James Williams
James Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee, United States on March 8th, 1951 and is the Pianist. At the age of 53, James Williams biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
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James Williams (March 8, 1951 – July 20, 2004) was an American jazz pianist.
Early life
James Williams was born in Memphis, Tennessee, on March 8, 1951. He began his formal piano lessons at the age of 13, and was later an organist at Eastern Star Baptist Church in Memphis, a position he held for six years. He obtained a B.S. degree. He spent time at Memphis State University in Music Education, where he also developed strong friendships with fellow Memphis pianists Mulgrew Miller and Donald Brown. Williams, a devotee of late Memphis pianist Phineas Newborn, Jr., took time to explore his hometown's jazz roots, associating with pianist Harold Mabern, bassist Jamil Nasser, and saxophonist George Coleman and Frank Strozier, among other things.
Later life and career
Williams moved to Boston to take up teaching at Berklee College of Music. He joined drummer Alan Dawson's band, which provided assistance to touring artists in Boston, including Art Farmer, Milt Jackson, Sonny Stitt, Pat Martino, Jean Carn, Red Norvo, and Arnett Cobb. Williams recorded his first album as a leader in 1977, and he first encountered Art Blakey. As part of a lineup that included Wynton Marsalis, Bobby Watson, Bill Pierce, and Charles Fambrough, James resigned from the Berklee faculty for a four-year, 10-album tenure with the Jazz Messengers. After leaving the Messengers in 1981, James remained in Boston, re-joining Alan Dawson and also performing with such artists as Thad Jones, Joe Henderson, Clark Terry, Chet Baker, and Benny Carter.
Williams transplanted to New York in 1984, living in Brooklyn and becoming deeply involved in the city's musical performances, but also as a dedicated listener. He performed, toured, and recorded with Dizzy Gillespie, Ray Brown, George Duvivier, Art Farmer, Kenny Burrell, Elvin Jones, Freddie Hubbard, and Tony Williams.
Williams' recordings as a leader include traditional piano-bass-drums trios; larger ensembles with multiple horns; and, a quartet with three saxophonists; and finally, "Intensive Care Unit," a jazz-gospel ensemble featuring two vocalists, saxophone, and rhythm section.
He recorded albums for several other artists, including Phineas Newborn, Jr., Harold Mabern, Donald Brown, Billy Pierce, Bill Easley, Geoff Reedus, and Geoff Keezer, after self-producing his own album Alter Ego for Sunnyside Records in 1984. Williams concentrated his development efforts in 1993 under the auspices of his company, Finas Sound Productions, Inc. Phineas Newborn, Jr., pronounced his name "Fine'us," whose name was a phonetic tribute. Finas Sound produced numerous concerts and recordings, including its critically acclaimed "Musical Tributes" and "The Key Players" series, which were both held at Merkin Concert Hall in Manhattan.
Williams was a prolific composer. "Arioso," "Black Scholars" and "Alter Ego" are three of his pieces, which depict memorable melodies and snappy rhythmic construction. For thirteen of Williams' original compositions, Second Floor Music offers a folio of solo piano arrangements by Williams. Several of his songs appear on other artists' albums, including those of Art Farmer, Kenny Barron, Victor Lewis, Gary Burton, and Roy Hargrove.
Williams was a long-serving educator. He was a National Combo Camp faculty member as early as 1975, in addition to his Berklee duties. He served as an instructor at the Hartt School of Music from 1984-85, was a regular contributor to the International Association of Jazz Educators, and he also taught clinics, demonstration-lectures, and workshops at numerous universities. He was a charter member of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra, under the direction of David Baker and Gunther Schuller.
He took over William Paterson University's Director of Jazz Studies in 1999, succeeding Rufus Reid and Thad Jones in that role. He supervised a full load of ensembles and lessons, hosted hundreds of pre-concert interviews, and performed on the campus's Jazz Room Series as well as with classical faculty members. He continued in his role until he died of liver cancer in New York City in 2004. On the William Paterson campus, the James Williams Archive contains his LP collection, original manuscripts, hundreds of performance tapes, photographs, and awards.
Lady Dottie and the Diamonds' debut album Livin' It Up (2007) was dedicated to James Williams' memory.