Monday, August 10, 2015

Music Education Monday: Master classes
with saxophonist Ernie Watts

For this week's Music Education Monday, you can take in a couple of master classes on video from the veteran saxophonist Ernie Watts.

In addition to his own recordings as a leader, Watts (pictured) has played with an exceptional range of jazz, rock and soul musicians and groups, including Buddy Rich, Bobby Hutcherson, Doc Severinsen and the Tonight Show band, bassist Charlie Haden's Quartet West, Marvin Gaye, the Rolling Stones, and many more.

He last performed in St. Louis with Severinsen and the Tonight Show alumni band in 2013 at the Touhill, and also was heard here in 2012 with pianist Laurence Hobgood's quartet at Jazz at the Bistro.

In today's first master class video, recorded in 2012 at the Jazz Education Network conference in Louisville, KY, the saxophonist offers his thoughts on "A Melodic Approach to Improvisation." The second video also was recorded in 2012, at the Mariachi Sax Boutique in Moscow, which seems to be the Russian equivalent of St. Louis' Saxquest.

You can see both videos after the jump...



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