When he joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1970, Bob Watt was the first African American hornist to play with a major American orchestra. He retired from this post in 2008 and has just released his first solo album, "I Play French Horn."
Watt collaborated with pianist and composer Todd Cochran on the new album. "I Play French Horn" features several of Cochran's compositions, such as "Eternity and Love" and "Missing Miles" (a tribute to Miles Davis). The album also includes Cochran's arrangements of several hymns and spirituals.
Arrangements of music by Maurice Ravel, Dave Brubeck and Johann Sebastian Bach round out the album.
The liner notes for "I Play French Horn" were written by Paul Robeson, Jr., the son of the American baritone, actor and Civil Rights activist Paul Robeson.
