Sun 1/29 @ 8PM
Veteran jazz/R&B sax player Ernie Watts is a two-time Grammy winner and a two-decade veteran of The Tonight Show Band. He’s also toured with the Rolling Stones and recorded with artists ranging from Frank Zappa to Carole King to Marvin Gaye. In the 80s he began to focus more on jazz, but his versatility informs everything he does.
One of the things he’s doing now is teaming up with younger Chicago trumpet player Brad Goode in the Brad Good/Ernie Watts Quintet. Goode came up in that city’s flourishing jazz scene, playing both bebop ala Dizzy Gillespie and free jazz. He’s currently on the faculty at the Colorado Conservatory for the Jazz Arts and the University of Colorado.
They’ll perform at Akron’s BLU Jazz + with pianist Adrean Farrugia, bassist Kelly Sill and drummer Anthony Lee. Tickets are $20, $10 for students.