The third cut Paseando features Ernie Watts on soprano sax this time. The quiet, pensive mood set by the rhythm section is a perfect bed for Watt’s delicate yet commanding soprano.
The rest of the Analog Man is filled with great sensitivity and interplay from the quartet featuring Saenger and Engel and Koebberling.
The follow up offering, To the Point comes from his L.A. version of the Ernie Watts Quartet. The stateside quad features David Witham on piano, Bruce Lett on bass and Bob Leatherbarrow on drums as well as Watts on tenor.
The concert recorded live at The Jazz Bakery opens with Watts solo tenor voice expressing the agility and technique he has become well known for possessing. The influence of Trane remains part of his playing but he is not a mere copy. Watt’s sound is instantly recognizable as it has been for some 40 years.
Following Ernie Watt’s unaccompanied opening the quartet launches into an up tempo version of Tadd Dameron’s Hot House. Watt’s stretches first, followed by Witham on piano. Tenor and piano trade with Leatherbarrow before the final frenzied chorus.
The frenzy of the opening track is offset by the subdued Season of Change penned by Watts and Witham.
Michael Brecker left his impression on the rest of the world of music. His passing has seen the dedication of several songs and performances over the last year or so. Ernie Watts dedicates the third track to him. For Michael is a wonderful canvas for Ernie Watts tonal color palette.
The title track, again written by Watts and Witham gets right To the Point. Mr. Watts sets up the song by explaining how each artist comes to find their own voice – the point of truth. The quartet then follows this telling introduction with an energetic display of “who they are.”
The bluesy Road Shoes opens with Witham on piano for a couple choruses followed by the head played by Ernie Watts. Solos go around the ensemble ending with Lett on bass and Leatherbarrow trading with the rest of the group. A final statement of the head takes this toe-tapper home.
The haunting Nightscape by John Mayer seems reminiscent of Coltrane’s Central Park West. Watts is again on tenor as opposed to Trane’s soprano but the mood feels similar to this listener.
Reaching Up is the final recorded performance from To the Point Live at The Jazz Bakery. The percolating rhythm set up in the intro carries throughout the tune with the exception of a relaxed interlude or two. Watts and Leatherbarrow work off of each other as Witham and Lett round out the quartet.
This latest recording by the Ernie Watts Quartet is another testament to Flying Dolphin Records, Watt’s own label. Their commitment to recording jazz music that they choose to play is a treat for the rest of us.
You can find out more at http://erniewatts.com.
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