Ernie Watts is a much-heralded reedman who has done extensive work both in the jazz world and as a studio musician. A winner of two Grammy awards, he has toured and recorded both as a leader and as a sideman for more than fifty years and is still going strong today. He was born on October 23, 1945 in Norfolk, Virginia.

Watts began playing saxophone when he was 13 and attended the Berklee College of Music. Although primarily associated with the tenor saxophone today, in the late 1960s he held down one of the alto sax chairs in the Buddy Rich big band. He played with Oliver Nelson for a while and played in the Tonight Show Band with Doc Severinsen for twenty years.

Ernie Watts has released 13 albums as a leader but has appeared on many more records and soundtracks as a sideman. He has played with jazz artists including Charlie Haden, Donald Byrd, Sarah Vaughan, Stanley Clarke, Pat Metheny, Blue Mitchell, Kurt Elling, J.J. Johnson and Quincy Jones. He has also been on records with non-jazzers like Marvin Gaye, Paul McCartney, Steely Dan, Frank Zappa, Carole King, Glenn Frey, Bill Withers and James Taylor, as well as having toured with the Rolling Stones. In addition, he can be heard on the soundtracks to the movies “The Color Purple” and “Grease.” He also played the theme music for the 1980s television comedy “Night Court.”

Here is a link to Ernie Watts playing in 1993:

"TRANSPARENT SEA"