Live Your Dream: Live at North Street Cabaret

Tenor saxophonist Ernie Watts has always had the rare ability to sound soulful even during his most adventurous solos. Now 81 (as of Oct. 23), he gained early recognition for his playing with the Buddy Rich Big Band in the late '60s. A versatile studio musician for decades, he appeared on numerous recordings (including with Marvin Gaye), toured with the Rolling Stones in 1981, and had a hit with "Chariots of Fire" in 1982. However, since the mid '80s, Watts has mostly played jazz exclusively, including a lengthy stint with Charlie Haden's Quartet West and a series of his own sessions. He also remains very much in demand as a sideman.

Watts and trumpeter Brad Goode first played together in 2010 and have since toured on a yearly basis. In 2018 they recorded a quintet album, That's Right, and nearly the same group appears here on the recently-
released Live Your Dream, a live set from 2025. For the album's five originals, plus "Lover Man" and "Someday My Prince Will Come", the two horns are joined by Adrean Farrugia (piano), Jay Anderson (bass, replacing the late Kelly Sill from the earlier lineup) and Adam Nussbaum (drums). Goode and Watts constantly challenge each other throughout the intense set. The opener, "Covid Nightmare", has a stormy melody; Goode engages in screaming and tonal distortions and Watts contributes ferocious sheets of sound. The other selections are just as passionate, particularly "For Michael", which features heated interplay between the two horn players. Even Goode's feature on "Lover Man", which starts out tastefully, gets a bit crazy for a stretch before ending with a Charlie Parker quote. Farrugia is impressive when he gets to solo, and the rhythm section is highly intuitive and interactive. While there is little variation in mood, and the temperature is always very high, in small doses Live Your Dream reveals quite effective results.