JAZZ SPOTLIGHT : ERNIE WATTS (***) : “Reaching Up” / <i> JVC</i>
- Share via
Watts’ main appeal, a virile, emotionally charged attack, is showcased here with equally potent sidemen: drummer Jack DeJohnette, pianist Mulgrew Miller and acoustic bassist Charles Fambrough.
The ploy works to a point as Watts powers his way through the title tune, John Coltrane’s “Mr. Syms” and an upbeat “I Hear a Rhapsody” all driven by DeJohnette’s tom-tom bombs and chattering snare. But the tenor man’s need to be assertive can be distracting as his relentless phrasing dances on without a break.
Trumpeter Arturo Sandoval guests on a pair of tunes, and is just as insatiable. More reserved numbers--Watts’ “Inward Glance” and “Transparent Sea”--give the saxophonist and the listener room to breathe.
New albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
