Who was Julius Watkins? I put the question to Tom
Varner, composer and one of the few who play jazz on the French
horn. “Julius was the pioneer,” states Varner. “Before him, if you
heard the instrument in jazz, it was in the background, adding color,
or as an extra line, adding depth to the other brass. Julius proved
that you could play jazz—and solo—on the French horn.”
Varner is quick to cite other groundbreaking hornists such as
David Amram and John Graas, but adds that Watkins blazed
the trail not only as a performer but as a recording artist and teacher
of the instrument. “When I studied with him in the 1970s,” Varner
recalls, “he taught me there were no easy answers. It’s so slippery,
getting the notes right.” Aside from teaching Varner, Watkins
taught many others, notably Vincent Chancey, who joined the
Sun Ra Arkestra in the mid-1970s.
Watkins (1921–1977) was a virtuoso; “Friday the 13th” on
Thelonious Monk & Sonny Rollins (Prestige) showcases
an astonishingly fluid solo by Watkins, who went on to lead several
captivating sextet sessions for Blue Note and tour with Quincy
Jones‘s famed big band in Europe. Varner fondly recalls his
teacher’s open approach to music, noting that Watkins was equally at
home at symphony concerts, jazz gigs, and avant-garde sessions.
In honor of his teacher, Varner unveils the sixth Julius Watkins
Jazz French Horn Festival (Sat Oct 3, Cornish College of the Arts,
see www.cornish.edu/music/watkins for a full schedule). A slew of top-notch jazz hornists, including
Chancey and John Clark, participate in panels, symposia, and an
8:00 p.m. concert. The rhythm section of pianist Randy
Halberstadt, Chuck Deardorf on bass, and drummer Mark
Ivester back an array of hornists on tunes like the standard “Body
and Soul” and Coltrane’s “India.”
The night also features a sly nod to Watkins and his work with
Miles Davis and Gil Evans. “We’re going to do an all-horn
version of ‘My Ship,'” says Varner, alluding to the Kurt Weill song reimagined by Evans on the Miles Ahead +19 LP. With a hint
of mischief, Varner explains, “We’ll have a dozen or more horns
onstage; instead of Miles and woodwinds, it’ll just be
horns”—an apt homage to an instrument that does much more than
add an unusual texture to jazz.
As a coda to the festival, Varner collaborates with Australian free
jazz hornist Stephen Morley and Greg Campbell (Tues Oct
6, Gallery 1412, 8 pm, $5–$15 sliding-scale donation). “This will
be a wild and woolly trio,” predicts Varner. “Greg is an amazing
free-improvising percussionist who also plays French horn,” he
adds, “so there will be a lot of unusual sounds coming from all of the
instruments.”
