Martin Williams

• Born: August 09, 1924, Richmond, VA
• Died: April 13, 1992, Alexandria, VA
• Genres: Jazz
• Instrument: Producer

Biography

One of the finest jazz journalists ever, Martin Williams had the rare ability to make musical analysis seem interesting and colorful. He studied at the University of Virginia, the University of Pennsylvania, and Columbia University. Early in his career, Williams wrote for the Saturday Review and the New York Times and co-founded the Jazz Review with Nat Hentoff, serving as its editor during its brief existence (1958-61). Williams contributed articles during the next three decades to virtually every jazz magazine. In 1970, he became the director of the jazz program at the Smithsonian Institution and later the acquisitions editor at the Smithsonian Institution Press. In the former capacity, he presented concerts and produced a variety of reissues, including the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz. In addition, Williams wrote about jazz for the Encyclopedia Britannica, was an inspiration for Gary Giddins, and came out with quite a few books, including The Art of Jazz, Jazz Panorama, Where's the Melody, Jazz Masters of New Orleans, Jazz Masters in Transition and The Jazz Tradition. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide