Biography
An overlooked swinging bop ensemble, Les Jazz Modes drew much of its signature character from Julius Watkins’s singular French horn voice. The roster also featured saxophonist Charlie Rouse, longtime associate of Monk, pianist Gildo Mahones, bassist Ron Jefferson, and, on occasion, percussionist Chano Pozo. Across the mid- to late 1950s the group issued five albums as Les Jazz Modes, portions of which later surfaced in reissues and compilations from Koch and Collectables.