This just might be the Ernie Watts album you’ve been waiting for. Better known as a sideman for the likes of Buddy Rich, Charlie Haden’s Quartet West and Lee Ritenour, as well as holding down the tenor sax chair for the Tonight Show band for eons, Watts has only led a few sessions on his own that adequately display his Coltrane-influenced jazz chops. This one is a beaut, as it spotlights the meister in various settings and mood, and he masters them all like a Renaissance man.
He leads a band of Chrisof Saenger/p, Rudi Engel/b and Heinrich Koebberling/dr through a mix of modern tunes and originals, some with lush surroundings as on the rubato “The Sound: The Morning” and the glowing “A Simple Truth” that feature the room filling sound of his tenor. Along with Saenger’s charismatic solo, on “The Road We’re On” has Watts kick up the voltage on the hard drive, and the high stepping “Acceptance” that he penned is muscular with the veins popping out. He sure knows his bop chops, as he takes Dizzy Gillespie’s “Bebop” for a ride on the wooden tracks of the roller coaster with the hands flying in the air over the top drop. With Engel’s bass, Watts woos through Billy Childs’ “Hope in the Face of Despair” with pathos. All through this session, tone, technique and telling a story shine through, showing true professionalism with a heart of gold.
Flying Dolphin Records