Jazz Articles about Ernie Watts

About Ernie Watts

Album Review

Ernie Watts Quartet: Wheel of Time

Read "Wheel of Time" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
January 27, 2017

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.

Album Review

Ernie Watts Quartet: Wheel of Time

Read "Wheel of Time" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
April 6, 2016

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 ...

Album Review

Ernie Watts: A Simple Truth

Read "A Simple Truth" reviewed by Angelo Leonardi

by Angelo Leonardi
March 4, 2015

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 ...

Album Review

Ernie Watts: A Simple Truth

Read "A Simple Truth" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
September 19, 2014

After sixteen albums as leader, two-time Grammy-Award-winning saxophonist Ernie Watts presents a concept album, a journey of sorts, a musical description of a “jazz day" beginning with a morning piece and ending with an evening song in declaration of A Simple Truth. Recorded in Cologne, Germany, with his touring European quartet--together for over fifteen years--Watts imagines the music as being “basics that connects people, going right past language, ethnicity, culture and even history, into direct feeling," which is the simple ...

Album Review

Ernie Watts: A Simple Truth

Read "A Simple Truth" reviewed by Ian Patterson

by Ian Patterson
May 30, 2014

The title of Ernie Watt's seventh release on his Flying Dolphin label reflects the tenor great's guiding philosophy, as he explained in a recent interview for dublinjazz.ie: “We are creating our reality all day every day by the thoughts that we think and by the things that we say and by our belief systems. It's a very clear and simple path." For Watts, this path has translated, on average, into two hours practice virtually every day for the past fifty ...

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Album Review

Ernie Watts Quartet: Oasis

by Ian Patterson
November 18, 2011

Setting up Flying Dolphin Records in 2004 has given tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts wings. After 35 years calling on an ever-changing array of some of the greatest names in jazz to play on his records, Watts has now settled into two quartets: his American and European groups. The continuity of these ensembles and the complete artistic freedom that he's wrestled free have resulted in some of his strongest recordings. Four Plus Four (Flying Dolphin Records, 2009), To the Point-Live at ...

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Live Review

Ernie Watts: Bangkok, Thailand, June 18, 2011

by Ian Patterson
July 3, 2011

Ernie WattsThe Living RoomSheraton Grande HotelBangkok, ThailandJune 18, 2011 It's been celebration time this past month at The Living Room in the Sheraton Grande Hotel--Bangkok's best jazz venue--as it celebrates 10 years of hosting concerts. Veteran tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts provided the main highlight, serving up serious musical muscle for four nights, with long-time musical collaborator Jeremy Monteiro on piano, drummer Shawn Kelley and bassist Christy Smith making up a potent, swinging ...