Jessica Williams

There are at least two artists who go by this name: 1. Jessica Williams is an American pianist and composer who has deep roots in the Jazz Tradition and has a style that draws on Thelonious Monk, John Coltrane, and Miles Davis. She was born in Baltimore, Maryland, on March 17, 1948. She was classically trained at the Peabody Conservatory of Music, beginning lessons at age seven. She moved to Philadelphia during her teens and began playing with the great Philly Joe Jones, drummer for the Miles Davis Quintet. She is a two-time Grammy nominee. In 1986, her album Nothin' But the Truth was nominated for a Grammy, and in late 2004, her album LIVE at Yoshi's Volume One was also nominated for a Grammy. In her mid-twenties, she moved to California, where she played in the bands of Eddie Harris, Dexter Gordon, Tony Williams, Stan Getz, Big Nick Nicholaus, Airto and Flora, Charlie Rouse, John Abercrombie, Charlie Haden, Leroy Vinnegar, and others. She has released over 40 albums, including Time to Burn on Red and Blue (a trio w/ Dave Captein, Mel Brown); Some Ballads Some Blues on Red and Blue (a trio w/ Dave Captein, Mel Brown); Jessica Plays for Lovers on Red and Blue (solo piano); and Live at Yoshi's Vol. One and Two on Maxjazz (a trio w/ Ray Drummond, Victor Lewis). (1a) Due to her being based in northern California, Jessica Williams is a bit underrated, but (on evidence of her sets for Jazz Focus and Hep) she is one of the top jazz pianists of today. Williams is a powerful virtuoso whose complete control of the keyboard, wit, solid sense of swing, and the influence of Thelonious Monk have combined to make her a particularly notable player. She started taking piano lessons when she was four and was gigging as a teenager. Williams took extensive classical lessons but also gigged with Philly Joe Jones in Philadelphia before moving to San Francisco in 1977. She was the house pianist at Keystone Korner for a time and made a few interesting recordings (some as Jessica Jennifer Williams) during the period, sometimes utilizing electronics. Although she appeared on Charlie Rouse's final record and gigged steadily, Williams was largely off record (outside of her own private Quanta label) until re-emerging in the late '80s as a brilliant solo acoustic player. She is a giant whose many dates for Jazz Focus (five of its first ten releases feature Williams) and Hep are consistently brilliant. ~ Scott Yanow 2. Jessica Williams is a Country, Singer Songwriter from Montgomery, AL, who currently resides in Nashville, TN. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.