Involved marks the debut of a dynamic young drummer with a sweeping musical sense. From the burning straight-ahead opener Spastic, to the lyrical Gentle Soul by pianist Ryan Cohan and the grooving self-penned Sonny Like, Watkins paints with a wide brush but also with a focus and cohesion that belies his years. Ubiquitous in his hometown of Chicago over the last several years with the bands of Bobby Broom and Kurt Elling, Watkins relocated to New York recently and can be seen worldwide in his travels with jazz legend Sonny Rollins and Kurt Elling.