Jeff "Tain" Watts

Talented but self-centered trumpeter Bleek Gilliam is obsessed with his music and indecisiveness about his girlfriends Indigo and Clarke. But when he is forced to come to the aid of his manager and childhood friend, Bleek finds his world more fragile than he ever imagined.

The Drum Waltzes explores the life and music of legendary drummer, activist Max Roach, his creative peaks, personal struggles and re-inventions from the Jim Crow to Civil Rights eras, from heady days of post-war jazz to hip hop and beyond.

Branford Marsalis' extended performance of "A Love Supreme" provides his audience with 49 minutes of continuous improvisation. Memorable to all dedicated jazz listeners, John Coltrane's repeated theme occupies the quartet's focus throughout this heartfelt celebration. Marsalis revs it up. He reaches deep inside himself to communicate with the jazz spirits. Cascading furiously and swinging hard through most of the suite, he explores the intensity that Coltrane espoused.