Which John Williams ?

[medjuck]

I just came across a Japanese mini-lp cd of a Stan Getz record called "Cool Sounds". On about half the cuts he's accompanied by John Williams on piano. Am I right to assume that this is not the film composer but "The East Coast" John Williams"? Does the film composer appear on any notable jazz discs? Benny Carter once told me that composer Williams had played with him and Elmer Bernstein said that it was the film composer's hands playing jazz in the title sequence of the old tv show "Staccato". (How's that for name dropping.) But does he play on any records we might care about?

[AllenLowe]

somewhere I have an LP (maybe Getz) with a picture of the group, including Williams, on the cover - most striking thing was how much he looked like Al Haig -

[ghost of miles]

Film composer John Williams did indeed work and record as a jazz pianist, though I think he was sometimes billed as "Johnny Williams." He's on some of the sides from that Fred Katz record FOLK SONGS FOR FAR OUT FOLK that I used on the Night Lights "Jazz Goes Folk" program. Steve Houghton, the drummer who teaches here at Indiana University, had a lot of contact with Williams several years ago when he recorded an album of arrangements Williams had done for a long OOP mid-1960s Shelly Manne date. I don't know much more about Williams' jazz history yet (nor if he's the same John Williams on the Getz LP), but I'm looking into it; I think it might make for an interesting show. Houghton also told me that he did some kind of presentation of the Manne material with Williams in Boston not long ago and indicated that JW still has a strong interest in jazz.

[JSngry]

Where does John Towner fit into all this? Every time somebody tells me, I forget, which I guess shows how much I really care, but...

[JSngry]

Ok, answer my own question: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Williams John Towner is filmscore John willimas. And I knwo that John Towner recorded at least one semi-jazzy (sic) LP, because my old HS band director was in the Air Force with him, had a band phot and had the semi-jazzy (sic) LP.

[Late]

The John Williams that played in Stan Getz's quartet is not the famous soundtrack composer. The full name of Getz's pianist is John Thomas Williams, and he made some brilliant recordings for EmArcy. If you can find "The John Williams Trio" on Japanese EmArcy, I strongly recommend it. Brownie mentioned (some time ago in another thread) that Williams was at one time considered the West Coast "rival" to Horace Silver. There are some parallels, but Williams isn't as "funky" as Horace, while still maintaining some interesting idiosyncrasies.

[Larry Kart]

John Williams the film composer is John T. Williams. The "T" stands for "Towner," and he was billed on some early recordings (Kapp label stuff, for one) as John Towner -- maybe to separate himself from the other piano-playing John Williams (who was quite a fine, distinctive player; Towner himself was nothing special IIRC), maybe because he was already getting his toes wet in the film-scoring world and didn't want be typed there as a jazz guy.

[Big Beat Steve]

The John Williams that played in Stan Getz's quartet is not the famous soundtrack composer. The full name of Getz's pianist is John Thomas Williams, and he made some brilliant recordings for EmArcy. If you can find "The John Williams Trio" on Japanese EmArcy, I strongly recommend it. Brownie mentioned (some time ago in another thread) that Williams was at one time considered the West Coast "rival" to Horace Silver. There are some parallels, but Williams isn't as "funky" as Horace, while still maintaining some interesting idiosyncrasies.

Leonard Feather's Encyclopedia of 1960 sez thus:

JOHN WILLIAMS, born Windsor, Vt. 1/28/29. played with Mal Hallett's last band in 1945 around Boston. To NYC 1949; Army, Jan . 51-53. Later was with Ch. Barnet, Stan Getz, Zoot Sims and other small groups around NYC. Not related to West Coast pianist John Towner Williams. Favs.: Powell, Silver, Brookmeyer. Own LP: Mercury. LPs with Nick Travis (Vict.), Brookmeyer (Storyville, WoPa), Getz (Verve), Cannonball Adderley (Merc.), Z. Sims (Argo, Dawn), Phil Woods (Pres.), J. Cleveland (Merc.).

[Man with the Golden Arm]

Just received "Staccato" on disc and Williams does play piano here.

He also served as main go-to on much of Mancini's more jazz drenched soundtracks. As well he played that damned harpsichord on 'Combo!'.

[Teasing the Korean]

There are some other jazz sessions with Williams the composer on piano, but I don't recall what they are offhand.

He also plays piano on Robert Drasnin's INCREDIBLE album "Voodoo" later re-released as "Percussion Exotique" on Topps.

Williams's "Checkmate" album on Columbia is a solid crime-jazz LP.

[medjuck]

The John Williams that played in Stan Getz's quartet is not the famous soundtrack composer. The full name of Getz's pianist is John Thomas Williams, and he made some brilliant recordings for EmArcy. If you can find "The John Williams Trio" on Japanese EmArcy, I strongly recommend it. Brownie mentioned (some time ago in another thread) that Williams was at one time considered the West Coast "rival" to Horace Silver. There are some parallels, but Williams isn't as "funky" as Horace, while still maintaining some interesting idiosyncrasies.

So I even got it wrong that the non-film composer was "the East Coast" John Williams.

[Big Beat Steve]

So I even got it wrong that the non-film composer was "the East Coast" John Williams.

Not according to Feather's bio entry (see above). Maybe Late confused this when he mentiond the WEST Coast?

[ghost of miles]

Just received "Staccato" on disc and Williams does play piano here.

Are you referring to the DVD set? Was any sort of album or soundtrack ever released?

[Man with the Golden Arm]

It's a new CD re-issue on the EMI/DRG label - a twofer w/ a tosser - Previn's "Paris Swings" by Elmer Bernstein and the Swinging Bon Vivants. Sure wished they'd pressed with something a bit more compelling like 'The Silencers'.

[Larry Kart]

The John Williams that played in Stan Getz's quartet is not the famous soundtrack composer. The full name of Getz's pianist is John Thomas Williams, and he made some brilliant recordings for EmArcy. If you can find "The John Williams Trio" on Japanese EmArcy, I strongly recommend it. Brownie mentioned (some time ago in another thread) that Williams was at one time considered the West Coast "rival" to Horace Silver. There are some parallels, but Williams isn't as "funky" as Horace, while still maintaining some interesting idiosyncrasies.

So I even got it wrong that the non-film composer was "the East Coast" John Williams.

No, you were right. It's that they're both John T. Williams; the film composer's middle name is Towner, don't know what the other Williams's "T" stands for.

Can't find it now, but the Getz sideman John Williams eventually moved to a Florida city of medium size (Vero Beach, maybe?) and became parks commissioner. There is a park named after him.

[Chas]

For the curious , the early John Towner Williams recordings for Kapp and Bethlehem are out on a Fresh Sound double-CD . The music in the samples doesn't much interest me ( too brief to really judge , I know ) ; the septet/octet tracks might be worth hearing for the sidemen however .

[Late]

So I even got it wrong that the non-film composer was "the East Coast" John Williams.

Not according to Feather's bio entry (see above). Maybe Late confused this when he mentiond the WEST Coast?

Yes, Steve is right. I thought Williams (Getz sideman) performed mostly in California, but the bio above notes NYC.

So, just for clarity's sake:

• John Towner Williams = film soundtrack composer and pianist; largely on the West Coast

• John Thomas Williams = jazz pianist; largely on the East Coast