Jazz Articles about Heath Watts

About Heath Watts

Album Review

Heath Watts: Bright Yellow with Bass

Read "Bright Yellow with Bass" reviewed by John Sharpe

by John Sharpe
December 2, 2017

Musicians gravitate towards the sprawling conurbations like New York and Chicago because of the potential for exposure, the pool of talented collaborators and the sheer pull of tradition. But if ever proof were needed that excellent music thrives outside of the these febrile centers, then it can be found on Bright Yellow With Bass. Soprano saxophonist Heath Watts now resides in Philadelphia, and his last issued record dates back to Breathe If You Can (Leo, 2008), so clearly he doesn't ...

Album Review

Heath Watts - Blue Armstrong: Bright Yellow with Bass

Read "Bright Yellow with Bass" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
October 18, 2017

The musicians underscore the tone of this program by citing a quote from renowned artist Wassily Kandinsky: “The sound of colors is so definite that it would be hard to find anyone who would express bright yellow with bass notes or dark lake with treble." But of course, the interpretations are decided by the listening audience, especially since most of these works are steeped in the free-jazz realm. Heath Watts (soprano sax) and Blue Armstrong (bass) yield a ...

Album Review

Heath Watts - Dan Pell: Breathe If You Can

Read "Breathe If You Can" reviewed by AAJ Italy Staff

by AAJ Italy Staff
October 30, 2008

NODOT (Non-Objective Dinamically Ordered Tones) è l’acronimo con il quale il sassofonista Heath Watts ama definire il proprio modo di improvvisare, e quindi il proprio pensiero musicale. Musica che, come sostenevano artisti visuali quali Kandinsky e Picasso in riferimento all’arte in generale, non deve essere una rappresentazione del reale così come lo si percepisce fisicamente, bensì un flusso determinato dalle profonde rielaborazioni dell’artista. Aggiungiamo, sempre dalle note di copertina, che le influenze musicali dei due musicisti spaziano da Coltrane a ...

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Album Review

Heath Watts and Dan Pell: Breathe If You Can

Read "Breathe If You Can" reviewed by Glenn Astarita

by Glenn Astarita
April 19, 2008

Philadelphia residents, soprano saxophonist Heath Watts and drummer Dan Pell, improvise with relentless passion here. But they uncannily combine a tight-knit vibe while simultaneously expanding their repertoire via an angular, intuitive and muscular gait. Inspired by visual artists such as Kandinsky and Picasso, the saxophonist coins his methodology, NODOT (Non-Objective Dynamically Ordered Tones). With their inaugural release for Leo Records, the artists delve into quite a bit of give-and-take exercises, supplanted by multihued free-form excursions that pack a hearty punch.