About Kevin Witt

B-Side Quartet

The B-Side Quartet is Kevin Witt’s current project. Dedicated to hard bop, hidden gems, and storytelling, the group reimagines jazz classics with historical context and narrative woven into every performance.

Kevin Witt is an Austin-based jazz drummer, educator, and storyteller. He studied with masters including Peter Retzlaff, Jimmy Cobb, and Cindy Blackman before relocating from New York to Austin in 2007. Today, he leads the B-Side Quartet and teaches What Is Jazz? at Rutgers University, blending performance, history, and storytelling to bring jazz’s past into the present.

Jazz Education

Kevin teaches What Is Jazz? at Rutgers University, a course that blends listening, storytelling, and history. His approach helps students understand jazz not only as music, but also as something shaped by lived experience, musical conversations, cultural triggers, and spirituality.

Course Description

This course invites students to explore jazz as more than a genre — as a soundscape of American history, cultural identity, protest, and spiritual exploration. Students will trace the evolution of jazz from its roots in New Orleans to its modern-day forms, while examining the social, cultural, and personal forces that shaped its sound. Weekly themes will include improvisation, migration, cultural context, religion, and the present-day state of jazz. Through listening, storytelling, and discussion, students will engage with jazz as a living art form — one that both reflects and reshapes the world.

Rutgers Osher Lifelong Learning Institute

Course Title: What Is Jazz? Sounds of History, Culture, and Influence

Sign Up: www.olliru.rutgers.edu

Projects

Kevin is active in a variety of projects, from jazz collectives to cross-genre studio collaborations. These projects reflect his versatility as a drummer and storyteller — bridging jazz, spoken word, rock, and beyond.

.

Recent Work

Jack Callahan – You Say and You Cry
Singer-songwriter from California. Studio recording (2025) at Space ATX, blending acoustic storytelling and experimental sound.

Past Highlights

3Jazz Collective (Live at Elephant Room)
Austin-based trio blending jazz, spoken word, and experimentation. Produced two albums and launched a boundary-pushing series.

She Danced (Studio Recording)
A ballad from 3Collective, featuring guest artists Bruce Saunders (guitar), Pete Rodriguez (trumpet), and Mitch Butler (trombone).

Ben Willcott Project (5am Studios, Austin)
Original music by Ben Willcott, with Brad Houser (bass), Adam Sultan (guitar), and Kevin Witt (drums). An honor to share Brad’s work, best known for Edie Brickell & New Bohemians.

"b-side, an Austin-based jazz quartet led by drummer Kevin Witt, which has been together for fifteen years, epitomizes the road less traveled. They play not the overexposed standards but the overlooked B-sides, the tunes that deserve more air, and songs borrowed from other genres and reshaped in their own voice."

Join Kevin's Jazz Journey

Stay updated on performances and classes !

Get in Touch

Contact Kevin for performances, teaching inquiries, or studio recordings. Let's explore the world of jazz together!

Connect

512-796-7881

Reach

kevinwitt512@gmail.com