An original member of the Jazz Messengers, he later played in Horace Silver's and freelanced with Gene Ammons, Kenny Burrell, Donald Byrd, Art Farmer, Jackie McLean, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, and Phil Woods among countless others in jazz.
He was a cousin by marriage to bassist Paul Chambers, who was similiarly prolific on record during this era. Watkins was known for his superb tone and distinct phrasing. Pianist Red Garland often stated that Watkins' was his favorite bassist and he was always in tune and never off-key. Doug played with Red Garland in 1959, along with drummer Charles "Specs" Wright. According to Horace Silver's recent autobiography: Let's Get To The Nitty Gritty, Watkins, along with Horace Silver, left Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers because the other members of the band (Kenny Dorham, Hank Mobley and Blakey) had serious drug problems, and they were tired of being harassed and searched by the police every time they went to a gig in a club.[citation needed]
Some of Doug's best work can be heard as a 21 year old on the 1956 album by tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins called Saxophone Colossus, along with Max Roach and Tommy Flanagan. The tunes, "Blue Seven" and "St. Thomas" are fine examples of Doug's work. He had a distinct walking tone and was right on the beat. He lived only to the age of 28, but appeared on well over 350 lps in his short life span and a search of jazz recordings find him backing many major Jazz stars of the time. When Charles Mingus briefly ventured over to the piano stool, he hired Watkins' to take over the bass part; Tonight at Noon and Oh Yeah!!! were the results of this adventurous interlude.
Only two albums appeared with Watkins' name given as the leader: Watkins at Large (1956) is an album with fellow members of the Horace Silver Quintet of the time and Soulnik (1961)), with Yusef Lateef, features Watkins on cello with Herman Wright backing him on bass. The cello was an instrument he had only started to play two days before the recording session.
Watkins died in an automobile accident February 5,1962, while traveling from Arizona to San Franscisco to meet drummer Philly Joe Jones for a gig. He fell asleep at the wheel and was hit head-on by a oncoming truck. The other occupants of the car, pianist Sir Roland Hanna and trumpeter Bill Hardman survived the crash.
Imagination
Doug Watkins Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can you tell me what you see
There's a thousand voices whispering
Songs and you're the melody
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
Many, many days our shadows passed
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
Set the morning light
And that morning light is you
So I imagine my heart with you
See what imagination can do
It's not hard to conceive
love ecstasy imagining you, imagining me
The beauty we both can see
You're the dream I prayed would come along
To make my fantasy
Day and night you live inside my heart
You're the flame of love to me
The lyrics to Doug Watkins's song Imagination speak to the power of imagination and its ability to create a world of love and ecstasy between two people. The opening lines ask a magic mirror to search the heart and reveal what it sees. This imagery suggests that the singer is looking for clarity and self-reflection. The following lines suggest that there are many voices whispering songs, but the focus is on the melody, which is represented by the person the singer is imagining being with.
The following lines talk about how imagining the heart with the desired person can create a world of love and ecstasy. The singer talks about how easy it is to conceive of this world and how beautiful it is to imagine being with the person they desire. The chorus ends by saying that the beauty they both can see is the result of this imagination.
The following verse talks about how the singer has seen visions of a new horizon and that the morning light is represented by the person they are imagining being with. The overall message of the song is one of hope and possibility. It suggests that through the power of imagination, we can create a beautiful world of love and romance.
Line by Line Meaning
Magic mirror come and search my heart
The singer is inviting introspection to explore his heart.
Can you tell me what you see
The singer is curious to know about what's inside his heart that is being reflected.
There's a thousand voices whispering
The singer hears many different thoughts and feelings speaking gently to him.
Songs and you're the melody
The singer equates his emotions with a melody sung by someone he loves.
So I imagine my heart with you
The singer wills himself to picture the melody of his heart with the one he loves.
See what imagination can do
The singer acknowledges the power of imagination to create a world of its own.
It's not hard to conceive
The singer finds it easy to grasp the concept of love and ecstasy.
Love ecstasy imagining you with me
The singer is filled with love and happiness when thinking about his love being with him.
Many, many days our shadows passed
The singer reminisces about the many days that he and his love spent together.
Seeing visions of a new bright horizon
The singer saw their future as filled with hope and possibility.
Set the morning light
The new day brings the hope of a brighter future.
And that morning light is you
The singer equates the new day and its light with the presence of his love.
Love ecstasy imagining you, imagining me
The singer finds happiness thinking about him and his love being together.
The beauty we both can see
The singer acknowledges the beauty of the shared love he has with his partner.
You're the dream I prayed would come along
The singer sees his love as the fulfillment of his dreams and of his prayers to find love.
To make my fantasy
The singer considers his love for his partner as something that makes his dreams come true.
Day and night you live inside my heart
The singer always thinks about his love, even when they're apart.
You're the flame of love to me
The singer sees his love as a source of passion and deep emotion.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: ANKA WOLBERT, RONNIE MOERINGS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Judy Tsai
This is awesome. Who are the bassist and the personnel? Thanks.
Psiconauta Flute Music
Hello!
Cello: Doug Watkins Bass: Herman Wright
Drums: Lex Humphries
Piano: Hugh Lawson
And Flute: Yusef Lateef
Oded Fried-Gaon
Very good.
#OdedFriedGaon #OdedMusic #Audioded