Why does Watrous get such a bad rap on this site?

[Doug Elliott]

Well his technical ability to play the instrument IS totally astounding.

[nateaff]

Bill Watrous was maybe one of the cleverest and most technically capable trombonists ever, but his sound is not what any teacher anywhere teaches as the "correct" sound.

That being said, no basketball coach would ever teach a kid to shoot Reggie Miller's ugly jump shot and no baseball coach would ever teach Kevin Youkilis' ugly swing.

Just because he doesn't sound the way any of our teachers tell us we should sound doesn't mean it's wrong.

[Doug Elliott]

"his sound is not what any teacher anywhere teaches as the "correct" sound" ???
Hmmm
Sounds good and correct to me.

[nateaff]

I agree completely, and I love it. I only meant to say that most of end up being steered into a particular direction of what a trombone is "supposed" to sound like (usually what our teachers sound like) - and positively nobody plays like Bill Watrous. He's one of one. To me that's part of why he's as great as he is.

[Doug Elliott]

And since you brought up Reggie Miller...
His brother Saul was an absolutely fantastic jazz tenor sax player in the Airmen of Note, when I was in.