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Ernie Watts

Two-time Grammy Award winner Ernie Watts is one of the most versatile and prolific saxophone players on the music scene. In a diverse career that has spanned more than thirty years, he has been featured on more than 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa, always exhibiting his unforgettable trademark sound.

After 18 solo records for a variety of labels, large and small, Watts started Flying Dolphin Records, a company he runs with his wife Patricia. Flying Dolphin (distributed by Burnside Distribution Corp.) begins a new chapter for the artist’s creative expression. “I’ve been touring and recording for over 30 years in every kind of musical setting. I’ve reached a place in my life and career where I need to make music on my terms. Starting my own label provided me with a new sense of freedom.”

“Analog Man” (2007) is his newest release, recorded with his European quartet, a cohesive group of outstanding players who have been touring together since 1999. The artist’s passion for and commitment to acoustic jazz is clear on this release. Watts and his quartet explore new ground through the strength of their individual voices, while consistently demonstrating the group’s musical unity. From the funky hard-bop groove of the title track to the melodic soprano of “Paseando,” Watts’ broad-spectrum talent is fully realized. Watts contributes many original songs to the session and also shows his aptitude for finding covers that his quartet can impressively interpret. The quartet’s take on Victor Feldman's classic “Joshua” demonstrates the ongoing dialog among the musicians. The CD closes with another original Morning Prayer, a meditative piece melding tenor and Burmese Temple Bell, the sole instruments on the track.

“Spirit Song,”(2005) which preceded “Analog Man,” was Watts’ first studio recording as a leader since the release of “Classic Moods” (JVC) in 1999. On the title track, he starts the song’s story on the handmade wooden Spirit Flute, and takes the haunting theme further on tenor saxophone, deeper and more richly into jazz, then leads it back to the gentle flute at the close. “The title Spirit Song refers to more than just the Spirit Flute used to frame track 9,” reflects Watts. “It means a wider, higher Spirit, that is expressed in music and in all aspects of ourselves, that connects us all indelibly, whatever birthplace we have or life we may have lived.” Prior to “Spirit Song,” Flying Dolphin released Ernie Watts Quartet ALIVE (2004) recorded live in Germany. Throughout his long and fruitful career, he has not previously made a live recording of his own, capturing a stage performance with no editing or overdubs. The chance to hear Watts at immediate heat in the midst of his own music is a special occasion, only available before to his concert audiences. All Flying Dolphin releases are available at Watts’ concerts and the artist’s site www.erniewatts.com. (via CDBaby.com).

Watts started playing saxophone at age 13. He accompanied a friend who was enrolling in the local school music program, and found himself carrying home an instrument as well. “I was a self-starter; no one ever had to tell me to practice,” remembers Watts. His discipline combined with natural talent began to shape his life. He won a scholarship to the Wilmington Music School in Delaware, where he studied classical music and technique. Though they had no jazz program, his mother provided the spark by giving him his own record player for Christmas and enrolling him in a record club. That first record club promotional selection turned out to be the brand-new Miles Davis album Kind of Blue. “When I first heard John Coltrane play, it was like someone put my hand into a light socket,” Watts says. He started to learn jazz by ear, often falling asleep at night listening to a stack of Coltrane records. Although he would enroll briefly at West Chester University in music education, he soon won a Downbeat Scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston, renowned for jazz.

When Gene Quill left Buddy Rich’s Big Band, trombonist Phil Wilson (an educator at Berklee), was asked to recommend a replacement; a young Ernie Watts got the job. He left Berklee for that important spot, staying with Rich from 1966-1968 and touring the world. Watts then moved to Los Angeles and began working in the big bands of Gerald Wilson and Oliver Nelson. With the Nelson band, Watts visited Africa on a U.S. State Department tour in 1969. They played in Chad, Niger, Mali, Senegal, and the Republic of the Congo, which included the opportunity to meet and jam with the local African musicians. Remembering the experience, Watts recalls Africa as “a timeless land.” “It was amazing to play a government sponsored concert in the evening, then take a walk the next morning and see a camel caravan coming in from the desert, laden with giant salt blocks. That had been happening for thousands of years! Walking out into the desert at night, I felt the tremendous quiet there, something I had never experienced before, or since.” It was also with Oliver Nelson that Watts had the occasion to record with the legendary Thelonious Monk on Monk’s Blues (Columbia).

During the 1970s and ‘80s, Watts was immersed in the busy production scene of Los Angeles. Watts' signature sound was heard on countless TV shows and movie scores, almost all the early West Coast Motown sessions, and with pop stars such as Aretha Franklin and Steely Dan. Though the pop music genre placed narrow confines on his performance, the studio sessions allowed Watts the chance to constantly hone and refine his tone. After years in the studios, Watts’ passion for acoustic jazz never left him. At the end of a long day of sessions, he could frequently be heard playing fiery jazz in late-night clubs around Los Angeles.

In 1983, the film composer Michel Colombier wrote an orchestral piece entitled “Nightbird” for Watts. At the work’s inaugural performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Charlie Haden came backstage to introduce himself. The meeting led to Watts performing with Haden’s Liberation Music Orchestra, and to tours with Pat Metheny’s Special Quartet, which included Haden.

Watts’ tour with Metheny’s group in the late 1980s found him on a triple bill with Sun Ra and the Miles Davis Band (on Davis’ final tour), a turning point for the artist. “The serious energy of Pat’s music convinced me to make the commitment to this level of performance. Every night I also absorbed Sun Ra and Miles and could not deny the power I was feeling in the music.” Watts’ charter membership in Haden’s critically acclaimed Quartet West, (with whom he has toured and recorded for nearly twenty years), and his body of work for the audiophile Japanese label JVC Music continued to demonstrate his talent and commitment to the jazz world.

His four recordings for JVC Music are some of the finest of his extensive career. For these projects, he surrounded himself with several of his favorite players; Jack DeJohnette, Arturo Sandoval, Kenny Barron, Mulgrew Miller, Eddie Gomez, Jimmy Cobb, and Marc Whitfield. The music encompassed both jazz classics and new pieces by Watts. Between his stint with JVC and starting his own label Flying Dolphin, Watts recorded Reflections, a side-project with friend and fellow musician Ron Feuer. This 2003 duet release features serene ballads for saxophone and piano and exemplifies Watts’ fluid tone.

Watts’ eclectic mix of career activities has included Jazz at the Kennedy Center for Billy Taylor, as well as touring with Gene Harris and appearing on his last recording, Alley Cats (live at the Jazz Alley in Seattle). A typical year finds Watts touring Europe with his own quartet, in Asia as a featured guest artist and performing at summer festivals throughout North America and Europe. A skilled educator, he continues his commitment to music education by conducting student workshops and has compiled a collection of orchestral arrangements for guest soloist appearances with symphonies. And there is the occasional “hometown gig” with the Ernie Watts Quartet in Los Angeles, where he is still based.

The joy he found in jazz as a youth, now enriched by experience, still is his today. Watts sums it up; “I see music as the common bond having potential to bring all people together in peace and harmony. All things in the physical world have vibration; the music I choose to play is the energy vibration that touches the common bond in people. I believe that music is God singing through me, an energy to be used for good.”
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by C. Michael Bailey
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by Edward Blanco
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Celebrating the 20th Anniversary of a ground-breaking album in their catalog of jazz, Origin Records reissues Speakin' Out from the Grammy-nominated Seattle-based trio with guest Ernie Watts on saxophones. The trio consisting of pianist Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller and drummer John Bishop, were instrumental in developing the label's sound but, it was their 2000 and third album as a group that caught fire with saxophonist giant Ernie Watts providing the fuel that propelled the Origin Record name to international ...

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New Stories: Speakin' Out

Read "Speakin' Out" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
March 6, 2020

New Stories is a seasoned piano trio (and a very good one) rendered even more persuasive on Speakin' Out by the singular presence (on five of nine tracks) of renowned saxophone maestro Ernie Watts. The trio itself consists of pianist Marc Seales, bassist Doug Miller and drummer (and Origin Records founder) John Bishop. The wide-selling album, a centerpiece of Origin's catalog since its initial release in 2000, when New Stories was only two years old, has been re-released this year ...

Recording

'That's Right!,' The Recording Debut Of Trumpeter Brad Goode's Quintet Featuring Tenor Titan Ernie Watts, Set For October 19 Release By Origin Records

Source: Terri Hinte Publicity
September 17, 2018

That’s Right!, the recording debut of trumpeter Brad Goode’s quintet featuring tenor titan Ernie Watts, documents the virtuosity and versatility of one of the tightest working bands on the contemporary jazz scene. Set for October 19 release by Origin Records, the album is a powerful showcase for Goode’s ideal quintet as well as the soloing chops and writing skills of each of its members. Watts and Goode first shared the front line in a concert at the University of Colorado ...
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Recording

Recent Listening And Viewing: Ernie Watts

Source: Rifftides by Doug Ramsey
December 31, 2017

Ernie Watts, Wheel Of Time (Flying Dolphin) From his years with Buddy Rich in the 1960s through his long membership in the late bassist Charlie Haden’s Quartet West and for years since, the tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts has had a noteworthy career. One of his longest associations has been with his European quartet and its rhythm section of pianist Christof Saenger, bassist Rudi Engel and drummer Heinrich Koebberling. Their Wheel Of Time has compositions by each of the quartet members ...
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Education

Music Education Monday: Master classes with saxophonist Ernie Watts

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
August 11, 2015

For this week's Music Education Monday, you can take in a couple of master classes on video from the veteran saxophonist Ernie Watts. In addition to his own recordings as a leader, Watts (pictured) has played with an exceptional range of jazz, rock and soul musicians and groups, including Buddy Rich, Bobby Hutcherson, Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show band, bassist Charlie Haden's Quartet West, Marvin Gaye, the Rolling Stones, and many more. He last performed in St. Louis with ...
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Event

Ernie Watts, Chuck Rainey, Liane Carroll, Impossible Gentlemen For Sligo Jazz Project 2015

Source: Sligo Jazz Project
January 19, 2015

Sligo Jazz Project is now taking bookings for its 10th Anniversary summer school and festival event, 21-26 July 2015. Its stellar 2015 15-tutor faculty, which includes Grammy winning US saxophone legend Ernie Watts, award winning UK vocalist Liane Carroll, Band-in-Residence The Impossible Gentlemen and recording legend Chuck Rainey (Steely Dan/ Aretha Franklin, etc.), will preside over an intense but inspiring week of workshops, masterclasses, concerts and jam sessions. All tutors will perform concerts at Sligo's unique jazz festival. The faculty ...
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Event

Tenor Legend Ernie Watts Euorpean Quartet Play Dublin's Sugar Club, May 8

Source: All About Jazz
May 1, 2014

The Sugar Club in Dublin braces itself for the arrival on the 8th May of one of jazz’s greatest tenor saxophonists – Ernie Watts. Leading his European quartet of fifteen years standing, Watts, pianist Christof Saenger, bassist Rudi Engel and drummer Heinrich Koebberling will be playing music from Watts’ new CD, A Simple Truth (Flying Dolphin Records - a vibrant blend of bebop, modal jazz and blues. Watts’ legend began in drummer Buddy Rich’s orchestra in 1966, and over the ...
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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: The Bad Plus Plays Stravinsky, Marty Ehrlich's Rites Quartet, the Brubeck Brothers, Laurence Hobgood and Ernie Watts, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
October 3, 2013

The good news is that it's another busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, including some very attractive free events. The bad news is that, absent time travel, cloning or some other fictional technology that doesn't exist, it's probably impossible for one person to hear it all. Nevertheless, to help you decide which shows are worth checking out, here are StLJN's picks for the week. Tonight, Dizzy Atmosphere plays swing and Gypsy jazz at The Shaved Duck, ...
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Performance / Tour

Ernie Watts Joining Laurence Hobgood for Bistro Gig on Thursday, April 5

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman
March 3, 2012

This just in: Veteran saxophonist Ernie Watts (pictured) will join pianist Laurence Hobgood for the latter's previously announced performance on Thursday, April 5 at Jazz at the Bistro. Watts has played with Hobgood in singer Kurt Elling's band, and also is known for his work as a solo artist and with Charlie Haden's Quartet West, the Rolling Stones, Frank Zappa, and many others. Performing with Hobgood and Watts will be bassist Matthew Rybicki, whose credits include work with Wynton Marsalis ...
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Performance / Tour

Ernie Watts at Jazz Alley with New Stories

Source: Seattle Jazz Scene
February 6, 2010

ERNIE WATTS AND NEW STORIES JAZZ ALLEY February 9-10, 2010

2033 6th Avenue, Seattle WA 98121 Reservations: 206.441.9729

The Pacific Jazz Institute at Dimitrious Jazz Alley presents two-time Grammy-Winning saxophonist Ernie Watts, touring in support of his latest release Four plus Four, for two nights. Band members joining Mr. Watts are Marc Seales (piano), Doug Miller (upright bass) and John Bishop (drums). Show times Tuesday & Wednesday at 7:30pm. Doors Tuesday at 6pm & ...
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Performance / Tour

Performance: Ernie Watts at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City, October 7-11

Source: All About Jazz
October 6, 2008

Ernie Watts and his quartet will return to the Jazz Bakery Wednesday, October 7th trhough Saturday, October 11th. The Jazz Bakery wasthe scene of a live recording of the Ernie Watts Quartet latest CD, To The Point. The Quartet features Ernie Watts on saxophones, David Witham on piano, Brice Lett on bass, and Bob Leatherbarrow on drums. The Jazz Bakery is just South of Venice Blvd. at 3233 Helms Ave. in Culver City. There are two sets nightly, at 8:00 ...
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Interview

Saxophonist Ernie Watts Interviewed at AAJ

Source: All About Jazz
September 11, 2007

Very few musicians have a resume quite as varied or as impressive as saxophonist Ernie Watts. His musical curiosity and tremendous versatility have led him to perform in contexts as diverse as a TV show band, with orchestras, on small and big screen soundtracks, on over five hundred recording sessions which include many of the greatest names in Motown, in duo and in quartet settings as well as in a number of the most distinguished big bands in modern jazz ...
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"Watts plays in a virtuosic post-Coltrane style, with a fine, distinctive tone and an expansive technique that permits him to generate long, cleanly articulated lines that dance along confidently even at challenging tempos..." -JazzTimes Magazine