BL30: Trevor Watts & Jamie Harris

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Trevor Watts (r) and Jamie Harris (l)

For over a half-century, self-taught British saxophonist Trevor Watts has been a trailblazing pioneer of free improvisation and has built a mighty reputation for having a bold, compelling voice on the sax. He co-founded the legendary Spontaneous Music Ensemble in the mid-’60s, which included other heavyweights such as Derek Bailey and Evan Parker, and has recorded for noteworthy contemporary music record labels including Emanem and ECM Records. Watts also formed the outfit Amalgam in the late ‘60s, exploring blends of jazz, improv, rock, and traditional music, and in the ‘80s, he established the Moiré Music ensemble, which merged jazz and African music with an emphasis on rhythm, and The Drum Orchestra, which featured musicians primarily from Ghana. Among his collaborators are jazz giants such as Archie Shepp, Don Cherry, and Steve Lacy.

British percussionist Jamie Harris is an adept performer on hand drums including djembe, darabuka and congas with the ability to be hypnotic, powerful and fiery one moment and deeply expressive and delicate the next. As a young musician, Harris met Watts in 1999 which began a fruitful collaboration, with Harris joining Watts's Celebration Band and also playing in a duo with Watts all over the world, including Mongolia, Brazil and the Dominican Republic. Together, they've garnered praise for combining sax improvisations, brimming with joy and energy, with infectious rhythms to make uplifting, inventive duets.

Come early, between 6:30 pm and the 7:30 pm showtime, for a demo and artist talk in the lobby from Ghanaian drummer Kofi Mawuko (Ogya World Music Band).

“Watts mixes jazz’s power of surprise with a real musical openness.” - The Guardian

"Trevor Watts was fusing African drum rhythms, jazz sensibilities and free improvisation long before it became a recognised oeuvre and he still does so with integrity and understanding, creating a truly unique musical identity that distils rather than dilutes these disparate elements." - Avant

Watts/Harris Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/trevorandjamieduo

YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-PmKZakXhA

Advance ticket link:

https://www.barkinglegs.org/ourevents/trevor-watts-landmark-british-saxophonist

Facebook event:

https://www.facebook.com/events/693142706182934/