and it was the swing of Jazz that he brought to the Rolling Stones. Keith adored him, like they all did. He said, “Charlie Watts is the bed I lie on musically.”

In most bands, the others follow the drummer. For the Stones, Charlie followed Keith and the rest followed Charlie. It’s barely decipherable, that fraction of a beat behind, but that was the sound of the band. Play This LOUD:

Beginning in the late 80’s, Charlie pursued his Jazz during downtime from his day job. Around 2010, he was part of The ABC & D of Boogie Woogie, a band lead by boogie piano players Ben Waters and Axel Zwingenberger. Charlie’s lifelong friend Dave Green was on bass. In June 2012, the band played for free as part of Lincoln Center Outdoors, at the bandshell in Damrosch Park, a great place to see a band. There were no seats, just a large dance floor for the audience. I could get a relatively close look at Charlie, who appeared to be smiling from start to finish.

Amazingly, the group booked a night at The Iridium on Broadway at 51st Street. It was July 2nd, 2012, an announcement coming on Q104, with the ticket code WEMBLEY. I don’t know how the hell I did it, but I scored one. This clip is a montage from that very show, shot from right around where I was sitting:

To watch Charlie Watts from 20 feet away remains indescribable, one of the greatest experiences of my life. I managed to snap this:

I got to the The Iridium early to get a seat as close as I could. The place was filling up steadily, people talking amongst themselves about how incredible this was going to be, to see Charlie Watts play in a club.

It’s just about showtime. The kitchen door off to the side of the stage opens. I figured the band was about to hit it. But someone else walked in. He was with his daughter, and he took his seat.

I couldn’t speak. It was this guy:

There to cheer on his friend. Of course the crowd erupted, though he did all he could to slide in to his seat as quickly as possible. But he stood up and gave a quick wave, then sat down. I was 15 feet from him, directly facing him. I had a drink in my hand, he picked up his beer…AND HE LOOKED AT ME. I raised my glass to him. He raised his glass to me, smiled and nodded. I was beside myself. At the end of the show I snapped the picture above. Charlie left the stage and went directly to him. They hugged and laughed at something one of them said. Keith kissed him on the cheek, and backstage they went. What a night.

One of the songs they performed was “I Got an Uncle in Harlem,” a mysterious song I haven’t been able to find much information on. I believe it was first recorded by Hot Lips Page in the late 20’s. This performance is from 2011, in a trio with Charlie, Dave Green and Ben Waters:

I attempted a playlist of some of Charlie’s greatest performances with The Stones, but it didn’t really fit in with today’s post. So instead, Today’s Playlist is a SomethingIsHappening compendium of some of the music that inspired the creation of The ABC & D of Boogie Woogie:

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