Ernie Watts (born October 23, 1945) – Abundance (1977)
The prolific saxophonist whose solo was featured on "Let's Get It On" co-wrote this mindblowing jam for jazz-funk supergroup Karma's final LP For Everybody.
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Ernie Watts is a saxophonist who played on many classic jazz-funk and R&B albums of the 1970s as a Los Angeles-based session musician, including most of Marvin Gaye’s records from this period.
Born in Norfolk, Virginia, Ernest James Watts took up the sax at age 13. He studied music at Berklee College in Boston on a jazz scholarship awarded by DownBeat magazine. His first professional gig was playing alto sax with Buddy Rich’s big band in the late 60s.
In 1969, the Ernie Watts Quartet released the album Planet Love. It featured Clarence McDonald on piano and was produced by Wayne Henderson of the Jazz Crusaders. Watts composed much of it, including the superb closing cut “Fourth Dynasty“ and its Coltrane-influenced title track.
Watts became a session musician in Los Angeles and played on classic 70s albums backing artists like George Duke, Bobby “Blue” Bland, Charles Wright, Lamont Dozier, David Axelrod, Jean-Luc Ponty, Cannonball Adderley, Ella Fitzgerald, Carole King, Bonnie Raitt, Albert Collins, Diana Ross, Kenny Burrell, Arlo Guthrie, the Friends of Distinction, John Mayall, Steely Dan, Willie Hutch, Zulema Cusseaux, and many more. Beginning with Let’s Get It On (1973) and his now-iconic solo on its title track, he played on most of Marvin Gaye’s albums recorded that decade for Motown.
In the late 70s, Watts joined two short-lived jazz-funk supergroups. The first was Karma, who released their debut LP Celebration in 1976 on A&M Records, followed by For Everybody (1977) before calling it quits. Besides Watts on sax, the group featured Syreeta Wright’s then-husband Curtis Robertson, Jr. on bass and guitar, George Bohanon on trombone, Oscar Brashear on trumpet, drummer Josef Blocker, Michael Greene on keyboards, Vander “Stars” Lockett on percussion, and pianist Reggie Andrews, who mentored both Patrice Rushen and the legendary 90s hip hop group The Pharcyde.
Along with his bandmates Curtis Robertson, Jr., Josef Blocker, Reggie Andrews, Watts co-wrote the mindblowing jazz-funk jam “Abundance” that opened For Everybody’s second side.
The next supergroup was Friendship, who released one highly influential self-titled album in 1979 and featured Don Grusin on keyboards, Lee Ritenour on guitar, Abraham Laboriel on bass, Steve Forman on percussion, and Alex Acuña on drums. Watts wrote the very funky jam “Puzzle People” for another Friendship project, the LP Session II, which included all the group’s members except for bassist Laboriel and was released that same year on Yahama’s record label in Japan.
See our earlier post on Friendship co-founder Don Grusin (who went on to produce Watts’ 1985 Grammy-winning album Musician) for more on Friendship’s history.
In 1982, one of the records Quincy Jones produced besides Michael Jackson’s Thriller was Watts’ LP Chariots of Fire. Its dancefloor hit was the funky jam “Hold On,” co-written by Jones and lead vocalist James Ingram, and recorded and mixed by Bruce Swedien. The album had a stellar backing band including Richard Tee on electric piano, Carlos Rios on guitar, Paulinho Da Costa on percussion, Michael Omartian on piano, and John Robinson on drums.
Further info:
“Black History Month Celebrates: Ernie Watts,” Musical Memoirs, February 10, 2019.
“The Artistry of… Ernie Watts: With the saxophone, Ernie Watts is among the most familiar voices in music,” by John Devenish, Jazz.FM91, March 25, 2020.
“Ernie Watts Biography,” ErnieWatts.com
#jazz #funk #Karma #ErnieWatts