Williams, Willie
Williams, Willie
Williams, Willie, jazz tenor saxophonist; b.Wilmington, N.C., Nov. 1, 1958. His family moved to Philadelphia when he was just an infant. At age six he picked up a clarinet and within two weeks was playing songs from the radio. Recognizing his gift, Willie’s parents, though poor, found teachers for him immediately. He studied classical music and performed in orchestras and ensembles both in and out of school. Upon graduating high school as valedictorian, he attended the Philadelphia Coll. of the Performing Arts by day (B.A. 1980) and pursued his new interest in jazz by night. He began gigging with local organ trios and also recorded more than 50 dates for Philadelphia International Records before he turned 20. While leading his own group, he was discovered by Bobby Watson who encouraged him to come to N.Y. Almost immediately, he was performing and recording with Art Blakey, Jaki Byard, and Sam Rivers. He also worked in the pit bands of Broadway shows until Art Taylor asked him to join his quintet, ’Taylor’s Wallers.” He began leading his own quintet in 1987, and made his first recording a year later. He has actively freelanced with various leaders, including Charles Fambrough (from 1982), Arthur Taylor (from 1988), and T. S. Monk (from 1991). He has been teaching at CCNY since 1990.
Discography
House Calls (1988); Armageddon Time (1992); Spirit Willie (1992); WW3 (1993).
—Lewis Porter