John was a member of the MU for 62 years.
John Williams, the Shropshire-based musician, composer and educator, passed away at the age of 84 on 13 May. Born in London in 1941, Williams was best known as a baritone saxophonist, though he also doubled on many other instruments, including bass saxophone and recorder.
A career born in the 60s
His career took off in 1962 after his 16-piece big band was hired to replace John Dankworth’s Sunday night residency at the Marquee Club by its proprietor, Harold Pendleton. The John Williams Big Band performed in that residency for the next two years, during which they also performed at the Richmond Festival, the International Jazz Festival at Belle Vue, Manchester, and other locations.
In the mid-1960s, he had a brief spell in Cardiff as musical director for Harlech Television. He accompanied pop stars such as Gladys Knight and the Three Degrees, and worked and recorded with the Canadian pianist Oscar Peterson.
He became increasingly involved in composition and arranging over this time, eventually leading to a broadcast of his work on BBC Radio 3 in 1970, the first of several BBC programmes devoted to his work.
He ran and composed for several bands throughout the 70s, one of which was called WHV (Woodwind, Horns and Voice). He was also occasionally known to work in bands led by Mike Westbrook, Graham Collier, Norma Winstone, John Warren, Barry Guy, Don Rendell, Alan Cohen and others.
Most famously, he was one of three baritone saxophonists in Keith Tippett’s Centipede, an orchestra with over fifty members, and recorded on their acclaimed 1971 album Septober Energy, produced by Robert Fripp of King Crimson.
Establishing Leasowes Bank Arts Festival, and notable recordings
After Williams left London in 1980, he moved to Ratlinghope in Shropshire. There, in 1981, he established Leasowes Bank Arts Festival with his wife Frances, which they ran out of a converted barn at their home for over thirty years.
Each year, a classical or jazz composer was commissioned for a work that would be premiered at the Festival. Commissionees included Michael Nyman, Howard Blake, John Dankworth, Sally Beamish, Diana Burrell, David Matthews, Clark Tracey, Charles Dakin and Martin Butler.
Williams remained active as a player in the following years, with some notable recordings he made being:
- Year of the Buffalo (1984) – showcasing music by Pete Saberton for octet;
- New Perspectives Perform Five Housman Settings and Other Jazz Works (1996) – featuring vocalist Jacqui Dankworth and a 12-piece ensemble;
- Baritone Band (2000) – an ensemble of four baritone saxes and rhythm section;
- Tenorama (2003) – a meeting of musicians from an older generation (Don Rendell, Dave Gelly and Phil Day) with younger contemporaries Renato D’Aiello, Karen Sharp et al;
- In All My Holy Mountain (2017) – settings of Roger Garfitt’s poetry to music by Nikki Isles.
An inspiring educator
He was also a prolific teacher throughout his career, running a popular evening class at the Moberly Education Centre in Kilburn during his time in London. Attendees included saxophonist Chris Hunter (who went on to play in the Gil Evans Orchestra), free jazz drummer Paul Lytton and trumpeter Dick Pearce.
Later in life, Williams directed the Shropshire Youth Jazz Ensemble from 1996 to 2012, alongside his longtime colleague, bassist Chris Bolton. Charlie Rees, a former student, recalls:
"I have memories of John from a very young age, growing up in Shropshire, watching my father depping with his band Westcoastin’. Then, in 2011, I joined the Shropshire Youth Jazz Ensemble, which John ran with Chris Bolton.
“It was an incredibly supportive and inspiring environment – my first experience of ensemble playing. I stopped playing with SYJE in 2012 because I moved to Manchester to study at Chetham’s School of Music. I remember taking an iPod Shuffle with me, on which I had about 30 tracks. One of those was from John’s album Baritone Band, a track called “October Sun”. Revisiting it has brought back many memories. RIP John.”
John is survived by his wife Frances, his children James, Tom, Emily and Sam, and his grandchildren.
John joined the MU in 1962. This tribute has been provided by family friend Charlie Rees — saxophonist, journalist, and former pupil, friend, and member of the Shropshire Youth Jazz Ensemble.​