Bobby Watson, a saxophonist and composer, was born in Kansas City, KS. His playing is rooted in Kansas City’s roadhouse blues tradition. His formal education was at the University of Miami where he studied with Jaco Pastorious and Bruce Hornsby. It has a long-running and highly respected jazz performance program. He was awarded his degree in 1975. After graduating, he moved to New York City where he became the musical director of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. Watson stuck with Blakey’s group from 1977 to 1981, and then pursued session and tour work with more vigor, working with drummers Louis Hayes and Max Roach, saxophonists George Coleman and Branford Marsalis, multi-instrumentalist Sam Rivers, guitarist Carlos Santana and trumpeter Wynton Marsalis. He has also collaborated with many jazz vocalists including Joe Williams, Dianne, Lou Rawls and Betty Carter. Bobby Watson was his first group.
