2020 release. As saxophonist/composer Bobby Watson embarks on a new chapter in his storied career, this album arrives as a reminder of the authenticity that has characterized his music on every step of that journey. Keepin' It Real debuts a new incarnation of his renowned band Horizon, furthering a legacy endowed by Watson's days as one of Art Blakey's Jazz Messengers and passed on through a lifetime in jazz education. Most importantly, the album is a vital continuation of the supple hard-bop sound that Watson has practiced throughout the decades, laced with the profound influences of gospel and R&B and now infused with the renewed vigor of hungry young collaborators. Keepin' It Real, Watson explains, is a mantra that he strives to exemplify every time he lifts his alto to his lips.