If you are a lover of the spoken word, then you most certainly will fall in love with Orlando Watson. The Cleveland, Ohio native has established himself as a preeminent lyricist whose soulful, baritone voice is known to weave through words with uncanny rhythmic delivery.
Northeast Ohio is quickly becoming a place where entertainers can grow and develop their talents. With the thriving art district and the ever-growing number of homegrown acts, Watson’s talent fits right at home in Cleveland.
In 2015 Watson was awarded the prestigious “Kente Cloth” by the Office of Diversity & Inclusion at Ohio State University alongside acclaimed political commentator, Dr. Marc Lamont Hill. Watson’s 2017 début EP (Everything’s Personal) peaked at #18 on iTunes R&B/Soul charts, which led him to open for Lalah Hathaway and Chantae Cann’s respective tours in 2018.
Watson has recorded with Latin Grammy award winner Linda Briceño, John Clayton, Dominick Farinacci, Braxton Cook, Damien Sneed, and Bobby Sparks II of Snarky Puppy to name a few. “Our Voices: Democracy Revisited” suite, which was live-streamed on NPR’s “Jazz Night in America” hosted by acclaimed bassist Christian McBride. Watson was selected as 1 of the top 8 national finalists to compete at the 2019 “Jazz in the Gardens” poetry slam in Miami, Florida.
His poetry has been published in Linden Avenue Literary Journal as well as Five 2 One Magazine and he currently serves as the Associate Director for the Tri-C JazzFest in Cleveland, Ohio.
The 2021 Tri-C JazzFest was held at Cain Park in Cleveland Heights. The two-night event highlighted some of Cleveland’s top jazz artists and showcased new talents that are emerging.
With the current conditions we are living in, the beautiful outdoors of Cain Park was a perfect place to enjoy listening to Watson summarizes the wonderful list of talent that blessed the stage at the JazzFest.
He perfectly blended the introduction of each musician with their own solos as he closed the Festival. The sequence of talent that was introduced seemed to enjoy being described in a way that only Watson could do.
Watson has a busy schedule for the remainder of the year. In November you can see Watson at the Gospel/Jazz Dinner Concert Series. If you would like to learn more about Orlando Watson, visit Orlando Watson – Lyricist | Clinician | Narrator (wordsxwatson.com) ●
