Daniel J. Watts' THE JAM to Return to Joe's Pub

The Jam is back! After a six-year hiatus, Tony nominee Daniel J. Watts (HBO’s The Penguin; 3 Summers of Lincoln; Tina: The Tina Turner Musical) will return to Joe’s Pub with the 11th installment of his spoken word/storytelling series Daniel J. Watts’ The Jam: SHED on Monday, Feb 16th at 7pm EST. The event is presented in partnership with YoungArts, which identifies exceptional young artists, amplifies their potential, and invests in their lifelong creative freedom.

From surviving a global pandemic, to conversations with trees and a dying king, to navigating a dark night of the soul and all that comes with these never-a-dull-moment times, SHED aims to cross-examine the insurmountable: death.

Premiering during Black History Month on the final night of The Year of The Wood Snake (and on President’s Day), this multidisciplinary artist looks to encourage audience members to investigate the cracks in their skin — “the little creases and tears that suggest it’s time to let go of the old and illuminate all the newness waiting to be revealed beneath.”

An homage to his great-grandmother who made jam from scratch and then shared it with family and friends, The Jam is Watts’ continuation of that legacy — sharing his creations of performance blended with elements of stand-up comedy, compelling storytelling, and original spoken word often set to music and/or dance.

Watts says of The Jam, “It could be sweet, it might get sticky, but we invite you to get into it either way.” With styles ranging jazz, hip hop, spirituals, gospel, theatre, and Brazilian styles, The Band includes Mark G. Meadows serving as Music Director on keys, Nick Biello on sax/keys, Norman Edwards on drums, and Yuka Tadano on bass.

The 75-minute experience also features special guests Crystal Monet Hall (3 Summers of Lincoln; Hell’s Kitchen), Zonya Love (Wanted; The Color Purple), Anastacia McCleskey (Boop!; Suffs), Sequoiia (The Outsiders; Hippest Trip: The Soul Train Musical), and Carla Stewart (Tina: The Tina Turner Musical; The Color Purple).

The previous installation of The Jam, The Jam: Only Child (a coming-of-age tale spawned after undertaking two years of therapy), was a tremendous success at The Public Theater’s 2020 Under The Radar Festival. The Jam: Only Child has also celebrated sold-out performances at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center, NoHo’s staple SubCulture, The Federal Bar in Los Angeles, and New York’s historic Webster Hall. The Jam: Only Child was produced by The Signature Theatre in DC in 2021 in conjunction with their digital series, where Watts received a Capital Emmy Award nomination for writing and performing.