Steve Williams

Steve Williams , born the January 7th 1956 with Rochester (New York), is beater of American Jazz .

It acquired its titles of nobility while accompanying during twenty-five years, one of the largest pianists and singers of jazz, Shirley Horn.

Steve Williams grew in Washington, and studied at the university of Miami. It joined there the group of Monty Alexander with which it occurs on the international scene. It continues then its musical formation near Billy Hart in New York, at the end of the Seventies.

Of return to Washington, he plays on the local scene with inter alia Clifford Jordan, Milt Jackson, Freddie Hubbard, Woodie Shaw, Joe Williams, Gary Bartz, Eddie Henderson, John Hicks, Larry Willis, Mulgrew Miller. He integrates the formation of Gary Thomas, with which he records one of his first " compositions; Pads".

Then it joined Shirley Horn. Shirley Horn preserved the same rhythm section during twenty-five years: Charles Ables (double bass) and Steve Williams (battery). Don Heckman underlined in the Los Angeles Times (February 2nd, 1995) of the importance of the bass player Charles Ables and the beater Steve Williams in the sound of Shirley Horn. Working with an unslung subtlety, following it to each one of its improvised escapes, they are the ideal guides for an artist who does not tolerate anything clearly less than the perfection.

Its musical relation with the pianist and singer gives him opportunity of playing in the whole world and of recording with musicians such as Toots Thielemans, Branford Marsalis and Wynton Marsalis, Carmen McRae, Roy Hargrove and Miles Davis. After its long collaboration with Shirley Horn, which is completed with dead this one, Steve Williams joined New York in 2006 and the teaching of Michael Carvin follows there. It occurs inter alia with Slagle/Stryker Band, Paul Bollenbach, Roni Ben Hur, Larry Willis, the John Hicks Legacy Band, Bill Saxton, Bob Mover, Amy London, Sara Lazarus, Ben Vereen. It starts to turn with the Joe Lovano Nonet in October 2007.

In parallel it continues its musical route within its quintet, Hard bop which makes discover the original compositions of the group. The quintet occurs for the first time in Europe with the Jazz festival of Capbreton in August 2006. Its first album as a leader, New Incentive, leaves in 2007. It is accompanied there by Olivier Hutman (p), Michael Bowie (b), Donvonte McCoy (T), and Antoine Roney (S). John Hicks, Gary Bartz and Roy Hargrove are invited there. Renaud Czarnes, in the Echoes of January 26th, 2007 known as of this disc that it " is a splendor. The formation sounds and swingue marvelously. It ressuscite the kind of emotions which one hardly tests but with the listening of the great sessions of the Sixties. (...) The compositions (...) are dazzling (...) One is caught with the fredonner. (...) It is those which give the force to rise the morning and the desire for prolonging the nuit."

Known for its refinement near Shirley Horn, he is also appreciated as powerful and sensitive instrumentalist supporting the musical conversation.

Discography

2006 : " New Incentive " (Steve Williams)
2005: " Goal Beautiful " (Shirley Horn)
2003: " May the Music Never Ends " (Shirley Horn)
2001: " You' Re My Thrill " (Shirley Horn)
2004: " Joe Williams' S Finest Hour " (Joe Williams)
2000: " The Legacy Lives One " (The Legacy Band)
2000: " Sketches Off James " (Various)
2000: " The Face Off Coils " (Eugene Maslov)
1999: " Trio+Strings " (John Hicks)
1998: " American Rhapsody " (Vienna Art Orchestrated)
1998: " I Remember Miles " (Shirley Horn)
1997: " Loving You " (Shirley Horn)
1997: " Ballads from the Black Sea " (Datevik)
1996: " Monterey Jazz Festival - 40 Legendary Years " (Various)
1996: " The Hand Ingredient " (Shirley Horn)
1995: " " cleaned; (Jeffrey Smith)
1994: " Masters From Different Worlds " (Clifford Jordan-Ran Blake)
1994: " I Coil You Paris " (Shirley Horn)
1993: " Light Out off Darkness " (Shirley Horn)
1992: " Here' S to Life " (Shirley Horn)
1992: " Glengarry Glen Ross (soundtrack) " (Various)
1991: " For My Lady " (Toots Thielemans)
1991: " You Won' T Forget Me " (Shirley Horn)
1990: " Dedicated to You " (Carmen McRae)
1989: " In Good Company " (Joe Williams)
1989: " Close Enough for Coils " (Shirley Horn)
1988: " Softly " (Shirley Horn)
1988: " Code Violations " (Gary Thomas)
1987: " I Thought butt You " (Shirley Horn)
1987: " All off Me " (Shirley Horn)
1987: " The Garden off the Blues " (Shirley Horn)

External bonds

Steve Williams
Steve Williams @ Myspace

Random links: