1. William Russell Watrous III was an American jazz trombonist.
10 Facts About Bill Watrous
1. 2.
Bill Watrous 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.
3.
Bill Watrous played with Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan.
4.
Also in the 1970s, Bill Watrous formed his own band, The Manhattan Wildlife Refuge Big Band, which recorded two albums for Columbia Records.
5.
The band was later renamed Refuge West when Bill Watrous moved to southern California.
6.
Bill Watrous continued to work as a bandleader, studio musician, and performer at jazz clubs.
7.
In 1983, Bill Watrous collaborated with Alan Raph to publish Trombonisms, an instructional manual covering performance techniques for trombone.
8.
Bill Watrous has recorded as a solo artist, bandleader, and in small ensembles.
9.
Bill Watrous 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.
10.
Bill Watrous taught for two decades at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, before retiring in 2015.