Ernie Watts
The University of Wyoming Jazz Studies program will present a special 80th birthday
concert featuring two-time Grammy Award-winning jazz saxophonist Ernie Watts Friday,
Oct. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Buchanan Center for the Performing Arts recital hall.
Tickets are available at www.tix.com/ticket-sales/uwyo/6984 and in person or at (307) 766-6666 at the Performing Arts box office Monday-Friday,
noon-6 p.m., and one hour before performances.
Praised as “one of the greatest living tenor saxophonists, at the top of his game”
(All About Jazz), Watts will be joined by the Andy Wheelock Quartet for this milestone
performance, led by UW’s own director of jazz studies on drums, along with a stellar
ensemble of colleagues including Brad Goode, trumpet, Ben Markley, piano, and Gonzalo
Teppa, bass.
Born just one day shy of the concert date Oct. 23, 1945, Watts began his career at
age 16 and has since become one of the most prolific and versatile saxophone players
in music, whose distinctive, expressive sound has cemented his legacy in the jazz
and R&B worlds.
After studying at Berklee College of Music on a scholarship, Watts joined Buddy Rich’s
big band and later spent two decades with Doc Severinsen’s “Tonight Show” band. A
“musician’s musician,” Watts has been featured on over 500 recordings for artists
ranging from Marvin Gaye and Carole King to Frank Zappa, and his distinctive sound
can be heard on film soundtracks for “Grease” and “The Color Purple.”
In the mid-1980s, Watts returned his focus to jazz as a member of Charlie Haden’s
Quartet West. Watts, who co-founded Flying Dolphin Records in 2004, continues to tour
internationally with his own quartet, perform as a guest artist with symphonies and
conduct music workshops worldwide.
Patrons are advised to procure tickets early, as seating is limited in the Performing Arts recital hall.
