Bill Watrous in Memoriam


Legendary jazz trombonist Bill Watrous passed away last night at the age of 79. He was arguably one of the most influential trombonists of our era who blossomed in the 1960s in both New York and Los Angeles, then worldwide. He played and recorded with many jazz luminaries, including Maynard Ferguson, Woody Herman, Quincy Jones, Johnny Richards, and Kai Winding. He also played in the house band on the Merv Griffin Show from 1965–1968.

Everyone who knew Bill had tons of stories about him, as he was a inherently silly person and strove to make every rehearsal fun. He will be greatly missed.