Innovation and Application: Julius Watkins and the Jazz French Horn Genre
Patrick Smith, Interim Assistant Chair Department of Music; Coordinator of Music History; Associate Professor of French Horn and Music History
April 6, 2021, 5:30-6:30 pm
VCU ICA Auditorium
Julius Watkins, the first prominent jazz French horn player and arguably the first professional African American French horn player in America, has received little attention from music scholars, jazz artists, and other performers of his instrument. This lecture will document his complete life story in biographical form, determine his innovative methodologies for breaking down stereotypical barriers related to racial and instrument “norms,” and explore the development of the jazz French horn genre from 1977 to the present day.