ALBUM REVIEW : **** BOBBY WATSON AND HORIZON “The Inventor” <i> Blue Note</i> :<i> Albums are rated from five stars (a classic) to one star (poor). </i>

A veteran of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and the respected 29th St. Saxophone Quartet, alto saxophonist Bobby Watson shows all the right influences--Johnny Hodges, Sonny Stitt and, of course, Charlie Parker--but doesn’t rely on imitation to get his point across. Tunes such as his sophisticated ballad “Dreams So Real,” the smoothly-paced “Homemade Blues” and “Heckle and Jeckle,” on which Watson trades bird calls with trumpeter Melton Mustafa, put a contemporary shine on the hard bop tradition and provide a framework for some strong emotional expression. Drummer Victor Lewis also contributes two numbers, including “The Shaw of Newark,” a spirited tribute to the late trumpeter Woody Shaw.