Charlie Watts meets the Danish Radio Big Band is the kind of album that many jazz fans had probably given up hope of hearing. In the glory days of big band jazz and arrangers like Oliver Nelson coming up with brilliant music, albums like this were, if not commonplace, at least more readily available. The truth is there is nothing commonplace about this album, it is a sheer delight.

In 2010, Gerard Presencer arranged a 50th year reunion of sorts of drummer Charlie Watts and Copenhagen. After only 4 days rehearsal, Watts and The Danish Radio Big Band played a concert at the newly opened Danish Radio Concert Hall in Copenhagen – this concert was recorded for broadcast by the Danish National Radio.

Charlie Watts and the band were joined by Watts’ long-time friend and bassist Dave Green, which turned out to be an essential ingredient since the two had a psychic connection while playing.

The album contains seven tracks including Presencer arrangements of two songs composed by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, “Paint It Black” and “You Can’t Always Get What You Want”. “Faction” is based on another classic by the Rolling Stones.

1. Elvin Suite – Part 1
2. Elvin Suite – Part 2
3. Faction (aka Satisfaction)
4. I Should Care
5. You Can’t Always Get What You Want
6. Paint It Black
7. Molasses