John Williams (pianist)

John Williams (born January 28, 1929, Windsor, Vermont) is an American jazz pianist.

Williams began playing piano at age eight and joined a local ensemble at twelve; he also learned organ, playing in church as a teenager. In March 1945, he embarked on a six-month tour as a member of Mal Hallett's band, having not yet completed high school. Late in the 1940s he played with Johnny Bothwell and Teddy Kotick, and at the end of the decade he relocated from Vermont to New York City. After playing a gig with Charlie Parker at the end of 1950, he served in the military during the Korean War (1951-53), playing low brass in Army bands. After the war, he returned to New York, where he enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music, formed his own trio ensemble, and recorded widely as a sideman. His associations around this time included Charlie Barnet, Stan Getz, Sal Salvador, Charlie Mariano, Cannonball Adderley, Jimmy Cleveland, Phil Woods, Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Jimmy Raney, Vincent Lopez, Gerry Mulligan, and Lon Norman.

By the end of the 1950s, Williams decided to move to Florida, where he played for a time as a pianist in Miami Beach, then receded from performance. He worked as a city commissioner from 1971 to 1991 and held a position in a banking firm while still occasionally playing locally with his own trio. He also was a regular performer at an annual music festival in Hollywood, Florida, where he played with Bob Brookmeyer, Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs, and Scott Hamilton. In 1987, he appeared with Spike Robinson at the Clearwater Jazz Holiday in Clearwater, Florida.

References

• Barry Kernfeld, "John Williams (ii)". The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz, 2nd edition.