Space Available (Double Time Records) Dtrcd-124 1. Space Available (Kubis) - 6:44 2. The Road Goes Ever Onward (Kaplan) - 7:44 3. It'll Count If It Goes (Goodwin) - 9:39 4. My Foolish Heart (Perowsky) - 6:15 5. Mama Lama Samba (Goodwin) - 9:50 6. My Romance (Berg) - 6:16 7. I Got d'Zzz'z (Goodwin) - 10:59 8. Village Dance (Kubis) - 13:05

In the mid-1970s, trombonist Bill Watrous led a couple of notable big band albums for Columbia. Since relocating to the Los Angeles area in the '80s, Watrous has put together jazz orchestras on a part-time basis to play at local clubs. Finally, in 1997, a recording was released by the more recent version of the Bill Watrous Big Band. Featuring arrangements by Tom Kubis, Shelly Berg, Gordon Goodwin, Ken Kaplan and Frank Perowsky, the Double-Time set is largely straight-ahead but not exactly predictable. Most of the eight selections have their complex sections, but always swing. The warm-toned trombonist is the main soloist (fully showcased on "My Foolish Heart" and "My Romance"); powerhouse pianist Shelly Berg is the top supporting player, and other key voices include Gene Burkurt and Bill Liston on tenors, trumpeters Bob Summers and Steve Huffsteter, and altoist Sal Lozano. The music is as rewarding as one would expect, considering the caliber of these players, and is easily recommended to modern big-band fans. — Scott Yanow

Bill Watrous - Trombone, Leader; Bob Summers - Trumpet; Richard Bullock - Trombone; Bob Carr - Saxophone; Randy Drake - Drums; Dennis Farias - Trumpet; Phil Feather - Saxophone; Trey Henry - Bass; Wendell Kelly - Trombone; Bill Liston - Saxophone; Sal Lozano - Saxophone; Bob McChesney - Trombone; Shelly Berg - Piano; Doug Inman - Trombone; Wayne Bergeron - Trumpet; Steve Huffsteter - Trumpet

Bone-Ified 1. Day In - Day Out (Bloom/Mercer) - 7:00 2. Unforgettable (Gordon) - 5:48 3. Indian Summer (Dubin/Herbert) - 8:14 4. Change Partners (Berlin) - 10:50 5. Answer Me (Rauch/Sigman/Winkler) - 7:55 6. Just in Time (Comden/Green/Styne) - 7:16 7. How Deep Is the Ocean? (Berlin) - 8:28 8. Smooth Talk (Watrous) - 7:57 9. A Hot One for Jason (Watrous) - 7:25

Considering his obvious talents, it is surprising that trombonist Bill Watrous has recorded relatively little through the years. This CD is one of his better efforts, a quartet outing with pianist Shelly Berg, bassist Lou Fischer, and either Randy Drake or Tom Cummings on drums. Although Watrous overdubbed some extra trombones on a few tracks and Berg added some synthesized strings, the emphasis is on straight-ahead swinging by the basic quartet, with the highlights including "Day in, Day Out," "Change Partners," and "A Hot One for Jason.". — Scott Yanow

Bill Watrous - Trombone; Lou Fischer - Bass; Randy Drake - Drums; Shelly Berg - Piano

Live at the Blue Note 1. Smiles (Callahan/Roberts) - 10:10 2. Just in Time (Comden/Green/Styne) - 8:58 3. Say It Isn't So (Berlin) - 9:06 4. Desafinado (Jobim/Mendonca) - 10:01 5. Blue Monk (Monk) - 9:39 6. Always (Berlin) - 10:20 7. I Want to Be Happy (Caesar/Youmans) - 9:59

Another in the series of live performances from New York's Blue Note released by Halfnote, this time it's trombonist Bill Watrous and his quartet with Derek Smith, Russell George, and Joe Ascione. Watrous applies his effortless virtuosity and fluid expressive solo style to a program of classic pop and jazz standards, dealing with them in depth and from a variety of rhythmic perspectives. The average running time per track is almost ten minutes, allowing for extensive examination of improvisational opportunities offered by each tune. Watrous gets a warm, rich, buttery sound from the slide instrument. When he needs it, he also has enormous technique producing those fast-tongued notes that contrast with and set off his long flowing lines. He brings both into play on such cuts as "Always," flirting with a bit of tailgating along the way. Watrous has the merited reputation of being one of jazz's more prominent bop-oriented trombonists, as he reminds listeners on Thelonious Monk's "Blue Monk." There's a long, strong piano solo here by Smith and marvelous interplay between Ascione's drums and George's bass in support of creative, freewheeling modern trombone playing by Watrous, which draws an appreciative response from the audience. "I Want to Be Happy" opens with Watrous a cappella, having some fun with a variety of curious sounds coming out of the instrument before leaping into a fast-paced rendition of the melody line with the other members jumping in. This tune is the album's swinger, as everyone moves along helter-skelter, supported by clashing Ascione cymbals, punctuated drum breaks, and staunch bass lines by George, producing a rousing coda to an outstanding live performance. Recommended. — Dave Nathan

Derek Smith - Solo Instrumental, Piano; Bill Watrous - Trombone; Joe Ascione - Solo Instrumental, Drums; Russell George - Solo Instrumental

Time for Love 1. Low Life (Mandel) - 5:36 2. The Shadow of Your Smile (Mandel/Webster) - 5:50 3. A Time for Love (Mandel/Webster) - 4:20 4. Close Enough for Love (Mandel/Williams) - 9:07 5. Emily (Mandel/Mercer) - 5:50 6. Where Do You Start? (Bergman/Bergman/Mandel) - 3:35 7. The Shining Sea (Lee/Mandel) - 5:55 8. Zoot (Mandel) - 6:20 9. Not Really the Blues (Mandel) - 3:49 Bill Watrous has long had one of the prettiest tones of any trombonist, especially in his impressive upper register. It is Watrous's beautiful sound that is emphasized during the nine Johnny Mandel compositions that comprise this CD. Watrous is accompanied by a big band and on some selections a string section but, other than pianist Shelly Berg (who along with Sammy Nestico contributed all of the arrangements), the backup crew is never allowed to rise above its anonymous supportive role. Watrous tries to vary the program a little with the inclusion of some earlier (and hotter) Mandel pieces such as the swinging "Low Life" and "Not Really the Blues" but otherwise this is a ballad showcase, highlighted by "Emily" and "The Shadow of Your Smile." — Scott Yanow Bill Watrous - Trombone, Leader; Bruce Eskovitz - Saxophone; Lou Fischer - Bass; Richard Bullock - Trombone; Dave Carpenter - Bass; Bob Carr - Saxophone; Randy Drake - Drums; Dennis Farias - Trumpet; Phil Feather - Saxophone; Bill Liston - Saxophone; Sal Lozano - Saxophone; Bob McChesney - Trombone; Ron Stout - Trumpet; Shelly Berg - Piano; Doug Inman - Trombone; Wayne Bergerom - Trumpet