Jazz saxophonist and composer Bobby Watson is performing tonight at the Crawlspace Theater in downtown Kalamazoo as part of the Jazz in the Crawlspace series, underwritten by the John Stites Jazz Awards. Watson will appear alongside Western Michigan University jazz piano professor Matthew Fries, Keith Hall, and Carlo de Rosa.
Watson, known for his influential work with legendary drummer Art Blakey and the Jazz Messengers, traces his musical roots to Kansas, where he grew up in a family church surrounded by music. He discovered Charlie Parker while attending high school in Minneapolis before studying at the University of Miami.
The saxophonist met Blakey on the drummer's birthday in 1977, sitting in with Curtis Fuller and others at a New York club. Watson recalls Blakey's powerful drumming feeling "like going down the highway doing 60 and a semi comes and bumps you doing 65." He joined the Jazz Messengers that January, admitting he was "square as a pool table and twice as green."
Watson's recent work includes "The Gates Barbecue Suite," recorded with the UMKC Conservatory of Music and Dance Concert Jazz Orchestra, which reached number four on national jazz airplay charts. The suite celebrates Kansas City's barbecue culture, particularly Gates Barbecue, where Watson's family has maintained traditions for generations.
His album "Check Cashing Day" commemorates the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.'s March on Washington, focusing on the speech's economic justice themes rather than the commonly referenced "I Have a Dream" portion.
Tonight's concert is sold out, though Fries mentions future concerts will feature two shows to accommodate demand. Watson praises his Kalamazoo collaborators as "world-class musicians."
