‘A Tool for Beauty’ : Ernie Watts says his mission is ‘to be a tool for beauty.’ He and his quartet play at Le Cafe tonight and Saturday.

Saxophonist Ernie Watts sits in the Room Upstairs at Le Cafe in Sherman Oaks, remembering the effect that the great saxophonist John Coltrane had on him as a youth in Wilmington, Del.

“I had just started to play, and I would listen to ‘Kind of Blue,’ ” Watts said in a musical voice, referring to the classic 1959 Miles Davis album that also featured Coltrane, saxophonist Cannonball Adderley and pianist Bill Evans, among others.

“Miles, Cannonball, they all played beautifully; then Coltrane played,” Watts went on. “Something he did was on another level than the rest of the players, and they were incredible. From that point on, I wanted to achieve that level.”

Many would say that Watts, who leads his acoustic quartet tonight and Saturday at Le Cafe, has achieved that goal.

The man with the golden tone and impassioned improvisational style has lent his energy and creativity to recordings and live appearances by the Rolling Stones, Quincy Jones, Lee Ritenour and Doc Severinsen’s “Tonight Show” orchestra, not to mention his own projects, among them the Grammy-winning album, “Chariots of Fire.”

Watts, 48, will only say that he is devoted, practicing two hours a day--”If I have a religion, it’s practicing”--and being there “100% for the music” whenever he performs, be it for five people or 5,000. What he really strives for is to play music that touches him and, of course, his listeners.

“I feel it’s my mission in life to be a tool for beauty and to let the beauty of the universe flow through me, through that saxophone, and come out as music,” Watts said.

He calls himself a singer who sings through his saxophone. “So everything that I play, I approach song-like,” he said. “Even in an improvisation where I play a lot of notes, if you slow it down, there are songs in there.”

He finds playing in this fashion, with melody in the forefront, “very uplifting,” he said. “It’s everything. It’s focusing; it’s centering. It takes me away, it brings me in, it’s all of that.”

Watts, who lives mostly on the road, calls his house outside Carbondale, Colo., his home, but also keeps an apartment in the San Fernando Valley.

His most recent album is “Afoxe” (pronounced ‘Ah-foh- shay’) which teamed him with Brazilian singer Gilberto Gil. He recently appeared on concerts with contemporary jazz/fusion guitarist Lee Ritenour, and he’s a member of such acoustic jazz bands as Quartet West, led by bassist Charlie Haden, and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval’s quintet.

How does he fit into all these diverse styles? First, he says, music comes from one central energy, which is love, and it’s essentially a single language with many dialects.

“R & B is a dialect, so is acoustic jazz, pop, jazz/fusion, and I’ve chosen to keep my consciousness open, to be free to function within these different dialects,” he said. “I enjoy the flexibility, and enjoy being able to communicate with different people within these dialects.”

Second, every playing situation affords Watts a chance to improve at what he loves doing best: playing the saxophone.

“Whatever environment I’m in, it gives me more to say in the next environment, more flexibility as a saxophonist,” he said. “My main interest is playing to the best of my ability. I try not to create any boundaries to block that.”

Possessing one of the most distinctive sounds in music, Watts can be picked out quickly when he makes an appearance on a record.

Dale Jaffe, owner of Le Cafe, attests to this. “I hear a lot of saxophone players, and Ernie’s one of the few where I say, ‘Hey, that’s Ernie,’ ” Jaffe said. “I’ve grown to love his sound. It makes me happy to hear it.”

Watts said Coltrane remains his inspiration.

“I still listen to him,” he said. “This incredibly beautiful singing spirit came though his music. That touched me and was the main reason I chose to really get into the saxophone. He’s still my teacher.”

WHERE AND WHEN

Who: Ernie Watts’ quartet.

Location: The Room Upstairs at Le Cafe, 14633 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks.

Hours: 9 and 11 tonight and Saturday night.

Price: $10 cover; two-drink minimum.

Call: (818) 986-2662.