While he was first and foremost one of the greatest and most knowledgeable critics in jazz history, Martin Williams also was director of the Smithsonian's jazz program and an acquisitions editor at the Smithsonian Institution Press. He was the person who selected and helped to sequence and/or annotate the sessions included in several notable releases through the '70s,'80s and '90s. These include The Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz and other valuable releases by Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Dizzy Gillespie, Jelly Roll Morton and anthologies of Jazz piano and American popular song. He co-programmed and annotated Big Band Jazz: From the Beginnings to the Fifites with Gunther Schullier. It was issued in 1993. Williams also wrote many valuable books and wrote commentaries on jazz for the Britannica. He died in 1992. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
