![]() ![]() He reviewed "Back Home In Kansas City" by saxophonist Bobby Watson. ![]() (SOUNDBITE OF BOBBY WATSON'S "RED BANK HEIST")ĭAVIES: Kevin Whitehead is the author of the book "Play The Way You Feel: The Essential Guide To Jazz Stories On Film." And he writes for Point of Departure and The Audio Beat. ![]() Certainly the core Kansas City jazz values - a swinging beat, a personal style, and an earthy, bluesy sensibility - are all firmly in place. WHITEHEAD: Bobby Watson is indeed back home in Kansas City, though that's been true for a couple of decades. The singer is the bassist's sister those young musicians had backed - Carmen Lundy.īOBBY WATSON: (Singing) Looking back on the years, on the pain and the tears that would fall through it all - our love remains. Family ties come to the fore on Bobby's slinky ballad "Our Love Remains," with lyrics about continuity over time by his wife, Pamela Watson. The bass player is Curtis Lundy, a Watson ally since college days. WHITEHEAD: The album title, "Back Home In Kansas City," signals a reaffirmation of old connections. (SOUNDBITE OF BOBBY WATSON'S "I'M GLAD THERE IS YOU") Watson is a real improviser, looking for fresh angles, as on the standard ballad "I'm Glad There Is You." His soul-ups (ph) gallop along, though he can get momentarily sidetracked exploring in the moment. And Bobby Watson coaxes out its sweet, searing and squawky tones of voice, fine-tuning his pitch to make the horn sound brighter or darker. WHITEHEAD: The alto saxophone wants to sing. (SOUNDBITE OF BOBBY WATSON'S "BON VOYAGE") The improvising shifts to a Cuban style montuno, where Cyrus Chestnut vamps on piano. So Watson's "Back Home In Kansas City" is based on "Back Home In Indiana," and his "Side Steps" on John Coltrane's "Giant Steps." "Bon Voyage" transparently lifts from Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage." But then Watson throws a curve. He follows common practice by writing new melodies on the chords to old ones. Leader Bobby Watson is proudly in the jazz tradition. On that same tune, Watson caps his twisty solo with a helpful hand-off, ending with a shapely phrase the trumpeter can launch his solo from. So does crackling guest trumpeter Jeremy Pelt, who sometimes solos on his heels. KEVIN WHITEHEAD, BYLINE: Bobby Watson on the title track of his album "Back Home In Kansas City." That alto saxophonist always brings the sparks. (SOUNDBITE OF BOBBY WATSON'S "BACK HOME IN KANSAS CITY") Jazz critic Kevin Whitehead says he sounds right at home. After decades working out of New York, Bobby Watson returned to Kansas City, near where he grew up. Alto saxophonist Bobby Watson came up in drummer Art Blakey's finishing school, The Jazz Messengers, and has recorded dozens of highly acclaimed albums since. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |