Bill Watrous

From the 1960s forward, Bill Watrous stood among the most accomplished trombonists rooted in the bop tradition. Even after relocating to Los Angeles during the 1980s and sustaining a steady schedule of performances, he maintained a modest public presence. Equipped with an exquisite sound and exceptional facility, he frequently failed to register in jazz popularity surveys. His father, himself a trombonist, first guided him into music. As a teenager Watrous performed with traditional jazz ensembles, then received instruction from Herbie Nichols during his military service. He made his professional entrance alongside Billy Butterfield and served as one of the trombonists in Kai Winding’s ensembles from 1962 to 1967. Throughout the 1960s he thrived as a New York studio musician, collaborating and recording with Quincy Jones, Maynard Ferguson, Johnny Richards, and Woody Herman, occupying a chair in the Merv Griffin television orchestra between 1965 and 1968, and joining the CBS staff from 1967 to 1969. Following a stint with the jazz-rock outfit Ten Wheel Drive in 1971, he directed his own large ensemble, the Manhattan Wildlife Refuge, from 1973 to 1977 and produced two outstanding albums for Columbia. After settling in Los Angeles in the late 1970s, Watrous remained active in studio work, appeared at jazz parties and neighborhood clubs, and assembled an occasional big band. As a leader he recorded for Columbia, Famous Door, Soundwing, and GNP/Crescendo, while his large ensemble released material on Double-Time. He passed away in Los Angeles during July 2018 at the age of 79.