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Bobby Watson was born in Lawrence, Kansas on August 23, 1953 but grew up in Kansas City, Kansas. He attended the University of Miami along with fellow students Pat Metheny, Jaco Pastorius and Bruce Hornsby. After graduating in 1975, he moved to New York City and joined Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. He performed with the Jazz Messengers from 1977 to 1981, eventually becoming the musical director for the group. He also founded the 29th Street saxophone Quartet with alto saxophonist Ed Jackson, tenor saxophonist Rich Rothenberg, and baritone saxophonist Jim Hartog.
Following his tenure as a Jazz Messenger, Watson became a much-sought after musician, working along the way with many notable musicians, including: drummers Max Roach and Louis Hayes, fellow saxophonists George Coleman and Branford Marsalis, multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers and his trumpeter brother Wynton. In addition Bobby supported vocalists including Joe Williams, Dianne Reeves, Lou Rawls, Betty Carter and Carmen Lundy as well as being a sideman for Carlos Santana, Rufus & Chaka Khan, Bob Belden and John Hicks.
Watson along with Curtis Lundy and Victor Lewis started “Horizon” an acoustic quintet; led the a tribute band to Johnny Hodges called the “High Court of Swing”; and the “Tailor-Made Big Band”. He composed a song for the soundtrack of Deniro’s “A Bronx Tale”; has been an adjunct professor at William Patterson University and the Manhattan School of Music; and is currently involved with the Thelonious Monk Institute’s “Jazz in America” high school outreach program.
Watson was selected as the first William D. and Mary Grant/Missouri, Distinguished Professorship in Jazz Studies. The past six years he has served as the director of jazz studies at the University of Missouri-Kansas City Conservatory of Music and the alto saxophonist, composer, producer and educator still manages to balance recording of 26 albums as a leader, hundreds of co=led or sideman recordings, along with live engagements around the world with his teaching responsibilities. Watson’s ensembles at UMKC have garnered several awards and national recognition.
Bobby Watson, post-bop jazz alto saxophonist, composer, producer, and educator, now has 26 recordings as a leader. He appears on nearly 100 other recordings as either co-leader or in a supporting role and has recorded more than 100 original compositions and his long-time publisher.
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