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Two-time Grammy Award winner Ernie Watts is one of the most versatile and prolific saxophone players on the music scene. In a diverse career that has spanned more than 40 years, he has been featured on over 500 recordings by artists ranging from Cannonball Adderley to Frank Zappa.
After 15 solo records for a variety of labels, large and small, Watts started Flying Dolphin Records. “I’ve reached a place in my life where I need to make music on my terms and starting my own label provided me with a new sense of freedom,” comments Watts. Flying Dolphin has several projects in release, including numerous titles by the Ernie Watts Quartet and has also re-released many of the fine recordings the artist made for JVC which feature talent such as Arturo Sandoval, Jack DeJohnette, Geri Allen, Mulgrew Miller, Steve Swallow, Jimmy Cobb and Kenny Barron.
Watts started playing saxophone at age 13. His discipline combined with natural talent began to shape his life. He won a scholarship to the Wilmington Music School in Delaware, where he studied classical music and technique. “But when I first heard John Coltrane play, it was like someone put my hand into a light socket,” Watts says. He started to learn jazz by ear, often falling asleep at night listening to a stack of Coltrane records. He soon won a Downbeat Scholarship to the Berklee College of Music in Boston. He left Berklee for an important spot, playing in the Buddy Rich Band. When he moved to Los Angeles in the 1960s, he began working in the big bands of Gerald Wilson and Oliver Nelson. It was with Oliver Nelson that Watts had the occasion to record with the legendary Thelonious Monk on Monk’s Blues (Columbia).
During the 1970s and ‘80s, Watts was immersed in the busy production scene of Los Angeles. His signature sound was heard on countless TV shows and movie scores, almost all the early West Coast Motown sessions and with pop stars such as Aretha Franklin and Steely Dan. At the end of a long day of sessions, he could frequently be heard playing fiery jazz in late-night clubs around Los Angeles.
In 1983, the film composer Michel Colombier wrote an orchestral piece entitled “Nightbird” for Watts. At the work’s inaugural performance at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, Charlie Haden came backstage to introduce himself. The meeting led to Watts becoming a charter member of Haden’s critically acclaimed Quartet West.
Watts’ eclectic mix of career activities includes work with vocalist Kurt Elling and drum legend Billy Cobham. A typical year finds Watts touring Europe with his own quartet, in Asia as a featured guest artist and performing at summer festivals throughout North America and Europe. A skilled educator, he continues his commitment to music education by conducting student workshops and has compiled a collection of orchestral arrangements for guest soloist appearances with symphonies.
For more information check out www.erniewatts.com.
GRAMMY AWARDS
1983 -- BEST POP INSTRUMENTAL FOR CHARIOTS OF FIRE
1985 -- BEST RHYTHM AND BLUES INSTRUMENTAL FOR MUSICAN (WB)
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