Richard Williams

Richard Gene Williams (May 4, 1931 – November 4, 1985) was an American jazz trumpeter.

Williams was born in Galveston, Texas, and played tenor saxophone early in his life before picking up trumpet as a teenager. He played in local Texas bands and attended Wiley College, where he majored in music. After serving in the Air Force from 1952–56, he toured Europe with Lionel Hampton, and upon his return took a master's degree at the Manhattan School of Music.

Williams played with Charles Mingus at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1959, and recorded with Mingus starting in that year. He recorded his only session as a leader, New Horn in Town, in 1960, released on Candid Records, and featuring Reggie Workman, Leo Wright, Richard Wyands, and Bobby Thomas. Williams was a sideman on a large number of releases for Blue Note, Impulse!, New Jazz, Riverside, and Atlantic in the 1960s. Among the musicians he worked with are Mingus, Oliver Nelson, Grant Green, Lou Donaldson, Yusef Lateef, Gigi Gryce, Duke Jordan, Noah Howard, and the big bands of Duke Ellington, Gil Evans, Thad Jones and Mel Lewis, Sam Rivers and Clark Terry.

He also found work on Broadway in pit orchestras, most notably The Me Nobody Knows and The Wiz. He appears on the original Broadway cast recordings of both musicals. Williams also led bands under his own leadership, playing in New York jazz clubs such as Sweet Basil's, the Village Vanguard, and Gerald's. In addition to jazz trumpet, Williams also performed with classical orchestras, playing piccolo trumpet and fluglehorn.

Richard Williams died on November 4, 1985 from kidney cancer in his Jamaica, NY home.

Discography

As Sideman

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With Gigi Gryce

• The Hap'nin's (Prestige, 1960)
• Saying Somethin'! (Prestige, 1960)
• The Rat Race Blues (Prestige, 1960)
• Reminiscin' (Mercury, 1960)

With Booker Ervin

• Cookin' (Savoy, 1960)
• The In Between (Blue Note, 1968)

With Bill Evans and George Russell

• Living Time (Columbia, 1972)

With Rahsaan Roland Kirk

• Left & Right (Atlantic, 1968)

With Yusef Lateef

• Jazz 'Round the World (Impulse!, 1963)

With Charles Mingus and Mingus Dynasty

• The Black Saint and the Sinner Lady (Impulse!, 1963)
• Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus Mingus (Impulse!, 1963)
• Reincarnation (Soul Note, SN1042, 1982)

With The Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Orchestra

• Presenting Thad Jones / Mel Lewis and the Jazz Orchestra (Solid State, 1966)
• Presenting Joe Williams and Thad Jones / Mel Lewis, The Jazz Orchestra (Solid State, 1966)
• Live at the Village Vanguard (Solid State, 1967)
• The Big Band Sound of Thad Jones / Mel Lewis Featuring Miss Ruth Brown (Solid State, 1968)
• Monday Night (Solid State, 1968)
• Central Park North (Solid State, 1969)

References

• Richard Williams at Allmusic