Space Available – 1983
Bill Watrous Big Band
The great trombonist leads his big band through a rousing number
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Bill Watrous (1939-2018) was one of the greatest jazz trombonists of all time, extending his instrument’s range, playing stunning lines, and yet always displaying a warm tone.
Watrous recorded two impressive albums with his East Coast big band, the Manhattan Wildlife Refuge, in the 1970s.
After moving to Los Angeles, he led an occasional jazz orchestra which at first was called the Refuge West Big Band.
Watrous is featured performing “Space Available” in 1983, featuring a Tom Kubis arrangement, a tenor-sax solo by future arranger-bandleader Gordon Goodwin, and the leader’s stunning trombone; listen to how he makes his dazzling entrance seem so easy.
-Scott Yanow
Stan Getz