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Jessica Williams


Milestones

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Any fans of Jessica Williams? She's been around quite a while and has never had the visibility she deserves. In fact, she is in somewhat tough times after spinal surgery this past summer. Here's hoping her recovery is swift and full.

Much of her work is solo, and I first got to to know her through the Maybeck album. She has done a huge amount of recording, some of it available only at her website. Again a lot of solo work, but also trios and bigger groups. She is a big Monk fan and seems to know the whole history of jazz piano--and jazz itself. She reminds me a bit of McCoy Tyner, especially when covering Coltrane pieces--which she has done quite a bit.

She has a great touch, she's a great blues player, and she plays music as if it's transcendent--as, in the right hands, it surely is.

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Edited by Milestones
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Agreed. Great talent, especially in a solo setting I think. She gets more out of a piano than almost anyone -- touch, sound, emotion. I recorded her for radio broadcast two or three times at the Montreal Bistro in Toronto. and never failed to admire her deep talent -- something extra going on there.

She's been producing her own material for a long while, available from her website, but see if you can also find recording on Hep records from Scotland, and there are some good ones on the Jazz Focus label from Canada.

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I'm a fan. She is really prolific so I can't say I have much of her stuff, a Hep album, one on Candid and a few of the self released ones. There is a self produced set from the Maybeck I think with "The Creator has a Master Plan" on it which is great.

Shame to hear she has had to have a back operation and a bit shocked to hear she had to sell her piano to finance it. She definitely deserves a bit of support

Edited by fent99
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I'm a big fan and have been for a very long time. Yes her discography is massive yet I have almost everything including a lot of cassettes from the mid to late 80s. She is one of my all time favorite pianists and I'm including everyone on that list. One of the things that has changed in her playing in the last ten years is her touch. It is much more delicate overall than it used to be and she's slowed her playing down and not because she can't do it. It seems to me that she no longer feels a need to prove she's got it and puts more emphasis on that touch thing. I think she's a better pianist now because of that. Her albums keep gettting better and better and while I have my favorites there really aren't very many I wouldn't recomend.

I would love to hear her play/record a duet with Charlie Haden. He's recorded albums with many of my favorite pianists except her.

If you're going to buy her music I hope you will go to her website at jessicawilliams.com to make your purchases. It's the only way she really gets any income from her cds. The amount paid by I-tunes, et. al. is very poor. As always, the music business rarely takes care of the artists which is why she started her own label and now that d/l are more popular she's selling fewer cds which means she's making less money and she needs it now more than ever with this back surgery thing. Her website is very high tech with audio and video samples to check out before you buy and service is quick.

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Yeah...Williams and Haden. Good idea. Speaking of duos...

The (now-gone) Montreal Bistro in Toronto was a mostly-piano room, and had just about everyone you could think of play there in the '80s and '90s, into the '00s. During the Downtown Jazz Festival they'd sometimes bring in another piano, and book some interesting duos drawn from the regular list of players, like Dick Hyman with Ralph Sutton, and Harold Mabern with Geoff Keezer.

I begged him to bring in JoAnne Brackeen with Jessica Williams, but he didn't go for it. Too bad -- I think they'd be great together: both well-centred and from the tradition, but both able to go outside with confidence. I don't know if either ever did piano duets, but I'd like to hear them.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Yeah...Williams and Haden. Good idea. Speaking of duos...

The (now-gone) Montreal Bistro in Toronto was a mostly-piano room, and had just about everyone you could think of play there in the '80s and '90s, into the '00s. During the Downtown Jazz Festival they'd sometimes bring in another piano, and book some interesting duos drawn from the regular list of players, like Dick Hyman with Ralph Sutton, and Harold Mabern with Geoff Keezer.

I begged him to bring in JoAnne Brackeen with Jessica Williams, but he didn't go for it. Too bad -- I think they'd be great together: both well-centred and from the tradition, but both able to go outside with confidence. I don't know if either ever did piano duets, but I'd like to hear them.

I've seen Jessica play with Joe Gilman who is currently been playing with Bobby Hutcherson quite a bit. They have known each other a long time because Jessica lived in Sacramento for several years which is where Joe is from too and he's currently a professor and head of a music dept. in a local college. They played together on one piano and it was a joy to experience. Joe is pretty great pianist himself and Jessica has a lot of respect for him.

If I had the money I'd do everything I could to put togethr a Haden-Williams duo album.

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