I usually try to get to Telluride every summer, either during the Jazz Festival, Blues and Brews Festival, or the Film Festival. I just returned from the Jazz festival and wanted to share the extraordinary experience and my great pleasure at hearing a sax player I knew little about- Ernie Watts.
Folks, this guy absolutely blew my mind. Most folks probably have not had the opportunity to hear him live as he is basically an LA guy who doesn't tour much. That’s unfortunate. I have to tell you, I grew up on Coltrane and have heard them all, or at least I thought I did as I obviously was unfamiliar with Watts. Watts is a genuine virtuoso on tenor who is widely regarded as being among the very top of the best who every played the instrument. He has Coltrane plus chops, and can do anything from be-bop to straight ahead to progressive flawlessly. He can do any rhythm, any tempo, endless instrument range into the upper registers with power and finesse. Fast as hell when he wants to be, expressive when he wants to be. Simply put, he is the finest sax player I have ever seen in my lifetime. Check him out on wikipedia. Here is a small bio from the program.
"Handpicked as the Guest of Honor for the 39th Telluride Jazz Festival, saxophonist and flautist Ernie Watts has notched a five decade professional career with such benchmarks as being a member of Charlie Haden’s Quartet West, touring with the Rolling Stones, recording with Dizzy Gillespie, Marvin Gaye and Frank Zappa, playing under Doc Severinsen with The Tonight Show Band, and laying down horn lines on the Grease and The Color Purple soundtracks. Grammy Awards came from work with vocalist Kurt Elling and winning Best Pop Instrumental Performance for 1982 hit “Chariots Of Fire Theme.” With nearly two dozen albums as a bandleader, and countless more as a sideman for Jazz power players, Watts continues to educate, play, write, and record under his own independent record label Flying Dolphin. Accolades aside Watts likely sums it up best himself, “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 a common bond in people. I believe that music is God singing through us, an energy to be used for good.” He will be joined by Marc Seales on piano, Bruce Lett on acoustic bass, and Xavier Breaker on drums."
Drop dead genius playing is all I can say. I went up to him in the booth where he was signing CDs after his set and said "Holy crap man, you can fkn play!" (What can I say? It just came out!) Rather than look at me with a “where the hell have you been? I’ve been around for 50 years” look on his face, he just thanked me and smiled. A real gentleman to say the least. I also had the good fortune to sit next to his pianist (Marc Seales, Seattle based) on the plane from Montrose to Denver the next day as we headed home. He worships the guy. I said to him "I heard Coltrane do Giant Steps on vinyl when I was 14 and it changed my life. When you closed w Giant Steps and Ernie knocked it out of the park, I thought I was gonna die right then and there, a very happy man." He said it was unplanned and Ernie just decided to do it and everyone just hung on for dear life (they were all magnificent- first rate quartet). He said Ernie walks the straight and narrow and still practices every day! They guy is 70 and can blow harder, cleaner, faster, more creatively than any 40 year old player on the planet. Sadly, Seales told me Ernie plays in Europe for 3 mo out for the year, almost never gets to NYC, and tours infrequently. But if you love jazz and have the opportunity to see him, don’t miss him. He is a truly a living legend.
Check him out on this YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQkoybHJUeU
Thank you Ernie. Nothing has put a smile on my face the entire year like your playing did last Saturday.
Marty
PS Below is a pan video from Telluride. Many may recognize Wilson Peak (center of video at 5 sec) as it was featured on the Coors Beer can for many years.
[video=vimeo;135493475]https://vimeo.com/135493475[/video]
Folks, this guy absolutely blew my mind. Most folks probably have not had the opportunity to hear him live as he is basically an LA guy who doesn't tour much. That’s unfortunate. I have to tell you, I grew up on Coltrane and have heard them all, or at least I thought I did as I obviously was unfamiliar with Watts. Watts is a genuine virtuoso on tenor who is widely regarded as being among the very top of the best who every played the instrument. He has Coltrane plus chops, and can do anything from be-bop to straight ahead to progressive flawlessly. He can do any rhythm, any tempo, endless instrument range into the upper registers with power and finesse. Fast as hell when he wants to be, expressive when he wants to be. Simply put, he is the finest sax player I have ever seen in my lifetime. Check him out on wikipedia. Here is a small bio from the program.
"Handpicked as the Guest of Honor for the 39th Telluride Jazz Festival, saxophonist and flautist Ernie Watts has notched a five decade professional career with such benchmarks as being a member of Charlie Haden’s Quartet West, touring with the Rolling Stones, recording with Dizzy Gillespie, Marvin Gaye and Frank Zappa, playing under Doc Severinsen with The Tonight Show Band, and laying down horn lines on the Grease and The Color Purple soundtracks. Grammy Awards came from work with vocalist Kurt Elling and winning Best Pop Instrumental Performance for 1982 hit “Chariots Of Fire Theme.” With nearly two dozen albums as a bandleader, and countless more as a sideman for Jazz power players, Watts continues to educate, play, write, and record under his own independent record label Flying Dolphin. Accolades aside Watts likely sums it up best himself, “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 a common bond in people. I believe that music is God singing through us, an energy to be used for good.” He will be joined by Marc Seales on piano, Bruce Lett on acoustic bass, and Xavier Breaker on drums."
Drop dead genius playing is all I can say. I went up to him in the booth where he was signing CDs after his set and said "Holy crap man, you can fkn play!" (What can I say? It just came out!) Rather than look at me with a “where the hell have you been? I’ve been around for 50 years” look on his face, he just thanked me and smiled. A real gentleman to say the least. I also had the good fortune to sit next to his pianist (Marc Seales, Seattle based) on the plane from Montrose to Denver the next day as we headed home. He worships the guy. I said to him "I heard Coltrane do Giant Steps on vinyl when I was 14 and it changed my life. When you closed w Giant Steps and Ernie knocked it out of the park, I thought I was gonna die right then and there, a very happy man." He said it was unplanned and Ernie just decided to do it and everyone just hung on for dear life (they were all magnificent- first rate quartet). He said Ernie walks the straight and narrow and still practices every day! They guy is 70 and can blow harder, cleaner, faster, more creatively than any 40 year old player on the planet. Sadly, Seales told me Ernie plays in Europe for 3 mo out for the year, almost never gets to NYC, and tours infrequently. But if you love jazz and have the opportunity to see him, don’t miss him. He is a truly a living legend.
Check him out on this YouTube video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQkoybHJUeU
Thank you Ernie. Nothing has put a smile on my face the entire year like your playing did last Saturday.
Marty
PS Below is a pan video from Telluride. Many may recognize Wilson Peak (center of video at 5 sec) as it was featured on the Coors Beer can for many years.
[video=vimeo;135493475]https://vimeo.com/135493475[/video]
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edicated To You album. Great music. I'm going to listen a little harder to Ernie Watts in the album. Thanks.
