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 jazz luminaries, including Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Johnny Richards, and trombonist Kai Winding. He also played in the house band on the Merv Griffin Show from 1965–1968.
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.
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 travels to San Diego periodically to play with his good friend and former student, Dave Scott, a noted jazz musician himself and TV broadcast host.
Watrous resided in the Los Angeles, California, area from the late 1970s with his wife, Mary Ann. He was on the music faculty at the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music.
He died on July 2, 2018, at the age of 79.
Discography
As leader
In Love Again (as William Russell Watrous with the Richard Behrke Strings) (MTA, 1964)
Plays Love Themes for the Underground, the Establishment & Other Sub Cultures Not Yet Known (With the Walter Raim Concept) (MTA, 196?)
Bone Straight Ahead (Famous Door, 1973)
Manhattan Wildlife Refuge (Columbia, 1974)
The Tiger of San Pedro (Columbia, 1975)
Funk 'n' Fun (Yupiteru, 1979)
Watrous in Hollywood (Famous Door, 1979)
Coronary Trombossa! (Famous Door, 1980)
I'll Play for You (Famous Door, 1980)
La Zorra (Famous Door, 1980)
Bill Watrous in London (Mole Jazz, 1982)
Roaring Back to New York, New York (Famous Door, 1983)
Bill Watrous and Carl Fontana (Atlas, 1984)
Someplace Else (Soundwings, 1986)
Reflections (Soundwings, 1987)
Bone-Ified (GNP Crescendo, 1992)
Time for Love (GNP Crescendo, 1993)
Space Available (Double-Time, 1997)
Live at the Blue Note (Half Note, 2000)
Living in the Moment with The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra (Sea Breeze, 2003)
Live in Living Comfort (Stonequake, 2003)
Mad to the Bone with The Rob Stoneback Big Band (Stonequake, 2003)
Kindred Spirits with The Gary Urwin Jazz Orchestra (Summit, 2006)
As sideman a.o.
With Kenny Burrell
Blues - The Common Ground (Verve, 1968)
With Paul Desmond
Summertime (A&M/CTI, 1968)
With Maynard Ferguson
The Blues Roar (Mainstream, 1965)
With Quincy Jones
Golden Boy (Mercury, 1964)
Roots (A&M, 1977)
With O'Donel Levy
Dawn of a New Day (Groove Merchant, 1973)
Simba (Groove Merchant, 1974)
With Milton Nascimento
Courage (A&M/CTI, 1969)
With Jimmy Witherspoon
Blues for Easy Livers (Prestige, 1965)
With Red Rodney
The Red Tornado (Muse, 1975)
With Arturo Sandoval
Dream Come True (1993)
With Kai Winding
Modern Country (Verve, 1964)
The In Instrumentals (Verve, 1965)
More Brass (Verve, 1966)
Dirty Dog (Verve, 1966)
Penny Lane & Time (Verve, 1967)
Trombone Summit (MPS,1980)
With Pennsbury Concert Jazz Band
Then & Now (2013)
Unforgettable
Bill Watrous Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
That's what you are
Unforgettable
Tho' near or far
Like a song of love that clings to me
How the thought of you does things to me
Never before has someone been more
Unforgettable in every way
That's why darling it's incredible
That someone so unforgettable
Thinks that I am unforgettable too
The lyrics of "Unforgettable" by Bill Watrous are a beautiful tribute to the power of love and the person who has captured your heart. The song begins with the repeated phrase "unforgettable, that's what you are," driving home the idea that this person has made a lasting impression. The lyrics go on to describe the effect that this person has on the singer, using the metaphor of a "song of love that clings" to express the way their thoughts and feelings are indelibly tied to this person.
The lines "never before has someone been more unforgettable in every way, and forever more, that's how you'll stay" express the idea that this person is the ultimate example of what it means to be unforgettable. The song ends on a beautiful note of mutual admiration, as the singer expresses their surprise and delight that the unforgettable person also thinks of them as unforgettable.
Overall, "Unforgettable" is a stunning tribute to the power of love and the way it can shape our lives and perceptions of the world around us. Its lyrics are simple, yet deeply meaningful, and the melody is hauntingly beautiful.
Line by Line Meaning
Unforgettable
This person is indelible and impossible to forget.
That's what you are
The person being referred to possesses the qualities of being unforgettable.
Tho' near or far
Regardless of proximity or distance, this person remains unforgettable.
Like a song of love that clings to me
Similar to a love tune that won't leave your mind, the thought of this person is always present.
How the thought of you does things to me
Merely thinking about this person invokes strong emotions within me.
Never before has someone been more
This person stands out as the most unforgettable in all my experience.
Unforgettable in every way
This person is remarkable in all aspects and impossible to forget.
And forever more, that's how you'll stay
This person is irreplaceable and their memory will never leave me.
That's why darling it's incredible
It's unbelievable that I have the privilege of being associated with someone who is so unforgettable.
That someone so unforgettable
Referring to the person previously discussed, who is impossible to forget.
Thinks that I am unforgettable too
It is flattering that this unforgettable person also considers me to be unforgettable in their memory.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Egbert1957
... yes, it was the 27.09. - September 28th, 2015 when I saw and listened to the legendary trombonist Bill Watrous here in Germany (Bavaria - Franconia - Nuremberg) with the local sundaynightorchestra.
Even then he was already very weak on the jazz stage with 150 banned listeners.
He was present and concentrated and a professional, although at the time it was noticed that he was overwhelming himself personally and he was not sparing, even though he gave 10 concerts during the university trip with workshops in different federal states.
A German music teacher had organized this difficult, which turned out to be difficult since Bill had no internet and was first found through the University of Southern California, which then contacted his wife after months and was reachable by phone.
The concert here in Nuremberg was a special experience for me, even well into the 50s, since it last appeared in Germany in 1992 and also produced recordings back then and before (legendary: Trombone Summit 1980 with B. Watrous; K. Winding; A. Mangelsdorff J. Wiggham).
I was actually scared of his condition. Well, I wasn't like that. Hardly any space on the small stage and it was not particularly stable. Even I as a trombonist and my father as a radio musician were just over 60 years old on the physical front. But he was over 75.
At that time I thought: all respect, but you have to do that physically with a reduced style of play at this age (he only improvised in the high registers between the first and second moves, without melody). Or did he want this. Being a musician and still in demand as a legend in old age is not easy when your physical condition plays a trick on you. My father had stopped at 58. He could also afford it financially in Germany, with his better social systems in old age.
Unfortunately I got the departure of Bill W: FIRST TODAY.
My father, as a trombonist, died two years before his 60th birthday.
So Bill had done it right in his sense,
to play until he left the stage when he wanted ...
(in DEUTSCH)..ja, es war der 27.09. – 28. September 2015 als ich den legendären Posaunisten Bill Watrous hier in Deutschland (Bayern - Franken - Nürnberg) mit dem hiesigen sundaynightorchestra sah und lauschte.
Schon damals war er schon sehr geschwächt stehend auf der Jazzbühne bei 150 gebannten Zuhörern.
Er war präsent und konzentriert und ein Profi, obwohl man ihm damals anmerkte dass er sich persönlich überforderte und er sich nicht schonte, obwohl er 10 Konzerte innerhalb der Hochschul-Reise mit Workshops in verschieden Bundesländern gab.
Ein deutscher Musiklehrer hatte dies beschwerlich organisiert, was sich als schwierig erwies, da Bill kein Internet hatte und erst über die University of Southern California ausfindig gemacht wurde, die dann mit seiner Frau nach Monaten kontakten und telefonisch erreichbar wurde.
Das Konzert hier in Nürnberg war für mich, auch schon selbst weit in den 50er ein besonderes Erlebnis, da er ja das letzte Mal 1992 in Deutschland auftrat und auch schon damals und bereits vorher Schallplattenaufnahmen produzierte (legendär: Trombone Summit 1980 mit B. Watrous; K. Winding; A. Mangelsdorff J. Wiggham).
Eigentlich war ich war erschrocken über seine Verfassung. Nun, so gesehen war ich es nicht. Kaum Platz auf der kleinen Bühne und standfest war er nicht besonders. Selbst ich als Posaunist und auch schon mein Vater als Rundfunkmusiker waren leicht über 60 Jahren körperlich an der Grenze. Aber er war über 75.
Ich dachte mir damals: allen Respekt, aber MUSS man in dem Alter sich dass körperlich antun mit reduzierter Spielweise (er improvisierte nur in den hohen Lagen zwischen dem ersten und zweiten Zug, ohne Melodie). Oder wollte er dies. Musiker zu sein und noch gefragt als Legende im hohen Alter ist nicht einfach, wenn die körperlichen Befindlichkeiten einem einen Streich spielen. Mein Vater hatte mit 58 aufgehört. Er konnte sich das auch finanziell leisten in Deutschland, mit seinen besseren Sozialsystemen im Alter.
Leider habe ich den Weggang von Bill W: ERST HEUTE MITBEKOMMEN.
Mein Vater als Posaunist starb bereits zwei Jahre vor seinem 60. Geburtstag.
Somit hatte Bill es in seinem Sinne doch richtig gemacht,
solange zu spielen, bis er von der Bühne abging, wann er wollte …
Leslie Weddell
Sadly, after a long illness, Bill Watrous passed away on July 2nd 2018 he was 79. To me and many thousands of followers, Bill was the epitome of all trombone players. His beautiful sound, amazing range, and technique and unsurpassable style will continue to influence many trombone players for many years to come.
Scott Eilers
@Rafael Hemphill no offense but I think solid player is an understatement. He is unsurpassed on the horn. There will never be anyone like him.
Scott Eilers
@Nathan Rios he had cancer.
Georgia Patriot
RIP Bill
Nathan Rios
Leslie Weddell what was the illness he had?
Rafael Hemphill
im Sorry to hear this. I met him in 2012 when assigned to the Army school of music. Solid player!
David Preston
Truly and wonderfully awesome, so superbly controlled, delicately articulated and sensitively delivered. Flawless performance. What a guy and what an inspiration to all musicians. The Best.
Coy Allen
Truly, he will be missed! Wonderful person, incredible tone, musicality, mastery of his instrument, but most of all, his love of life and how he shared it with all musicians he encountered with. RIP Bill!
William Harris
How beautiful! Can't stop the tears listening to this! Rest in peace Bill!
:(
JON D. ELDER
Rest in peace Bill and thanks for the classy slide ride for so many wonderful years. You will always be here with us through your great musical gift and gifts.