Cleveland Watkiss, (born 21 October 1959), is a British vocalist, actor, and composer.

Biography

Cleveland Watkiss was born in Hackney, East London, to Jamaican parents, and was one of nine children. He is the older brother of pianist

Trevor Watkis Trevor Watkis (born 1971) is a British jazz pianist, composer and arranger. Biography Watkis was born in London in 1971. His older brother is vocalist Cleveland Watkiss. Trevor's "early influences on piano included Chick Corea, Bill Evans, Herbie ...

(and the different spelling of their surname is deliberate). At age 16, he won twice in a local singing talent competition, hosted by "FatMan" of FatMan Sound System (North East London Based Roots, Reggae & Dub Sound System). Watkiss studied at the London School of Singing with opera coach Arnold Rose and subsequently at the

Guildhall School of Music and Drama The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is a conservatoire and drama school located in the City of London, United Kingdom. Established in 1880, the school offers undergraduate and postgraduate training in all aspects of classical music and jazz ...

with

Lionel Grigson Lionel Grigson (12 February 1942 – 14 June 1994) was an English jazz pianist, cornettist, trumpeter, composer, writer and teacher, who in the 1980s started the jazz course at the Guildhall School of Music. As Simon Purcell wrote in ''The Ind ...

. Watkiss was one of the co-founders of the vastly influential Jazz Warriors big band, and his vocals can be heard on their debut album, ''Out of Many People'' (1987), which won a video award in Japan. Watkiss was then entered for the ''Wire''/''Guardian'' Jazz Awards and was voted best vocalist for three consecutive years, and was the opening act of choice for

Cassandra Wilson Cassandra Wilson (born December 4, 1955) is an American jazz singer, songwriter, and producer from Jackson, Mississippi. She is one of the most successful female Jazz singers and has been described by critic Gary Giddins as "a singer blessed wi ...

and

Abbey Lincoln Anna Marie Wooldridge (August 6, 1930 – August 14, 2010), known professionally as Abbey Lincoln, was an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and actress. She was a civil rights activist beginning in the 1960s. Lincoln made a career out of deli ...

. The ''Guardian'' music journalist

John Fordham John Fordham (died 1425) was Bishop of Durham and Bishop of Ely. Fordham was keeper of the privy seal of Prince Richard from 1376 to 1377 and Dean of Wells before being named Lord Privy Seal in June 1377. He held that office until December 1381 ...

described Watkiss as "arriving on the scene with a bang". Watkiss has performed with a diverse range of artists from around the world, including:

Courtney Pine Courtney Pine, (born 18 March 1964), is a British jazz musician, who was the principal founder in the 1980s of the black British band the Jazz Warriors. Although known primarily for his saxophone playing, Pine is a multi-instrumentalist, also ...

, Stevie Wonder,

Shakatak Shakatak is an English jazz-funk band founded in 1980 by Nigel Wright and former Wigan Casino DJ Kev Roberts. Following an initial white label release 'Steppin', the band's name was derived from a record store in Soho, London Record Shack. I ...

James Taylor Quartet The James Taylor Quartet (or JTQ) are a British four-piece jazz funk band formed in 1985 by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners, and in the wake of Stiff Records' bankruptcy. The band co ...

, Working Week,

The Who The Who are an English rock band formed in London in 1964. Their classic lineup consisted of lead singer Roger Daltrey, guitarist and singer Pete Townshend, bass guitarist and singer John Entwistle, and drummer Keith Moon. They are considered ...

Coldcut Coldcut are an English electronic music duo composed of Matt Black and Jonathan More. Credited as pioneers for pop sampling in the 1980s, Coldcut are also considered the first stars of UK electronic dance music due to their innovative style, ...

Lisa Stansfield Lisa Jane Stansfield (born 11 April 1966) is an English singer, songwriter, and actress. Her career began in 1980 when she won the singing competition ''Search for a Star''. After appearances in various television shows and releasing her first ...

Maxi Priest Max Alfred "Maxi" Elliott (born 10 June 1961), known by his stage name Maxi Priest, is a British reggae vocalist of Jamaican descent. He is best known for singing reggae music with an R&B influence, otherwise known as reggae fusion. He was one ...

Jason Rebello Jason Matthew Rebello (born 29 March 1969) is a British pianist, songwriter, and record producer. Career Rebello was born in Carshalton, Surrey. His father's family is from India. Rebello was raised a Catholic in Wandsworth, London. He was cl ...

Goldie Clifford Joseph Price MBE (born 19 September 1965), better known as Goldie, is a British music producer and DJ. Initially gaining exposure for his work as a graffiti artist, Goldie became well known for his pioneering role as a musician in t ...

, Björk,

Talvin Singh Talvin Singh OBE (born 1970) is an English musician, producer, and composer. A tabla player, he is known for creating an innovative fusion of Indian classical music and drum and bass. Singh is generally considered involved with an electronica s ...

Om Unit Jim Coles (born c. 1980), professionally known as Om Unit, is an English, Bristol-based electronic producer and DJ, known for his work in electronic music and drum and bass. Career Originally producing jungle as a teenager in the 1990s, he then ...

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, Jackie Mittoo,

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, Art Blakey,

Sly & Robbie Sly and Robbie were a prolific Jamaican rhythm section and production duo, associated primarily with the reggae and dub genres. Drummer Sly Dunbar and bassist Robbie Shakespeare teamed up in the mid-1970s after establishing themselves separ ...

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DJ Patife Wagner Ribeiro de Souza (born September 15, 1976), better known by his stage name DJ Patife, is a prominent Brazilian drum and bass DJ. DJ Patife's first gig was at São Paulo's Arena Music Hall. In 1997, he accompanied Roni Size in the deli ...

Carlinhos Brown Antônio Carlos Santos de Freitas, known professionally as Carlinhos Brown (Brazilian Portuguese: /kaʁˈlĩɲus bɾaw̃, -iɲuʃ/, 23 November 1962), is a Brazilian singer, percussionist, and record producer from Salvador, Bahia. His musical ...

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and the

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Robbie Williams Robert Peter Williams (born 13 February 1974) is an English singer and songwriter. He found fame as a member of the pop group Take That from 1990 to 1995, and achieved commercial success after launching a solo career in 1996. His debut stud ...

, Joe Cocker,

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

, Branford Marsalis,

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, Bocato Big Band,

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, Kassa Mady, Halogenix,

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Big Band,

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, Malik & the O.G's and many more. He has also worked with symphonic orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra,

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among others. Watkiss is a keen music educator, working as a voice instructor for SingUp, with workshops in venues/schools, colleges and universities around the UK. More recently, Watkiss was cast in the starring role in

Julian Joseph Julian Raphael Nathaniel Joseph (born 11 May 1966) is a British jazz pianist, bandleader, composer, arranger, and broadcaster. Biography Joseph was born in London and attended Allfarthing Primary School and Spencer Park Secondary School in Wan ...

and Mike Phillips's ground-breaking jazz operas ''Bridgetower'' and ''Shadowball''. Joseph has said of Watkiss: "He has that incredible charisma, that wonderful voice. He has the jazz sound and the power of an opera singer." Watkiss has performed in many of the major concert halls, festivals and clubs around the world with "VocalSuite", a solo voice performance, and with his new Quartet "CWQ", accompanied by Shaney Forbes (drums), Mark Hodgson (bass) and Marco Piccioni (guitars). Reviewing a solo performance at

The Vortex ''The Vortex'' is a play in three acts by the English writer and actor Noël Coward. The play depicts the sexual vanity of a rich, ageing beauty, her troubled relationship with her adult son, and drug abuse in British society circles after the ...

, Ivan Hewett wrote in ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are popular names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaide, South Australia, publ ...

'': "Cleveland Watkiss is such a restlessly curious musician, it's hard to know where to place him. He has sung with the Who and gospel choirs, he has appeared in straight-ahead jazz contexts and in drum and bass, he has worked with video artists, DJs, Indian percussionists, Japanese musicians. All these encounters have left their traces on him, as was clear from his solo gig at the Vortex. Just as important was the virtuoso way a reference to one musical style would morph into another. This worked so well because it was done in a spirit of play.... But it wasn't all fun and games. Watkiss earlier on spun some ecstatic variations on a Chopin prelude that had us all spellbound."Ivan Hewett
"From an opera to a hurricane in the blink of an eye"
''The Telegraph'', 11 December 2006.

Awards and honors

* Best Vocalist, London Jazz Awards, 2010 * Best Vocalist, ''Wire''/''Guardian'' Jazz Awards * Jazz Vocalist of the Year, Parliamentary Jazz Awards, 2017 * MBE,

2018 New Year Honours The 2018 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebratio ...

* Ivor Novello Award for Innovation 2021

Discography

* ''Green Chimneys'' (Urban, 1989) * ''Blessing in Disguise'' (Polydor, 1991) * ''23'' (Dorado, 1996) * ''Victory's Happy Song'' (Touchdown Soundz, 2001)

References

* *

External links

Official site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkiss, Cleveland 1959 births Living people English drum and bass musicians English jazz singers English people of Jamaican descent English reggae musicians Jazz Warriors members Members of the Order of the British Empire People from Hackney Central Alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama