Julius Watkins


Julius Watkins was an American jazz musician who played French horn. Described by AllMusic as "virtually the father of the jazz French horn", Watkins won the Down Beat critics poll in 1960 and 1961 for Miscellaneous Instrument.

Life and career

Watkins was born in Detroit, Michigan, United States. He began playing the French horn when he was nine years old. Watkins began his career in jazz playing the trumpet in the Ernie Fields Orchestra from 1943 to 1946. By the late 1940s, he had played some French horn solos on recording sessions led by Kenny Clarke and Babs Gonzales. After moving to New York City, Watkins studied for three years at the Manhattan School of Music. He started appearing in small-group jazz sessions, including two led by Thelonious Monk, featuring on "Friday the 13th" on the album Thelonious Monk and Sonny Rollins.
Watkins recorded with many other jazz musicians, including John Coltrane, Freddie Hubbard, Charles Mingus, Miles Davis and Gil Evans, Phil Woods, Clark Terry, Johnny Griffin, Randy Weston, and with the Jazz Composer's Orchestra. He co-led, with Charlie Rouse, the group Les Jazz Modes from 1956 to 1959, and he toured with Quincy Jones and his band from 1959 to 1961.
In 1969, Watkins played French horn for the beat poet Allen Ginsberg's album Songs of Innocence and Experience, a musical adaptation of William Blake's poetry collection of the same name.
Suffering from diabetes, liver and kidney problems, and chronic alcoholism, Watkins died from a heart attack in Short Hills, New Jersey, at the age of 55.
From 1994 to 1998, an annual Julius Watkins Jazz Horn Festival was held in New York, beginning at the Knitting Factory,) honoring his legacy. After an eleven-year break, another Julius Watkins Festival was held on October 3, 2009, in Seattle, Washington, at Cornish College of the Arts. On September 29, 2012, the seventh Julius Watkins Jazz Horn Festival was held at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia.

Discography

As leader/co-leader

Julius Watkins Sextet, Vol 1 & 2 French Horns for My Lady
With Charlie Rouse as Les Jazz Modes/The Jazz Modes
With Jazz Contemporaries

As sideman

With Manny Albam
With Benny Bailey
With Art Blakey
With Kenny Burrell
With Billy Byers
With Donald Byrd
With John Coltrane
With Tadd Dameron
With Miles Davis
With Billy Eckstein
With Gil Evans
With Art Farmer
With Curtis Fuller and Hampton Hawes
With Dizzy Gillespie
With Allen Ginsberg
With Benny Golson
With Johnny Griffin
With Gigi Gryce
With Jimmy Heath
With Freddie Hubbard
With Milt Jackson
With The Jazz Composer's Orchestra
With Quincy Jones
With Thad Jones and Mel Lewis
With Beverly Kenney
With Stan Kenton
With Roland Kirk
With Michel Legrand
With the Manhattan Jazz All-Stars
With Herbie Mann
With Cal Massey
With Mat Mathews
With Charles McPherson
With Gil Mellé
With Charles Mingus
With Blue Mitchell
With Thelonious Monk
With David Newman
With Oliver Nelson
With Chico O'Farrill
With Oscar Peterson
With Oscar Pettiford
With Johnny Richards
  • Experiments in Sound
  • The Rites of Diablo
  • Walk Softly/Run Wild!
With the Riverside Jazz Stars
  • A Jazz Version of Kean
With Pete Rugolo
With Pharoah Sanders
With George Shearing
  • Satin Brass
With Warren Smith
  • Composer's Workshop Ensemble
With Les Spann
With Billy Taylor
With Clark Terry
With McCoy Tyner
With Randy Weston
With Art Webb
  • Mr. Flute
With Mary Lou Williams
  • Mary Lou's Mass
With Phil Woods