DOUG WATKINS QUINTET – Soulnik (2023 Reissue with 2 Bonus Tracks) – LP – 180g Vinyl [JUN 16]

LP – Limited Edition 180g Virgin Vinyl featuring the complete album plus two bonus tracks.

Jazz bassist Doug Watkins died in a car accident in 1962 at the age of 27. However, prior to his early demise, he recorded dozens of wonderful sessions with some of the greatest jazzmen of his time, among them Sonny Rollins, Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, and the Horace Silver Quintet. ‘Soulnik‘ marked his second and fnal album as a leader, and features Watkins on cello instead of bass, and in the company of the great Yusef Lateef.

“Bassist Doug Watkins only led two recording sessions before his death in 1962, and this set has sometimes appeared under Yusef Lateef’s name. Watkins doubles on cello (an instrument he had reportedly only begun playing three days earlier) during the set with Lateef (who triples on tenor, fute, and oboe), pianist Hugh Lawson, bassist Herman Wright, and drummer Lex Humphries. The use of oboe and cello on some numbers makes the date stand out a bit from the usual hard bop sessions of the period and straight-ahead jazz fans will want to get this album.” – Scott Yanow, AllMusic

Tracklist:

A1. One Guy [6:19]
A2. I’m Confessin’ [6:50]
A3. Soulnik [5:48]
A4. The Beginning * [4:10]

B1. Andre’s Bag [7:00]
B2. I Remember You [5:37]
B3. Imagination [6:12]
B4. Space * [5:56]

* = Bonus Tracks

Doug Watkins: cello
Yusef Lateef: fute & oboe
Hugh Lawson: piano
Herman Wright: bass
Lex Humphries: drums