Bill Watrous Combo - 'Bone Straight Ahead (2001) 320 kbps

Tracklist

01 - Just Friends
02 - Snafu
03 - Don't Tell Me What To Do (Take 6)
04 - Blue Lou
05 - Lester Leaps In
06 - Don't Tell Me What to Do (Take 2)

Personnel:

Bill Watrous - trombone
Al Cohn - tenor saxophone
Danny Stiles - trumpet, flugelhorn
Hank Jones - piano
Steve Gadd - drums

Recorded from 1972-1973.

This long out-of-print Famous Door album was finally reissued by the Progressive label nearly 30 years after its initial release. Bill Watrous has long been known as one of jazz's top trombonists (having a beautiful tone and a very fluent command of the bebop vocabulary) and it is always a joy to hear veterans tenor saxophonist Al Cohn, pianist Hank Jones, bassist Milt Hinton, and drummer Steve Gadd. However, the biggest surprise of this set is the brilliant playing of the vastly underrated trumpeter Danny Stiles, who often competes with Watrous for solo honors. The original five-song program, which includes "Just Friends" (mistakenly credited to John Klemmer rather than John Klenner!) and a lengthy "Snafu," is expanded slightly with the inclusion of a second (and previously unreleased) version of Watrous' "Don't Tell Me What To Do." A fine bebop date most notable for the playing of the late Danny Stiles. ~ Scott Yanow