Jazz Articles about Bobby Watson

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Bobby Watson And Tailor Made: Tokyo Leaders Big Band Live At Someday In Tokyo

by John Killoch
October 1, 2001

I believe it was at the Monterey Jazz Festival some years ago, when a Japanese Big Band exploded on the scene. A comment was posted somewhere " My God they are doing to our music what they did to our cars". The impact was great, around that time, some wonderful Japanese big bands assaulted our conciousness on imported, beautifully produced and expensive LPs. Then it went quiet. Well, the wound has been opened up by the Tokyo Leaders ...

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Bobby Watson: Live at "Someday" in Tokyo

by Dave Nathan
February 1, 2001

Japanese musicians. It's nice to report that not only was this a good idea, but so was the outcome. This is an exciting session that will keep your toe tapping and heart thumping throughout the entire 70 minutes of music. All but one of the compositions are by Bobby Watson--"Ms. B.C." was written by Pamela Watson--- some of which he wrote during his tour with Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers. Appreciating the dynamics of the group is vital to appreciating what ...

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Bobby Watson and Tailor Made with the Tokyo Leader Big Band: Live At The "Someday" in Tokyo

by C. Michael Bailey
May 1, 2000

Alto Saxophonist Bobby Watson is showing up everywhere on RED these days. The last number of months have witnessed the release of Quiet As It's Kept (RED 123284) and the Jazz Tribe's The Next Step (RED 123285). Presently, Watson pops up with a very fine Japanese big band performing a sextet of Watson originals (excepting his wife's “Ms. B.C.) live at the Tokyo “Someday" Jazz Club.

Departing from the Latin bent of his recent recordings, Watson delivers inspired charts and ...

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The Jazz Tribe / Ray Mantilla and Bobby Watson: The Next Step

by C. Michael Bailey
April 1, 2000

Another Latin Lovefest. Bobby Watson’s last RED release, Quiet As It’s Kept (RED 123284, 1999, reviewed in AAJ, November 1999) had a decidedly Latin personality. If Quiet As It’s Kept had a “Latin fragrance”, then The Next Step is the spewing plume from an erupting Latin volcano. Almost every band member submits his vision of Latin jazz. Ray Mantilla’s “Mantilla’s Jam” and “Camino Al Cielo”, Watson’s “Karita”, Ronnie Mathews’ “Chili Plaza Suite”, and Jack Walrath’s “Los Apolypticanos” all strut with ...

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Bobby Watson: Quiet As It's Kept

by David Adler
December 1, 1999

Bobby Watson is a great alto saxophonist, but his latest album is nothing to write home about. The first few tunes, with their light latin grooves and trite melodies, border on schlocky. Bassist Curtis Lundy and drummer Ralph Peterson provide a hipness factor that somewhat diminishes the easy listening vibe. But Greg Skaff’s acoustic guitar and Marlon Simon’s percussion, although expert, overpower the hipness with a steady dose of saccharine. Ralph Peterson’s own “Just For Today," a slow waltz reminiscent ...

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Bobby Watson: Round Trip / This Little Light of Mine

by C. Michael Bailey
November 1, 1999

A Big Month for Bobby Watson. October welcomed the newest release by Bobby Watson ( Quiet As It’s Kept RED Records 123284), also reviewed this month). As an introduction to Bobby Watson on RED, I wanted to look at two older RED recordings. But first, a little history of this exceptional artist in the shadows.

A native of Lawrence Kansas, Bobby Watson began playing saxophone at 13 and was soon arranging and composing for his high school ensembles. After attending ...

like 183

Bobby Watson: Quiet As It's Kept

by C. Michael Bailey
November 1, 1999

Bobby Watson has recorded on and off for RED Records since the mid-1980s. His RED releases, all critically acclaimed, comprise an impressive collection had he never recorded another note. His other RED recordings include Round Trip, Appointment in Milano, Love Remains, This Little Light of Mine, and now Quiet As It’s Kept. All are uniformly fine and daring, just like the saxophonist himself. > Ballads with a Latin Fragrance. Recorded in New York by guitarist Lenny Argese in August of ...