Bill Watrous Birdland

[Mr714Orange]

What year was this?

[Markeygirl]

Weather Report who?! Sorry if this is blasphemy. The only think lacking is Jaco

[Markeygirl]

Weather Report who?!

[mrezabek1]

I am sorry to bug you - but I was the very FIRST bassplayer who left Czechoslovakia

still in the dark times of Communism. Never figured out why they let me go to Berklee

but I won Down Beat Hall of Fame First Price - maybe they thought it was a honor?

This is 3 years before Dubcek!

[mrezabek1]

continuing - too many words:

Shared a stage in the Sands with CARL FONTANA for four years and even made 2 TV show with few singers and Carl, who has always been my favourite and I miss him very much. But when I first saw (1984) Bill's KINDERGARDEN BAND

in Dante's, got to know him and must say - never met a nicer guy. On the way

from LAX with my daughter, we went to hear some jazz. Dante's was jumping

from 200 m and we were lucky: IT WAS BILL & HIS KIDS. I am so grateful!

[mrezabek1]

When I was in Berklee (1966), worked as a house bass player in Jazz Workshop and thought that Phil Wilson was THE BEST. No knowing he was ONE OF THE BEST. Never forget his contest with Bob Brookmeyer, who will play faster and Phil won! Meeting many musicians who came without rhythm section (we had a good one: Ray Santisi and Alan Dawson - one of the best and unknown drummers ever), got an offer and moved west. Worked studios, traveled (Clark Terry) and ended eventually in Las Vegas.

[valvetrom]

that soprano:sounds so flat after the bass kb intro

[KVRIP]

:48 greatest face ever

[valvetrom]

very tight, timing is great. Nearly better than the original, wonderful

[Godsguy12]

you can tell bill really loves the music! thats what makes watching so entertaining

[valvetrom]

Monumental,nealy as good as the Zawinul original, GREAT

[rdangelo]

When was this?

[RichBassBone]

This was recorded in June 1981.

[Dstonebaseball]

The bass player is my dad!! :)

[RichBassBone]

Your dad is a good friend of mine! I just worked with him the other day on "Family Guy"!

[JukeboxTenor]

Cool! Great stuff! These cats really swung. Watrous was and still is an unbelievably great player! Gotta love it!

[cjthenoisemaker]

why does tubadn8 have thumbs down? does it offend you that he and his school band played this?

[balukaaaa91]

some wannabe super-talents may find it insulting...

[allnwbone]

Awesome, one of the best versions i'v heard of this tune. which one is goodwin? Tenor player or piano? I'm curious cuz i saw him on my freshmen year at a jazz festival and wanted to see what he looked like as a dino

[sherwelthlangley]

1:32 Gordon Goodwin on tenor.

[theezy171991]

love dis song and bill is a great trombonist. and i know dis bec im a trombone player myself

[rdangelo]

@theezy171991 "dis" is not a word. Neither is "bec" Learn some English.

[SuperShade7]

Amazing!!

[shoegazer666]

is this available on DVD?

[liljohnreplogle]

Dennis Farias is the man!

[jazzlover10000]

Watrous had the most smoking version of Birdland that anyone ever recorded. What was it about that guy? He could take overplayed songs and just make them so exciting.

[axeamnas]

I played this in Jazz band my 7th grade year which was last year i was second Trombone man we were swingin they are Awesome i love birdland ours sounded simular that song and Jeremiah was a bullfrog made everyone in the auditorium stood up that is one chart i can play with my eyes closed. TROMBONES ARE AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[goodlukeing]

i play trombone 1, but trombone 4 is awesome for this song cause you get the sick bass line.

[axeamnas]

cool my friend said he liked that part too

[CraZunggoy47]

He has hair like Luke Skywalker

[ShoeiBoy]

Everyone did back in them days. Including Luke Skywalker ;o)

[Tuba408Bass]

haha i played this song (different arangement) for my middle school band for 3 years :D,1year we were all really good,2nd year it got pretty bad,and the 3rd year...was just sad...we had to get the alumni band to play with us..

[dandiacal]

By the way, I hate those early 80s sounding synths too, and I'm a keyboardist!

[dandiacal]

Someone should compare all the arrangements of this tune for big band: who has the best arrangement. Is it Watrous, Maynard, Buddy Rich etc.?

[kingsfan1234]

josef zawinul arranged by larry kerchner's is pretty decent. the solo section's all tenor sax which i like [more cause im a tenor player than anything.] i don't really like maynards cause of the techno-sounding keyboards. idk just me i guess.

[dandiacal]

Which one is Larry Kerchner? And do you know if Josef Zawinul arranged the version Weather Report did with Manhattan Transfer?

[tubadn8]

i played this song in my middle school band

[werehavinaparty]

In 1975, I had the amazing pleasure to have Bill work with us in high school. Although he was a little "weird", I chalked that up to being a professional musician (and probably on a few drugs). But he was a gentleman. And, what an amazing performer! His range is crazy. There are very few trombonists more memorable than Watrous. This version of Birdland certainly sounds like Maynard's version with a few changes. Brian, thanks for the posting.

[dale1966gto]

Some of fhe best there is!

[ogservice]

Not many of the brothers diggin' on the Refuge. I've seen more of the folks at a David Duke rally than on this stage or in this crowd.

Not complaining, just making an observation.

[sherwelthlangley]

There's something called a seating capacity.

[sherwelthlangley]

Lol... Bill at 0:48

[ksicrap]

best version ive ever heard

[rubendaluz]

hum...tinha nevado na Costa Leste, Sr Watrous?

Estava agitadíssimo...

[AlexanderSlutvinsky]

I like this composition. It's very interesting thing. )

[prospermusic]

Does anyone have a vidio or recording of "4th Floor Walkup"?  I'm looking for it.

[henrylunetta]

that's my dad playing trumpet

[m13usc]

got a lesson from watrous in 1979

[bobilleg74]

After about 4:08, I could've sworn I saw a black guy clapping on 1 & 3! I didn't think that happened - and he's American!

[saxocopter]

You were right...he WAS clapping on 1&3! What the hell was that?

[dmee23]

does anyone know who's chart this is, its an arrangement i'm not familiar with, and i like it

[burr1aj]

the chart is "Birdland" originally off of Weather Reports' "Heavy Weather", released in 1976. one of the best jazz pieces ever.

[dmee23]

yeah, I know the tune, I just wondered if anyone knew who did this particular arrangement, I've done various versions, but not heard this one before.

[burr1aj]

Ah. I have no idea. A lot of the times the band leaders do the arrangements or people in the bands do them. Gordon Goodwin is a member of this band, at least in this video.

[dmee23]

yeah, I guess I'll have to transcribe it, quite like this version, although not sure if it's as good as the maynard one...

[dandiacal]

The only other arrangements I'm familiar with are Maynard and Buddy Rich. The Rich is better written. I don't know this one. The ending of this is clever with collective improv in sax section.

[RichBassBone]

This arrangement is by Tom Kubis, as was most of Bill's book at the time.

[rmo52]

West Coast guys, not the Manhattan WR band. Ron Stout in trumpet section, & I think Dan Higgins on lead soprano sax.

[maddeatpiano]

What's the name of the arranger??!

[trombonistry]

Is it Bill with his Manhattan Wildlife Refuge band? Anyone know?

[fiacovaz]

Yeah, they look like they're having a lot of fun playing...Yeah!!

[irvldm1]

gooooodddddd!!!!!!!, gggoooooddddddd!!!!, very good!!!!

[IngeniousSheep]

great stuff