Marzette Watts
Marzette Watts (March 9, 1938, Montgomery, Alabama โ March 2, 1998, Nashville) was an American jazz tenor and soprano saxophonist. He performed and recorded on bass clarinet as well. He had a brief career in music and is revered for his 1966 self-titled free jazz release. He was known also as a sound engineer.
Watts played piano early in his life; he did not play music regularly in his teens. He studied at
He moved to New York, where he lived in a loft building on Cooper Square which also had as a tenant
Returning to New York in 1963, Watts studied under
Watts's loft attracted many established and up-and-coming musicians who would hang out there and play at parties, including
In 1965 he decided to devote himself to music more fully, and moved to
Watts moved back and forth between Europe and New York; he taught briefly at Wesleyan University, assisting Sam Rivers and Clifford Thornton. Late in his life he moved to Santa Cruz, California. He died of heart failure in 1998.
Discography
- Marzette Watts and Company (ESP-Disk, 1966)
- The Marzette Watts Ensemble (Savoy Records, 1968)
References
- Flicker, Chris; Trombert, Thierry (2018). "An Interview with Marzette Watts". The Wire.
- Gary W. Kennedy, "Marzette Watts". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazzonline.
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