Canadian Jazz Magazine Review
USA tour Nov. 2003 Portland Oregon

The Creative Music Guild (CMG) started out the fall season with a true
whirling dervish of a show when they presented Trevor Watts and the
Celebration Band at the Fez Ballroom on Sep 27th. The eight piece band swung
mightily with the twisted compositions of its leader. Trevor was in amazing
form and offered up several blistering solos on both alto and soprano saxes.
The group has been together now for three and a half years, and all hands
were spot on during the ensemble passages and all made good use of their
solo features. Giampaolo Scatozza (Dm), Jamie Harris (Perc),Roger Carey
(B.G), and Geoff Sapsford (GT)provided incredible tight funk grooves that
gave the reed players all sorts of foundation for their various voicings.
The band is fronted by 4 saxophones: Trevor Watts (As,Ss), Marcus Cummins
(As, Ss), Rob Leake (Ts, Ss) and Amy Leake (Ts). This was one happening show
and its no overstatement to say that the Fez was rocking.
Brad Winter. Coda Magazine (Canada) Nov 2003.

CHICAGO REVIEW NO 1.
Trevor) Watts: New in Chicago
UK free sax titan Trevor Watts brings his Celebration Band to the Windy City
Concert Review by: Mark Keresman
Venue: Schuba's (Chicago, IL USA)

10/ 5/03 - Schuba’s is a tasteful but thoroughly unpretentious music
club/restaurant in/near the Lakeview/Wrigglyville section of Chicago – very
good live sound quality, very good food – that usually hosts
alternative/indie rock, folk and country sounds. But they’re branching out
into this odd thing called "jazz music," and this past Sunday night, Schuba’
s was the host to the Chicago debut of one of the grand-daddies of the UK
avant-garde jazz/free-improv scene. British alto saxophonist Trevor Watts
has established his rep with Derek Bailey, Julie Tippets and John Stevens as
well as his own groups – his latest, The Celebration Band, departs from the
" free" sound-style that put him on the proverbial map for a organized sound
based on the African music that Watts loves.
Watts is touring with the same 8-person band on his swell 2001 CD The
Celebration Band (Arc): 2 tenor saxes, two alto (almost all doubling on
soprano), electric guitar, electric bass, drums, percussion. They played
with a inspired amalgam (hey, that’s the name of an old Watts band, too) of
the unified precision of a Woody Herman big band, the bubbling, kinetic
simmer of King Sunny Ade’s Nigerian juju, the genial audaciousness of early
fusion outfits (like fellow Brits Soft Machine) and the sanctified, bright,
gospel-inflected melodiousness of South African township music. Watts’
Celebration Band plays music of interlocking patterns, superficially similar
to the minimalism of composer Steve Reich (partially inspired by the music
of Ghana) and Malian music – the saxes play riffs and melodic variations
that engage in call-and-response, that intertwine and overlap. Throughout
the night’s performance, the saxophones shone most brightly, swinging madly
and surging strong as Woody’s band at their various peaks – if fact, some
passages recalled the dramatic "crime jazz" of Herman arranger Neal Hefti.
The usual jazz "formula" of theme/solo/solo/theme was not in evidence,
though to be sure, everybody got to wail their jazz joyously. The TWCB’s
music was/is richly and immediately melodic as well as ebulliently
polyrhythmic – and they made with some unexpected surprises, as guitarist
Geoff Sapsford intro’d a couple tunes with biting garage rock-styled licks
(one a la Nirvana’s hit "Teen Spirit"). Unfortunately, the TWCB did not play
to a large crowd – perhaps the Cubs being poised on the brink of Baseball
History had something to do with it – but the band did not let that deter
them from delivering one of the finest live performances of any genre I’ve
seen this year. If you’ve the chance, they are a must-see.

CHICAGO REVIEW NO 2;
The Trevor Watts Celebration Band
October 5, 2003
Schubas

There was only one thing that could eclipse the coming of the mighty Trevor
Watts and his Celebration Band to the north-side club called Schubas: The
possibility that the Cubs would win in the off season for the first time
since 1908. Well, they did. While that keep most of the crowd away from this
concert, it did not hinder the group from playing very, very well. I have to
admit that this was one of my favorite Outré shows, ever.The Celebration
Band had an interesting set up: Basically, a big rhythm section, (bass,
drums, percussion, and rhythm guitar) and a four piece sax section. They
overlay really driving grooves with multi-interlaced melodies on top of
that. And what a rhythm section it was! The drummer, from Italy but based in
London, had an incredibly deep pocket. His playing was lithe and powerful.
That and the combination of the Herculean bass playing of the bassist made
for a tight groove that made me want to get up and dance.The sax section was
a constantly changing combination of tenor, tenor, alto, alto, to soprano,
soprano, alto tenor, to a sax trio supporting the sax soloist and other
permutations. They wove intricate, changing, woodwind tapestries over the
driving 4-piece rhythm section that propelled them.The grooves were
interesting. Many were on and then off the beat as thdrove relentlessly
ahead. The ever-changing and multi-textural sax section on top constantly
made the character of the pulse evolve as the songs progressed. I have to
admit that listening to this music actually made mefeel good. Isn't that
what music is supposed to do?Then there were the soloists. Pretty much
everyone was featured with the exception of the percussionist and guitar
player who nonetheless added to the whole with their supportive roles.
Everyone was great, but the bassist and Trevor Watts himself were the real
stand-outs, in my opinion. Really blowing, totally entertaining.The band was
all male with the exception of a female tenor sax player. Her playing and
soloing revealed a full-throated tenor tone that belayed her size and
gender. Traveling with her husband as one of the other sax players, the duo
lended a family feel to the event.All of these folks were from England, just
outside of London, or so said the bassist during a conversation with an
audience member between sets. No doubt, baseball is not a national pass-time
on their side of the ocean. So, it was a shame that due to the excitement
created by the Cubs post season that most folks were at home, watching the
game. This left us with a small, but appreciative crowd. Thankfully, the
northsiders played well and won. So, it should be added, did the Trevor
Watts Celebration Band. See them if you get a chance or google 'em up on the
web. They'll put you in a good mood.
Mike Gende

E MAIL FROM MICHAEL EISENBERG - CHICAGO PROMOTER;

Hi Trevor...it was a complete pleasure having you here...and...I'm not
kidding when I say this, this was the best show that Outre Music has put on
in it's 5 year existence!! Thanks so much for coming!I'm putting this review
up on the website along with another one from someone else who was
there...thanks for sending it.Also, again, please feel free to pass my
details to others who might want to tour the states in the future.stay in
touch
best
Michael

E MAIL FROM JACQUES EMOND, PROMOTER OF THE CELEBRATION BAND CONCERT AT THE
NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA CONCERT OCT 2003.

Dear Trevor,
I meant to send you a message earlier but got tied up in all kinds of
things. First, I want to tell you that your concert was one of the finest
concerts I have heard in a long time. First class players, superb writing
and arranging what more could you ask for. I particularly loved the ensemble
playing by the reed section. It reminded me of some of the stuff Rahsaan
Roland Kirk used to do. Please extend my thanks to all the musicians for a
fantastic concert.
Cordially yours,
Jacques Emond.

Trevor Watts & the Celebration Band (ARC)
review by John Chacona
 
The collapse of empire may have been an economic and geopolitical disaster for Britain, but it was a musical gift. With immigrants from South and East Asia, the Caribbean and especially, Africa, streaming into the country, alert British musicians were given a dazzling array of melodies, rhythms and timbres to employ. And it wasn't only Peter Gabriel and Ginger Baker who were listening, as this joyous CD makes clear. As far as I can tell from the tray card photo, there are no Africans in the Celebration Band, yet this is one of the most African sounding groups I have ever heard. It's not so much the band's sound (though the buzzing massed saxes have an Afropop-ish feel, to be sure). It's the feeling. The tunes don't so much have a beginning, middle and end as they awaken, stretch their muscles and dance until the dancing is over. Then it's on to the next one. And Watts and his merry men (and Amy Metcalf, who plays a lot of tenor on this date), very effectively convey the bubbling, inexhaustible joie de vivre that is the heart of sub-Saharan African music. The rambling, hour-long workouts of King Sunny Ade are an obvious point of reference. If the World Saxophone Quartet did a Fela tribute record, it might sound like this. But lest you think this is merely booty-shaking music (though it certainly has that effect), there's incredible rhythmic complexity here, as complex rhythmically as a polytonal Stravinsky score is complex harmonically. Watts puts several rhythms in motion and lets ensemble members ride each of them. The result is a cut and thrust of instrumental subgroups that creates incredible tension and release as the rhythmic patters come together and then diverge - a musical moiré effect, come to think of it. The first selection illustrates the principle with its title: "8 in 7," which lays the two meters on top of each other. By the time the closing two cuts "In The Street" and "Out of the Street" roll around (the titles refer to the Celebration Band's origins as a street band for a festival in Watts' hometown of Hastings), the high spirits dance to a self-regenerating momentum. Watts and his players are the prime movers that set into motion an unquenchable rhythm. This is a wonderful and generous CD from Trevor Watts and by itself cause for celebration.

tracks:
8 in 7 (13.17) / Alone With You (7.05) / Tar (Ta) (6.53) / Spring Sunrise (10.43) / In the Street (3.45) / Out of the Street (9.33).
personnel:
Trevor Watts (alto and soprano saxes, djarabouka, Moroccan tabla, cabassa, piano, keyboards) / Rob Leake (tenor and soprano saxes) / Amy Metcalf (tenor sax) / Marcus Cummins (alto and soprano saxes) / Geoff Sapsford (guitar) / Jamie Harris (djembe, djarabouka, Indonesian drum) / Roger Carey (bass guitar) / Giampaolo Scatozza (drums).
recorded:
ARC Studios, Hastings, England, April 2001. copyright for all works retained by their creators 2002

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND ARC CD 010 - review

CD REVIEW - LUIGI ONORI, ITALY. OCT 2002.

(First printed in Alias from Manifesto on 2nd November.)

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND - ARC 010
 
E un piacere sentire lo storico compositore, arrangiatore, multisassofonista inglese TREVOR WATTS insieme alla CELEBRATION BAND, ensemble di giovani musicisti con tre sassofoni, chitarra, basso, batterie e percussioni. E un piacere perche WATTS produce una musica mentalmente (e materialmente) indipendente e vi travasa le sue molteplici esperienze, dalla scena del free brittanico all'intenso incontro con le musiche africane Registrato in studio ad Hastings, l 'album ha il calore dell' esibizione live, sei lunghi pezzi (con l' eccezione di "In The Street") dove primeggia il lavoro di squadra delle due macrosezioni (ance e ritmica) e si fanno notare, oltre al sempreverde leader, Rob Leake al sax tenore, Roger Carey al basso e Giampaolo Scatozza alla batteria. La conclusiva "Out Of The Street" esprime tutta la carica libertaria di questa musica gioiosa, ritmica e collettiva che figurerebbe benissimo in un film di Ken Loach.  (L.O.)

REVIEW IN "THE WIRE" (U.K.) - December 2002
 
ARC 08 Trevor Watts Moire Music Group "Live at the Athens Concert Hall"
ARC 010 Trevor Watts and the Celebration Band
 
Ever since his days with the Spontaneous Music Ensemble, saxophonist Trevor Watts has attempted to unlock the fundamentals of musical communication. Moire Music's stirring Athens concert features three drummers - Nana Tsiboe from Ghana, Ali Iaazane from Morocco, Marc Parnell from London - and the bounding bass guitar of Colin McKenzie. "Seamless" is the title of the opener, but it's an apt description of the album's dancing, swirling music in its entirety. Watts has learnt from the basics rather than merely picking the trappings of various traditions, and the result is distinctive and exhilarating.
The Celebration Band are a wonderfully alive octet with four saxophones snaking around and weaving through a tight polyrhythmic web of guitar, bass, drums and percussion. The album's intricate groove is a fully realised and effective amalgam of disparate musical elements. In vital ways, Watts current outfits are continuous with his early groundbreaking activities and they deserve due recognition.
Julian Cowley.

MUSICA JAZZ - Trevor Watts and the Celebration Band (valutazione ****)
(March 2002)
 
In Italia il nome di TREVOR WATTS e ancora fortemente associato alla stagione del jazz britannico degli anni sessanta/settanta, alla musica dello SPONTANEOUS MUSIC ENSEMBLE e degli AMALGAM. Il primo lo vedeva lavorare con JOHN STEVENS sulla libera improvvisazione mentre il secondo (con BARRY GUY, PAUL RUTHERFORD, ancora JOHN STEVENS, KEITH TIPPETT, COLIN McKENZIE e altri) legava elementi di jazz (dal bop al free) con il folk, il blues e il rock.
Watts e stato il leader degli AMALGAM nei suoi 13 anni di veta ma nel frattempo guidava altri organici e collaborava con l' Open Circe di STAN TRACEY, col gruppo di LOUIS MOHOLO e con la LONDON JAZZ COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA.
Anche se c'e ovviamente continuita con quelle esperienze artistiche, l'ensemble di questo disco si lega maggiormente alla sintesti operata da Watts a partire dal 1982. Ci riferiamo alMOIRE MUSIC, formazione dall'organico mutevole ma fedele ad alcuni concetti di fondo: forte spinta poliritmica di stampo africano, temi esuberanti e assoli di grande valenza melodica. L'esperienza del Moire e ancora significativa per il sassofonista in quanto ripropone la lunga partnership col chitarrista Colin McKenzie ma il nuovo ensemble, THE CELEBRATION BAND, e ora al centro dei suoi nuovi concetti espressivi.
La formazione s'e costituita nel 2000 e questo e il suo primo disco, registrato ad Hastings nell'aprile dell'anno successivo.
Si tratta di un ottetto, comprendente una sezione sax (lo stesso leader e MARCUS CUMMINS al sax contralto e soprano, ROB LEAKE al tenore e soprano, AMY METCALF al tenore), e una ritmica con chitarra, basso e una doppia presenza percussiva composta da GIAMPAOLO SCATOZZA alla batterie e JAMIE HARRIS alle percussioni etniche).
La dufferenza principale tra il Moire e la Celebration Band sta nel piu accentuato ruolo che assumono in quest'ultima composizione e arrangiamento: non piu le lunghe improvvisazioni di Watts e McKenzie sul fondo percussivo ma ampie parti all'unisono e una varieta di situazioni che stimolano gli interventi dei solisti. La dimensione percussiva resta di grande efficacia ma si amalgama maggiormente all'insieme melodico-armonico.
E una musica esuberante, di grande impatto e forza (sembra prodotta da un'orchestra di almeno13/14 elementi) che dietro l'impatto iterativo delle sue trame nasconde complessita e originalita).
Sopra la vaporiopinta tessitura poliritmica di SCATOZZA e HARRIS (ritmi nordafricani che si accostano ad altri centro e sudamericani) la sezione sax si muove con tale trasporto e passionalita che il corpo inizia a muoversi da solo (lasciando il cervello del vostro critico alle sue analisi formali). Una musica smagliante, dunque, che si snoda senza cali di tenzione e s'impone per il grande solista che conosciamo, sia al contralto (spigoloso e tagliente) che al soprano (dalla sonorita nasale simile all'orientale shenai) ma anche i suoi giovani partner fanno un'ottima figura, dimostrando inventiva e tecnica.
Inutile entrare nel dettaglio dei vari brani, tutti danzanti, briosi ma niente affatto uniformi. E un disco particolarmente riuscito e fruibile, a vari livelli di approfondimento, da un pubblico di ampie dimensioni. Anche gli amanti dell'acid jazz, ad esempio, troveranno pane per i loro denti.
Angelo Leonardi.

JAZZWEEKLY.COM REVIEW (USA) - Dave Wayne. May 2002

(available from Cadence/NorthCountry, or directly from ARC at: TrevorWatts.whistlingmule.com)

Personnel: Watts - alto and soprano saxophones, djarabouka, Moroccan tabla, cabassa, piano, keyboards; Rob Leake - tenor and soprano saxophones; Amy Metcalf - tenor saxophone; Marcus Cummins - alto and soprano saxophones; Geoff Sapsford - guitar; Jamie Harris - djembe, djarabouka, Indonesian drum; Roger Carey - bass guitar; Giampaolo Scatozza - drums.

Tracks: 1) 8 in 7; 2) Alone With You; 3) Tar (Ta); 4) Spring Sunrise; 5) In The Street; 6) Out Of The Street

REVIEW: The Celebration Band is the latest wrinkle in Trevor Watts long and vital musical career. He ís best known for his Moire Music bands, where he and virtuoso electric bassist Colin McKenzie interweave jazzy, melodic lines in and out of a fabric of cross-rhythms generated by as many as 5 African master drummers. The Celebration Band, essentially a sax quartet married (happily) to a 4-piece rhythm section, takes the Moire modus operandi and turns it on its head. Here, the saxophones are used as much for rhythmic impetus as for harmonic and melodic structures. Despite the density of the instrumentation, the music is spacious and uncluttered thanks to Watts deft orchestrations and arrangements. Instead of always stacking the horns to create dense harmonies, Watts builds these pieces laterally using a variety of approaches. "8 in 7" presents the listener with a dozen or so melodic kernels - these are superimposed, permuted, stacked in different ways, broken up over bar lines, and swatted back and forth between different sub-groups of saxophones. When all four reeds combine to punctuate a line, it really jumps out at you. While the overall effect is mesmerizing, what makes it all work is the joy with which Watts and his band approach the music.

Watts compositions for the Celebration Band are as rhythmically sophisticated as anything you'd find in the Moire repertoire. As in Moire, most of the rhythms are derived from various African, Middle Eastern, and Latin American sources. Each tune on the CD is as much defined by rhythm as it is melody and harmony. "8 in 7" is - as its title suggests - in 7/4, a meter so smoothly addressed by guitarists Roger Carey and Geoff Sapsford, and drummers Giampaolo Scatozzi and Jamie Harris, that it doesn't sound odd at all. Though the rhythm sounds Turkish in origin, some of the 'churchy' saxophone harmonies in this piece recall South African 'kwela' music. The tense, churning "Tar (Ta)" (named for the Moroccan 'tar' rhythm from which it is derived) has a drum'n'bass feel to it, and a fine jazzy alto solo from Watts. "Spring Sunrise" and "Alone With You" are mellower, more tuneful pieces taken at moderate tempos. Even so, there is a great deal going on in both - subtle harmonic modulations, fascinating rhythms, and strong melodies. "Out of The Street", on the other hand, is the most complicated piece on the CD: think of a Rova Sax Quartet thing in 5/4 with a backbeat in waltz time, and chicken-scratch guitar. No one else around is doing stuff like this!

Most of the names in the Celebration Band, apart from Watts and bass guitarist Roger Carey (a veteran of singer / keyboardist Liane Carrollís band), are new to me. Apart from Watts, tenor saxophonist Rob Leake is the other reed soloist - he has a warm, round tone and vaguely Brecker-ish style that contrasts with Wattsí hard-edged, emotionally charged alto and soprano. The rhythm section is tight, light and nimble. Guitarist Sapsford fleshes out the drumming with call-and-response figures and occasional leads (as on "In The Street"). Bassist Carey provides a lot of harmonic movement underneath Watts skeletal piano lines, and swaps roles with Sapsford on occasion.

Trevor Watts has really hit on something with The Celebration Band. There is something here for everybody: edgy improvisations, churning polyrhythms, intricate ensemble work and truly memorable melodies. This is one of my favorite CDs so far this year.

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND - review.

John Shand - 24 Hours magazine of the ABC - Australia - May 2002.

While America was being shaken to the core in the 1960's by the likes of John Coltrane and Albert Ayler on the one hand and psychedelic rock on the other, there were developments across the Atlantic too. Saxophonist Trevor Watts was among those huffing and puffing until they blew down the remaining barriers to improvising freedom, while placing a premium on intensity in the musical dialogue.
With time Watts came to see that supposedly "free" music created its own strictures, and he reverted to more conventional forms and structures. His last project, Moire Music, used a drum choir and electric bass to create a constantly shifting backdrop for his improvisations, a Celtic edge mingling with the predominantly West African flavour.
The Celebration Band is the most recent step. Watts has assembled three saxophones, guitar, bass, drums and percussion to create a swirling density of high - energy, happy music. The extra horns are used to realise a greater emphasis on composition than was the case with Moire Music, although harmonic complexity is still eschewed in favour of interwoven melodic lines and rhythms.
Apart from the brief and bustling "In The Street", with its vividly layered saxophones, the pieces are all longer excursions. The opening "8 in 7" bogs down slightly, but all the rest boast wonderfully vibrant horn lines intersecting with pulsing drums and choppy guitar. Each piece is quite distinctive in mood, the Moroccan rush of "Tar (Ta"), for instance, simply sizzling along.
Over all of them Watts solos as only he can. On both soprano and alto his sound is improbably piquant, as though honed for slicing through the bristling thickets of percussion and stabbing horns. The lines can billow with happy abandonment, or herald other passions. It is music to lift the gloomiest of listeners.

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND - ARC CD 010 review.

The Scotsman, UK - Kenny Mathieson Jan 2002

Trevor Watts eight-piece Celebration Band builds on the foundation laid down in previous bands such as Moire Music and the Drum Orchestra. The saxophonist was one of the first European jazz musicians to explore the possibilities of African and Eastern music. That fascination is apparent throughout this lively disc, most obviously in the colourful melodies and compelling rhythms. The principal departure from earlier projects lies in the emphasis on composition rather than improvised approach for which he is best known.

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND ARC CD 010 - review

The Guardian, UK - John Fordham March 2002.

British alto saxophonist Trevor Watts, another significant UK Jazz figure to appear in the volatile period of the late 60's and early 1970's, came out of free music but went on to explore a much more widely accessible style. The Celebration Band is Watts's most recent project, formed in 2000. It's sound is related to his long running Moire Music band, but the layering and melodic sophistication of it is a step further on. There is also a much more extensive use of the reed sounds - at times it resembles the World Saxophone Quartet with a drum n' bass undertow. Watts mixes Jazz's power of surprise with a real musical openness. The mingling of metres is often mind-boggling, but it doesn't distract from the impact of the music, and the soloing isn't hemmed in by the rigid forms.

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND ARC CD 010 - review.

All Music Guide. Com USA - Dave Lynch - Feb 2002.

In his liner notes to Trevor Watts & the Celebration Band, music reviewer John Wickes writes that some have described Watts' music as minimalist, although the British saxophonist had not even heard Steve Reich and other practitioners of that style when the minimalist comparisons started to be made. It's easy to understand why Watts might grimace at being called a minimalist, while on the other hand - particularly after hearing his 2001 CD with the Celebration Band - it's also easy to grasp why at least some of his music might be tagged with that stylistic description. On the anti - minimalist side of the debate, Trevor Watts & the Celebration Band are jazz artists, performing music that is far more joyous and, well, celebratory than the mechanistic repetitions of minimalism's founders. On the other hand, there is certainly common ground in the unfolding polyrhythmic complexity, counterpoint layering of melodic instruments, and precision with which the pieces fit together to form an intricate musical puzzle. This is actually a well - balanced hybrid, but anyone hearing the CD might be too busy dancing around like crazy to waste time musing about genre distinctions anyway. Of course, Watts has spent about 20 years melding jazz and world music in the various incarnations of his Moire Music ensembles. A strong thread in the Moire weave is Watts' particular love of African musics, also a taproot for Reich and the minimalists. With Trevor Watts & the Celebration Band, the African connection is strong and sustained - one hears echoes across the continent from the township jazz of South Arica to the gnawa rhythms of Morocco, as bright harmonies and melodies are punched out by the four - saxophone front line over a foundation of complex polyrhythms played on percussion instruments including djarabouka, djembe, and Moroccan tabla in addition to drum kit. But where Moire developed into a vehicle for the freewheeling improvisations of Watts and bassist Colin McKenzie, the Celebration Band tilts more heavily towards composition, with structures that can provoke dance and induce trance in nearly equal measure. As electric bass, keyboard, and guitar form their own patterns that interlock with the percussionists, the saxophonists spin out seemingly endless variations of melodies and riffs, calling back and forth, overlapping one another, moving forward and back in the mix. The composing and arranging is truly ingenious, making the octet seem like a much larger band; in fact, there was very little overdubbing involved. It's not ALL thoroughly charted, however, as Watts on alto and soprano and Rob Leake on tenor saxophone sail over the top with fluid and fiery solos. And yet, one remains most amazed by the lengths to which Watts pushes his compositions; opening track " 8 in 7" (eight musicians playing music with seven-beat measures) stretches out past 13 minutes and is never less than riveting as it runs Watts's circle from African jazz through organic, hypnotic minimalism and back again. "In the Street" distills the core formula down to a three - minute - and - 45 - second track that would seem capable of uniting the globe in dance if released as a single worldwide. And yes, this is the same Trevor Watts, who began making a name for himself as a youngster in John Stevens' avant - garde Spontaneous Music Ensemble. Isn't youth supposed to be the time for parties and dancing, and maturity the time to get serious and stop having fun? Somebody forgot to tell Watts; he's got it all backwards.

Trevor Watts (Moire Music Group/Celebration Band/Arc Records U.K.)
moire@watts9000.freeserve.co.uk
http://www.shef.ac.uk/misc/rec/ps/efi/mwatts.html
TEL/FAX: (00 44) (0) 1424 443424

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND - ARC CD 010 Review Spring 2002

AVANT additional review - John Cratchley

Trevor Watts was fusing African drum rhythms, jazz sensibilities and free
improvisation long before it became a recognised oeuvre and he still does so
with integrity and understanding, creating a truly unique musical identity
that distils rather than dilutes these disparate elements. The Moire Drum
Orchestra, perhaps his most well known band alongside the legendary Amalgam,
produced original and enervating work for both ECM and INTAKT and the
Celebration Band extends the scope of that original vision.
It is no accident that Watts credits himself as composer/arranger before
player on this CD. Indeed, the music recorded here is tightly structured and
arranged in complex interweaving strata with great verve and brio. It is
minimalist in feel, repeating interlocking sequences that build methodically
and hypnotically, yet is also underpinned with infectious, trance like,
drumming patterns and textures from both Harris and Scatozza and
synchronous, non intrusive, bass and guitar riffs from Sapsford and Carey.
The collected horns are precisely spaced in tone and pitch creating a rich
depth of sound whilst maintaining a deftness of touch that is light and airy
and capable of breathtaking counterpoint and melody.
This music blends the discipline of seamless, quick fire, ensemble playing
with the energy and mystery of both African and Middle Eastern scales. Watts
own soloing is full of warmth and spirit and, indeed, soars in celebration
of the groove and momentum that the band creates. The mood is joyously
upbeat with a constant movement and progression throughout.
The Celebration Band makes a direct, open and honest statement of intent,
blending the formalism of composition with the ingenuity of extra sensory
ensemble playing, the rhythm of street carnival and Watts free fall soloing.
It all works spectacularly.

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND (Arc CD 010) - Reviews 2002

Avant Magazine-Steve Day.

I was not going to write this review, but sometimes you just have to anyway,
because, well because there is such a joyous thing going on here I cannot
help but jump in. Count me in, count me in. John Wickes wrote about the band
in the last AVANT so go back to the back copy for his specific information.
Here is my take on this music.
Last week I gave my neighbour Chris a lift into his "day job" in town. Chris
has played electric bass in more blues bands than a Chess Records
compilation. I slapped on the Celebration CD and he immediately identified
the fact that Roger Carey is playing a fretless instrument and seriously
knows how to handle it. Phrases such as "groove music" and "on the monkeys
back" were mentioned. That was all before Trevor Watts soloed. See, what is
going on down is four saxes riffing over multiple percussion with a guitar
weaving carefully chosen chords through a popping bass line. Normally, I
would say, it's fine, but I need to hear more than a complex carnival. I
want some real interaction on top. And that is exactly what happens here.
There is a combined diversity driving these horn arrangements which allows
for both space and fire. From the opening track Trevor Watts' entry sounds
like he's been sitting in the sun, all bright soprano shaking out a melody
that continually turns back on itself. He contains real authority in his
playing, imposing passion and purpose on the proceedings by the sheer
eloquence of his blowing power. Chris had never heard of Trevor Watts or the
Spontaneous Music Ensemble or Moire Music. My neighbour is a man who has a
picture of B.B. King over his bed and tells me that John Lee Hooker "knew
more about improvisation than the stuff that you listen to". He is wrong,
but there is a speck of truth to his argument, though I have no wish to
discuss it. By the time we reach the centre of Bristol I am ready to push my
passenger out beside a busy roundabout. Trevor Watts and the Celebration
Band have got almost half way through "Out of the Street", a mesmerising,
swirling cross rhythm cut that sounds like the South African trumpet
heavyweight, Hugh Masekela, has employed the Celebrators to lap up a South
American Shrove Tuesday Mardi Gras, and supplant it in the heart of Jo'burg.
Just when you think you have the pace of it. Trevor Watts comes out of the
mix, blowing an alto line every bit as diamond express as the heaviest Kwela
kick that ever came out of the Cape. Chris wants to stay, to wait until the
end of the track before getting out of the car. As he eventually sets off
down the street, Rob Leake's tenor whips a counter rhythm around, mirror
imaging the leader's line but then striking off, straight across the
percussion playground. I head my car back into the gridlock, I have all the
time in the World. I'm still listening. This is music that has been worked
on. Trevor Watts name is out front for sure, but it has also been through
the democratic mincer, to the point where it now stacks up big time.
Stop right here. I think Trevor Watts' Celebration Band has to be taken on
its own terms. Somebody ought to be signing up this outfit to guarantee
sunshine, the party is heading in their direction. Any chance of my CD back
Chris?

TREVOR WATTS AND THE CELEBRATION BAND - ARC 010

Review: JAZZ PODIUM (Germany) July 2002. (Review in German)

Der Zusammenklang von drei Saxophonen (tenor, alt und sopran) bestimmt den Sound, Gitarre, Bassgitarre und Percussion die vielschichtige rhythmische Basis. Zwischendrin wecken ein paar Keyboard-Akkorde Assoziationen an den Glockenklang einer Kathedrale, ein kurzes Bass solo von Roger Carey bricht den Unisonoklang der Bläser auf. Nervös pulsiert das Saxophon in "Tar" über Bass und Schlagzeug. Stakkato - Linien treiben das Thema voran. "Drum und Bass" Element sind wirkungsvoll eingebettet. Flatternd wirkt das Drum - solo vor dem zwitschernd in den High - Notes weiterlaufenden Sopransaxophon. Der Zuhörer denkt an Marokko, Africa, den Nahen Osten. Trevor Watts ist ein Klangmagier, der mit exotischen Reizen lockt. Ständige Wiederholungen von Riffs kreuzen sich mit hinzutretenden Melodielinien, während Rhythmen zum Tanzen verleiten. Diese Kombination aus schwebenden, tänzerischen Rhythmen, vertrackten Intervallstrukturen, komplexen Unisonpassagen und melodischen Solo - Linien machen die Faszination aus, die von dieser Musik ausgeht, und die trotz einer unleugbaren äusserlichen Gleichformigkeit im Grossen eine spannende Binnenstruktur im Detail mit vielen harmonischen Wendungen und rhythmischen Ebenen aufweist. Die erst im Jahr 2000 zusammengestellte Celebration Band biete ihm die Möglichkeit, neue musikalische Ideen zu verwirklichen - was er mit seiner afrikanisch bestimmten Moire Music Group nicht mehr habe tun können, sagt Watts. Die neue Band sei für ihn wie eine Leinwand für einen Künstler. Auf diesem Hintergrund wolle er mit Sound und Rhythmus spielen. Aus Spiel wurde Sieg.

Klaus Mumfer.