Trevor Watts

Trevor Charles Watts (born 26 February 1939) is an English jazz and free-improvising alto and soprano saxophonist.

Biography Watts was born in York, England. He is largely self-taught, having taken up the cornet at age 12 then switched to saxophone at 18. While stationed in Germany with the RAF (1958–63), he encountered the drummer John Stevens and trombonist Paul Rutherford. After being demobbed he returned to London. In 1965, he and Stevens formed the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, which became one of the crucibles of British free improvisation. Watts left the band to form his own group Amalgam in 1967, then returned to SME for another stretch that lasted until the mid-1970s. Another key association was with the bassist Barry Guy and his London Jazz Composers' Orchestra, an association that lasted from the band's inception in the 1970s up to its disbandment in the mid-1990s.

Though he was initially strongly identified with the avant-garde, Watts is a versatile musician who has worked in everything from straight jazz contexts to rock and blues. His own projects have come increasingly to focus on blending jazz and African music, notably the Moiré Music ensemble which he has led since 1982 in configurations ranging from large ensembles featuring multiple drummers to more intimate trios. He has only occasionally recorded in freer modes in recent years, notably the CD 6 Dialogues, a duet album with Veryan Weston (the pianist in earlier editions of Moiré Music). A solo album, World Sonic, appeared on Hi4Head Records in 2005.

Watts has toured the world over numerous times, run workshops, received grants and commissions, and he has collaborated with jazz musicians including Archie Shepp, Steve Lacy, Don Cherry, Jayne Cortez and Stephen Grew. As of 2011, he continues to travel and has been touring Europe and North America with Veryan Weston and more recently, with the addition of percussionist/singer Jamie Harris as Eternal Triangle.

Selected discography 1969: Amalgam: Prayer for Peace: Transatlantic Records 1971: Spontaneous Music Ensemble: So, What Do You Think?: Tangent 1971: Spontaneous Music Ensemble: 1.2. Albert Ayler: Affinity 1974: Amalgam: Innovation: Tangent 1976: Amalgam: Another Time: Vinyl 1977: With John Stevens: No Fear: Spotlite 1977: Amalgam: Deep: Vinyl 1977: Amalgam: "Samanna" Vinyl 1978: Cynosure: Ogun 1979: Amalgam: Over the Rainbow; ARC 1981: With Katrina Krimsky: Stella Malu: ECM 1985: Moiré Music: Trevor Watts' Moiré Music; ARC 1987: Moiré Music Sextet: Saalfelden Encore; Cadillac 1988: Moiré Music: With One Voice: FMR 1990: Moiré Music Drum Orchestra: Live In Latin America Vol.1: ARC 1991: Trevor Watts Moiré Music Group: Live in Latin America, Vol. 1 ARC 1994: Trevor Watts Moiré Music Group: A Wider Embrace: ECM 1995: Trevor Watts Moiré Music Group: Moiré Music Trio: Intakt Records 2000: Trevor Watts Moiré Music Group: Live at the Athens Concert Hall: ARC 2001: Trevor Watts and The Celebration Band : ARC 2002: Trevor Watts & Veryan Weston: 6 Dialogues: Emanem 2004: Amalgam: Semanna: FMR 2005: Trevor Watts: Rest of the Spotlight Sessions: Hi4Head (UK) 2005: Trevor Watts: World Sonic: Hi5Head (UK) 2006: Trevor Watts & Jamie Harris: Live in Sao Paulo, Brasil: Hi4Head 2007: Trevor Watts & Jamie Harris: Ancestry: Entropy Stereo 2008: The Original Trevor Watts Drum Orchestra: Drum Energy!: High Note 2008: Trevor Watts & Peter Knight: Reunion Live in London: Hi4Head (UK)

With Barry Guy/The London Jazz Composers' Orchestra Ode (Incus, 1972) Zurich Concerts (Intakt, 1988) with Anthony Braxton Harmos (Intakt, 1989) Double Trouble (Intakt, 1990) Theoria (Intakt, 1991) with Irène Schweizer Double Trouble Two (Intakt, 1998) with Irène Schweizer, Marilyn Crispell, and Pierre Favre Radio Rondo/Schaffhausen Concert (Intakt, 2009) with Irène Schweizer

With Harry Miller Different Times, Different Places Volume 2 (Ogun, 2016) recorded during 1977–1982

With Paul Rutherford and Iskra 1912 Sequences 72 & 73 (Emanem, 1997)

With the Spontaneous Music Ensemble Quintessence (Emanem, 1974 )