Rifftides readers sent so many interesting comments about the passing of Bill Watrous, and about Alexandra Leh’s remembrance the following day, that the staff has voted to reward you all with video of the trombonist in a remarkable ballad performance. It’s from a 1976 television appearance. I have no information about the name of the program. Watrous is accompanied by Chick Corea, piano; Ron Carter, bass; and Billy Cobham, drums. Maybe that was the best he could do for a rhythm section at the last minute. The piece is “Nancy With The Laughing Face.†The video is fuzzy. The music is not.
Phil Silvers wrote the words, Jimmy Van Heusen the music. The song was about Frank Sinatra’s two-year-old daughter. Sinata made the hit record in 1945. It was a hit for a long time.