Altoist
Bobby Watson has always been a consistent improviser whose roots are in
Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers but who is open to freer innovations. For this Red album,
Watson is joined by pianist
John Hicks, bassist
Curtis Lundy and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith for five of his originals, one by his wife Pamela Watson and
Curtis Lundy's "Sho Thang." With such titles as "The Mistery of Ebop," "Blues for Alto" and the title cut, the high-quality music is essentially advanced hard bop and gives
Watson a good opportunity to stretch out on some challenging structures. ~ Scott Yanow