American jazz trombonist
William Russell Watrous III (June 8, 1939 – July 2, 2018) was an American jazz trombonist. He is perhaps best known for his rendition of Sammy Nestico's arrangement of the Johnny Mandel ballad "A Time for Love", which he recorded on a 1993 album of the same name. A self-described "bop-oriented" player, he was well known among trombonists as a master technician and for his mellifluous sound.
Biography.
He was born in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. Watrous' father, also a trombonist, introduced him to the instrument at an early age. While serving in the U.S. Navy, Watrous studied with jazz pianist and composer Herbie Nichols. His first professional performances were in Billy Butterfield's band.
Watrous' career blossomed in the 1960s. He played and recorded with many prominent jazz musicians, including Count Basie, Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Johnny Richards, and trombonist Kai Winding. He also played with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan. He played in the "Merv Griffin Show" house band during 1965–1968 and worked as a staff musician for CBS during 1967–1969.
In 1971, he played with the jazz fusion group Ten Wheel Drive. Also in the 1970s, Watrous formed his own band, The Manhattan Wildlife Refuge Big Band, which recorded two albums for Columbia Records. The band was later renamed Refuge West when Watrous moved to southern California. In July 1973, he attended the US tour of French zeuhl band Magma.
He continued to work as a bandleader, studio musician, and performer at jazz clubs. In 1983, Watrous collaborated with Alan Raph to publish "Trombonisms", an instructional manual covering performance techniques for trombone. He has recorded as a solo artist, bandleader, and in small ensembles. These recordings include a Japanese import album in 2001 containing material recorded in 1984 with Carl Fontana, whom Watrous has cited as his favorite trombonist. He traveled periodically to San Diego to play with his good friend and former student, Dave Scott, a noted jazz musician himself and TV broadcast host. The annual SHSU (Sam Houston State University) Bill Watrous Jazz Festival in Huntsville, Texas is named in his honor and claims to be Texas' oldest jazz festival.
Watrous taught for two decades at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, before retiring in 2015. He died in Los Angeles on July 2, 2018. He was survived by his wife, Maryann; their son, Jason; and two daughters from a previous marriage – Melody Watrous Ide and Cheryl Schoolcraft.
Other talents.
In his teens, Watrous played baseball and was scouted by the New York Yankees. In the early 1980s, Watrous considered joining a minor league baseball team.
Discography.
As sideman.
With Deodato
With Kenny Burrell
With Paul Desmond
With Maynard Ferguson
With Quincy Jones
With O'Donel Levy
With Milton Nascimento
With Jimmy Witherspoon
With Johnny Richards
With Red Rodney
With Arturo Sandoval
With Kai Winding
With Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band
"'With Ingrid James and San Gabriel 7" (JGS-SG7, 2012)
References.
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