Watts, Trevor & Jamie Harris / Ancestry
Album: Ancestry   Collection:Jazz
Artist:Watts, Trevor & Jamie Harris   Added:Nov 2007
Label:Entropy Stereo Recordings  

A-File Activity
Add Date: 2008-04-27 Pull Date: 2008-06-29 Charts: Jazz
Week Ending: Jun 29 Jun 15 Jun 8 May 18 May 11 May 4
Airplays: 1 1 1 1 1 1

Recent Airplay
1. Jun 27, 2008: Memory Select
Tandem Voices
4. May 16, 2008: Memory Select
Sam Star
2. Jun 09, 2008: Emphysema For Emphasis
Sam Star
5. May 04, 2008: Now's the time
Strolling
3. Jun 07, 2008: Scatterbrain Replacement Radio
Sam Star
6. Apr 28, 2008: Emphysema For Emphasis
Three And More

Album Review
Gabe
Reviewed 2008-04-26
Joyful jazz on the go – sax and hand percussion on a series of short-ish tracks. Watts typically works with a much larger ensemble and in longer forms, so this is something different from him. The tracks vary from light and fun to deep and respectful of tradition – the “Ancestry” of the title. On the slower tracks, the drumming brought to mind the backing from the classic Last Poets albums – I was half expecting a rap/poem to start in but the sax that did come in was just as expressive. Good stuff that will make you and your listeners happy. Highly recommended.

*** 1. Short melodic figure repeated with variations and breaks, allegro
*** 2. Slower, with some beautiful lines and a couple of trills; picks up some speed from
about 4:30 on; sure enough, to my Last Poets reference above, the title mentions
ghetto life, but as it turns out, that’s the Krakow (Jewish) ghetto
*** 3. Cocky, strutting sax, low-key but steady drumming
*** 4. Bumblebee-ish flittering on two saxes
*** 5. More all-over-the-place flights with assertive drumming driving it
*** 6. Slower and more soulful blowing; the occasional moment when the sax completely
dies out and you wait in anticipation of the next phrase is quite nice
*** 7. Rapid drumming is the real star; the stabbing sax is a bit distracting here
*** 8. Ca-ray-zee energy … and yes, the sax stands back for a short drum solo; cool
*** 9. Another Last Poets reminder; as befits the title, the track wanders around, not
without purpose but not without a sense of freeform looseness either; great!
*** 10. Heavy drumming and forceful sax (well, not Brötzmann-forceful)
*** 11. A breather – slower, mellower
*** 12. Drums akin to quick stomping turning into a run, sax loping alongside; superb
*** 13. A wordless vocal chants along with Watts and Harris going nuts; great finish!


Track Listing
1. Alpino   7. Coayacan
2. Ghetto Life Was Here (Memory Of Cracow)   8. Sam Star
3. Sarawak   9. Strolling
4. Balintan   10. Three And More
5. Maribor Memories   11. Balladinine
6. Anna B   12. Kerrytown
  13. Tandem Voices