Lu Watters: Reviving the Original Revivalist

JB: Hal, when someone studies the traditional jazz “revival” of the 1940s-1950s (if anyone actually does anymore!!!), two names emerge as towering figures. While there were certainly many artists who were rediscovering and performing early jazz works and styles during that time, the names George Lewis and Lu Watters are always mentioned. This time around, we’re going to explore Watters’ music and its legacy. In a previous column, I mentioned I became aware of the San Francisco Style created by Lu Watters’ Yerba Buena Jazz Band (YBJB) from contemporary groups I heard playing it at festivals and on recordings, including the South Frisco Jazz Band and John Gill’s Dixieland Serenaders as well as, and—Hal, I am not saying this because you’re doing this column with me—the BY FAR best band capturing the Watters style to my ears, your own Down Home Jazz Band. Hearing that music inspired me to look up the source and listen to those recordings. Fortuitously, the Good Time Jazz label had just released their 4-CD complete YBJB collection (GTJCD-4409-2) and I immersed myself in the sound. Subsequently, I discovered other bands playing SFJ like The Bay City Jazz Band. While there are many exponents of Watters’ two-trumpet lineup, we’ll share that Watters had a great musical career before and after he created his seminal ensemble. Hal, as a disciple and leading progenitor