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Nasheet Waits

Nasheet Waits
Background information
Born (1971-06-15) June 15, 1971 (age 53)
New York City
GenresJazz
OccupationMusician
InstrumentDrums
Years active1993–present
Websitewww.nasheetwaits.com

Nasheet Waits is an American jazz drummer.[1]

Early life and career

Waits is a New York native who has been active on the jazz scene since early in his life. His father, percussionist Freddie Waits, died when Waits was 18.[1]

Before pursuing a music career, Waits studied psychology and history at Morehouse College in Atlanta. He also holds a degree from Long Island University in music. While he was studying at L.I.U, instructor Michael Carvin secured Waits a spot in the percussion ensemble M'Boom, started by his father (Freddie Waits) and drummer Max Roach in 1970.

Waits's longstanding projects include Jason Moran & The Bandwagon, a trio with Moran, Waits, and Tarus Mateen;[2] Tarbaby, a trio with Eric Revis and Orrin Evans;[3] and his band Equality.[4]

In 2012, Hurricane Sandy caused massive flooding in the basement Westbeth studio Waits had inherited from his father in 1989.[5]

In 2020, his group Nasheet Waits By Sea, a quartet with Nduduzo Makhathini, Immanuel Wilkins, Rashaan Carter, opened the Winter Jazzfest’s Manhattan Marathon.[6][7]

Selected discography

As a leader

  • Equality (Fresh Sound Records, 2008)
  • Between Nothingness and Infinity (Laborie, 2016)
  • New York Love Letter (Bitter Sweet) (Giant Step Arts, 2024)

With Tarbaby

  • Tarbaby (Imani, 2009)
  • The End of Fear (Posi-tone, 2010)
  • Ballad of Sam Langford (Hipnotic, 2013)
  • Fanon (RogueArt, 2013)
  • Dance of the Evil Toys (Clean Feed, 2022)
  • You Think This America (Giant Step Arts, 2024)

As sideman

With Ralph Alessi

With Dave Douglas

With Antonio Hart

  • For Cannonball and Woody (RCA/Novus, 1993)
  • All We Need (Downtown, 2004)

With Tony Malaby

  • Tamarindo (Clean Feed, 2007)
  • Somos Agua (Clean Feed, 2014)
  • Palomo Recio (Clean Feed, 2016)

With Jason Moran

With Armen Nalbandian

  • Quiet As It's Kept (Blacksmith Brother Music, 2011)
  • The Holy Ghost (Blacksmith Brother Music, 2018)
  • Fire Sign (Blacksmith Brother Music, 2018)
  • Live in Little Tokyo Vol. I (Blacksmith Brother Music, 2018)
  • Live in Little Tokyo Vol. II (Blacksmith Brother Music, 2018)
  • Ghosts (Blacksmith Brother Music, 2019)
  • Live on Sunset (Blacksmith Brother Music, 2019)

With Tim Berne

  • The Coandă Effect (Relative Pitch, 2020)
  • Tangled (Screwgun, 2022)

With others

Sources

References

  1. ^ a b Ratliff, Ben (15 October 1999). "CRITIC'S NOTEBOOK; Propelled by Different Drummers". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  2. ^ Chinen, Nate (16 December 2010). "Renewal, the Sensual and Fraught Candor". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  3. ^ Chinen, Nate (4 September 2013). "In an Unknown Territory With a Sense of Mission". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  4. ^ "Jan. 6 — 12". The New York Times. 4 January 2013. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  5. ^ Satow, Julie (24 March 2014). "Storm Damaged Their Art, and Now It May Take Their Studio Space". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  6. ^ Russonello, Giovanni (20 January 2020). "What Winter Jazzfest Says About Where the Music Is Going in 2020". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
  7. ^ "2020 NYC Winter Jazzfest Lineup". Winter Jazzfest. Retrieved 7 February 2023.