Charlie Watts Jim Keltner Project

During downtime for the Rolling Stones' Bridges to Babylon recording in 1997, fellow drummers Charlie Watts and L.A. session ace Jim Keltner slip into an adjacent studio for an impromptu jam. Keltner brings along a sampler and some sequences he has prepared, Watts brings a pair of sticks and his inimitable backbeat. The result is a swirling excursion into Techno/World Beat exotica with Charlie's "Start Me Up" grooves at the core. Digitally edited and enhanced more than a year later at a Parisian studio with co-producer Phillipe Chauveau, the Charlie Watts Jim Keltner Project stands as the drummer's most personal and compelling statement to date. The song titles tell the whole story; each named for a different Jazz legend. And though Charlie makes no attempt to imitate his heroes, he pays homage to them all on nine provocative tracks.