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New Stories: Speakin' Out
by Edward Blanco
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 ...
Continue ReadingNew Stories: Speakin' Out
by Jack Bowers
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 ...
Continue ReadingErnie Watts: Home Light
by Angelo Leonardi
Giunto a 73 anni, con alle spalle una ricca e variegata carriera di collaborazioni entro e fuori il mondo del jazz, Ernie Watts predilige da oltre un decennio il suo quartetto con i tedeschi Christof Saenger al pianoforte, Rudi Engel al contrabasso ed Heinrich Koebberling alla batteria. Home Light giunge esattamente 50 anni dopo il suo primo disco da leader. Anche allora guidava un quartetto, evidenziando i tratti avvincenti del suo stile: l'eloquio post-coltraniano e il sound intenso ...
Continue ReadingErnie Watts, Lisa Hilton, Russ Lossing and More
by Bob Osborne
New releases from Ernie Watts, Lisa Hilton, Michael Wolff, Russ Lossing, and Quintetto Lo Greco showing the wide variety in the World of Jazz. Playlist Ernie Watts “I Forgot August" from Home Light (Flying Dolphin Records) 00:00 Lisa Hilton “Twists of Fate" from Oasis (Ruby Slippers Productions) 09:27 Michael Wolff “Allison" from Swirl (Sunnyside Records) 14:03 Russ Lossing “Little Girl Blue" from Changes (Steeplechase) 20:00 Quintetto Lo Greco “Jazz Fever" from Fever (Irma Records) 27:39 Details ...
Continue ReadingErnie Watts Quartet: Wheel of Time
by Angelo Leonardi
A due anni di distanza da A Simple Truth ecco una nuova incisione di Ernie Watts con il collaudato combo europeo. Conclusa l'esperienza di un quarto di secolo col Quartet West di Charlie Haden, il settantenne sassofonista s'esprime con impressionante energia e baldanza, quasi avesse la metà dei suoi anni. Sottoponete un qualsiasi appassionato a un blindfold test, facendogli ascoltare brani come il post coltraniano “Velocity" o il classico di Joe Henderson “Inner Urge," e lo lascerete di stucco.
Continue ReadingErnie Watts Quartet: Wheel of Time
by Jack Bowers
On the Buddy Rich band's album Big Swing Face (circa 1967), Ernie Watts unleashes a blazing alto sax solo on the title track that is guaranteed to send chills up and down the spine and leave listeners wondering, “How did he do that?" Now, almost half a century later, the seventy-year-old Watts continues to weave those mind-bending solos, this time on tenor sax, on Wheel of Time, a quartet date whose nine selections include four written by the leader himself ...
Continue ReadingErnie Watts: A Simple Truth
by Angelo Leonardi
In una carriera professionale di quasi mezzo secolo (iniziò nella metà degli anni sessanta con Buddy Rich) gran parte del lavoro di Ernie Watts è stato svolto negli studi di registrazione partecipando a centinaia d'incisioni (anche di Marvin Gaye, Frank Zappa, Chaka Khan, Barbra Streisand etc...). Le sue credenziali jazz si sono sviluppate nei ranghi delle big band di Oliver Nelson e Gerald Wilson e poi nell'affermato Quartet West di Charlie Haden. Alla soglia dei settant'anni, Ernie ...
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