Eric Watson (musician)

Eric Watson (born July 5, 1955) is an American jazz pianist. He was born in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In 1978, he moved to Paris after graduating from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Oberlin, Ohio. Watson is signed to a long-term recording contract with ACT Records. He has been married twice.

In 1982, Watson completed his first trio recording with Paul Motian and Ed Schuller (Conspiracy) followed by two solo albums. Since then he worked in a long-time duo with doublebass player John Lindberg which became extended with Albert Mangelsdorff and Ed Thigpen. Watson also worked with Steve Lacy, with Linda Sharrock and with Joëlle Léandre (Palimpseste, 1991). His trio with Mark Dresser and Ed Thigpen (Silent Hearts, 1998) was the basis for the "Full Metal Quartets" (1999/2000) with saxophone player Bennie Wallace. His solo piano recording Sketches of Solitude (2002) became one of the best-selling jazz albums in France. In 2003 and 2005, he toured in Europe, Asia, and Australia with Christof Lauer.

Watson's dance score The Peking Ballet was commissioned by Radio City Music Hall and seen by 200,000 people during the summer of 1984, while multi-concert series of his music have been presented by the Lyon Opera and the State Theater in Poitiers. His numerous commissions include Martial Arts (1986) written for Martial Solal and the Orchestre National de Jazz (French National Jazz Orchestra) and Bénévoles, written for the Australian violinist Jane Peters.

In 2001, Watson was appointed artistic director of La Villette Jazz Festival, and musical consultant to the director of the Cité de la Musique, Laurent Bayle. In 2003, he was appointed as a Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.

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