Kobie Watkins (born July 26, 1975) is an American

drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drum The drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments. In the Hornbostel-Sachs classification system, it is a membranophone. Drums consist of at least one mem ...

and

percussionist A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

Jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

, and

Gospel music Gospel music is a traditional genre of Christian music, and a cornerstone of Christian media. The creation, performance, significance, and even the definition of gospel music varies according to culture and social context. Gospel music is com ...

genres, and a music educator.

Biography

Kobie Watkins was born July 26, 1975, in Chicago. He began as a small child listening and watching his father, Alious C. Watkins, who was a drummer for their church. Watkins studied percussion at

Vandercook College of Music VanderCook College of Music is a Private university, private music school in Chicago, Illinois. It is the only college in the United States solely specializing in the training of music educators. Students may pursue a Bachelor of Music in Educat ...

with vibraphonist Marc Max Jacoby and percussionist Kevin Lepper at school by day. By night, Watkins spent time playing jazz with alto saxophonist Dennis Winslett, performing in the pit at local theaters and performed for cabaret shows. He earned his bachelor's degree in music education from Vandercook in 1999. He received his Master of Music from

Northwestern University Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. Founded in 1851, Northwestern is the oldest chartered university in Illinois and is ranked among the most prestigious academic institutions in the world. Charte ...

jazz pedagogy Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major f ...

in 2003. He became a public school band director. At night, he played gigs around the Chicago area and throughout the United States. Watkins developed the nickname the Swing Master of Chicago. He was depicted in a front-page article in the Joliet, Illinois’- Herald, -a local newspaper titled, "Teacher has Alter Ego as Jazz Musician."

Honors

Walt Disney World American All-Star Band Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Arfons (1916-2013), American drag racer and competition land speed record racer * Walt B ...

, Magic Kingdom (Orlando, FL) - 1998

Side man

Watkins has played in groups on stage and in recordings for: *

Sonny Rollins Walter Theodore "Sonny" Rollins (born September 7, 1930) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist who is widely recognized as one of the most important and influential jazz musicians. In a seven-decade career, he has recorded over sixty albums as a ...

Kurt Elling Kurt Elling (born November 2, 1967) is an American jazz singer and songwriter. Born in Chicago, Illinois, and raised in Rockford, Illinois, Rockford, Elling became interested in music through his father, who was Kapellmeister at a Lutheran chur ...

Curtis Fuller Curtis DuBois Fuller (December 15, 1932May 8, 2021) was an American jazz trombonist. He was a member of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and contributed to many classic jazz recordings. Early life Fuller was born in Detroit on December 15, 1932. ...

Arturo Sandoval Arturo Sandoval is a Cuban-American jazz trumpeter, pianist, and composer. While living in his native Cuba, Sandoval was influenced by jazz musicians Charlie Parker, Clifford Brown, and Dizzy Gillespie. In 1977 he met Gillespie, who became his ...

George Coleman George Edward Coleman (born March 8, 1935) is an American jazz saxophonist known for his work with Miles Davis and Herbie Hancock in the 1960s. In 2015, he was named an NEA Jazz Master. Early life Coleman was born in Memphis, Tennessee. He was ...

Ira Sullivan Ira Sullivan (May 1, 1931 – September 21, 2020) was an American jazz trumpeter, Flugelhorn, flugelhornist, flautist, saxophonist, and composer born in Washington, D.C., United States. An active musician since the 1950s, he often worked with ...

Sonny Fortune Cornelius "Sonny" Fortune (May 19, 1939 – October 25, 2018) was an American jazz saxophonist. Fortune played soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone saxophones, clarinet, and flute. Biography He was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United Stat ...

* Fred Anderson *

Ari Brown Ari Brown (born February 1, 1944) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and pianist. Biography Brown grew up in Chicago and attended Wilson College, where he met musicians such as Jack DeJohnette, Henry Threadgill, Roscoe Mitchell, and Joseph J ...

Willie Pickens Willie Pickens (April 18, 1931 – December 12, 2017) was an American jazz pianist, composer, arranger, and educator. Early life Pickens was born in Milwaukee on April 18, 1931. He studied piano formally from the age of 14. He attended Lincoln ...

Bobby Broom Robert Broom Jr. (born January 18, 1961) is an American jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. He was born and raised in New York City, then moved to Chicago, which has been his home town since 1984. He performs and records with The Bobby Broom ...

* The Bobby Broom Trio *

The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation is a Chicago based jazz organ trio composed of jazz guitarist Bobby Broom, Hammond B3 organist Ben Paterson and drummers Makaya McCraven or Kobie Watkins. Broom is a 2015 DownBeat Readers Poll and multi-year Critics Po ...

Orbert Davis Orbert C. Davis (born 1960) is an American jazz trumpeter and bandleader. Biography Davis was born in Chicago and raised in Momence, Illinois. He began playing trumpet around the age of ten, but was not formally instructed until Charles Danis ...

* Ken Chaney * Ron Perrillo * Bethany Pickens *

Ryan Cohan Ryan Cohan (born 6 June 1971) is a jazz pianist and composer. His style is a blend of world rhythms, traditional jazz, and classical. Biography Early life and career Cohan's mother, who was a music teacher and classical pianist, introdu ...

* Dennis Winslett * Jarrard Harris *

James Austin James Austin may refer to: Sports * Jim Austin (baseball) (born 1963), former baseball pitcher * Jim Austin (rugby league), New Zealand rugby league player * James Austin (judoka) (born 1983), English judoka * James Austin (American football) (19 ...

Kim Burrell Kimberly Jean Burrell (born August 27, 1972) is an American, Grammy–nominated, gospel singer-songwriter, producer, and pastor from Houston, Texas, United States. Biography Early life Born Kimberly Jean Burrell on August 27, 1972 in Houston, Te ...

Julie Dexter Julie Dexter is a British singer, songwriter and producer, whose music spans the categories of jazz, soul and reggae. She was born and raised in Birmingham, England, and has been based in the United States since 1999. Notable musicians with whom ...

Javier Javier may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Javier, in video game ''Advance Wars: Dual Strike'' * Javier Rios, a character in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. * Javier (album), ''Javier'' (album), a 2003 album by the American singer Javier ...

Kendra Ross Kendra Ross (born Kendra Janelle Ross, December 4, 1975) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, music business executive, and community organizer from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. She was born in Youngstown, Ohio. Career She got her ...

* Chris Robinson *

Dom Flemons Dominique Flemons (born August 30, 1982) is an American old-time music, Piedmont blues, and neotraditional country multi-instrumentalist, singer, and songwriter. He is a proficient player of the banjo, fife, guitar, harmonica, percussion, quills ...

Kobie has toured extensively in Africa, Europe, Asia, Canada, South America and the United States.

As music educator

Watkins worked with Wynton Marsalis at Martin Luther King High School in Chicago, IL. at a clinic for high school students learning Jazz. He worked with the Ravinia mentors program of the Chicago Public High School system, as well as "Attention for Boys" a MusicAlive mentoring and teaching program that was started by Orbert Davis and Mark Ingram for inner-city youth ages 8 to 18 years. Since 2004, Watkins led a teen band in worship at a Christian Teen Camp in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. He works with the Triangle Youth Jazz Ensembles in North Carolina.

Recordings

As leader

* '' Involved'' (2006) –

Origin Origin(s) or The Origin may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics and manga * Origin (comics), ''Origin'' (comics), a Wolverine comic book mini-series published by Marvel Comics in 2002 * The Origin (Buffy comic), ''The Origin'' (Bu ...

82532

As sideman

* ''

In Circles IN, In or in may refer to: Places * India (country code IN) * Indiana, United States (postal code IN) * Ingolstadt, Germany (license plate code IN) * In, Russia, a town in the Jewish Autonomous Oblast Businesses and organizations * Indepen ...

'' – The Spin Quartet (

82676) * ''

Upper West Side Story "Upper West Side Story" is the 12th episode of the White Collar (season 3), third season of the American comedy-drama television series ''White Collar (TV series), White Collar'', and the 42nd episode overall. It was first broadcast on USA Networ ...

'' – Bobby Broom (

82617) * '' Bobby Broom Plays for Monk'' – Bobby Broom (

82534) * '' The Way I Play: Live In Chicago'' – Bobby Broom (

82504) * ''

Song And Dance ''Song and Dance'' is a musical comprising two acts, one told entirely in "Song" and one entirely in "Dance", tied together by a unifying love story. The "Song" act is ''Tell Me on a Sunday'', with lyrics by Don Black and music by Andrew Ll ...

'' – Bobby Broom (

82475)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Watkins, Kobie 1975 births Living people American jazz drummers The Bobby Broom Organi-Sation members