Birdland – 1981
Bill Watrous Orchestra
A rousing big band version of the Weather Report hit
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A brilliant trombonist who was a virtuosic bop-oriented player, Bill Watrous also led occasional big bands.
In the 1970s when he was based in New York, Watrous recorded two impressive big band albums.
After moving to Los Angeles, he occasionally led the Refuge West Big Band.
From 1981, Watrous is seen leading his orchestra through Joe Zawinul’s “Birdland” in an ensemble-oriented arrangement that might have been provided by one of the band’s tenor-saxophonists, Gordon Goodwin.
-Scott Yanow
