Mars Williams
Mars Williams (born May 29, 1955 in Elmhurst (Illinois) ) is a saxophonist from Chicago , whose music spectrum ranges from rock music to acid jazz and free jazz .
biography
His father was a jazz trumpeter who encouraged him to play instruments. At the age of 10 he learned the clarinet, after which he switched to the alto and later the tenor saxophone . He attended Karl Berger's Creative Music Workshop before studying with Don Cherry , Muhal Richard Abrams and Anthony Braxton . Williams was a saxophonist in Hal Russell's NRG Ensemble in the 1980s , which he took over after Russell's death. He was also active in New York City in the early 1980s, starring with John Zorn , Bill Laswell , Elliott Sharp , Fred Frith and Daevid Allen . He toured with the Psychedelic Furs , worked for Billy Idol and is a co-founder of the funk and acid jazz band Liquid Soul . He played with Ken Vandermark in the NRG Ensemble , but also in Vandermark's quintet and with Cinghiale and in Peter Brötzmann's Chicago Tentet . He continues to lead the band projects Witches & Devils, Slam , XmarsX and Mars Williams presents: An Ayler Xmas with changing line-ups.
In Germany he became known through his appearances at the Moers Festival (1997, 1999 (Liquid Soul)) and 2004 (Liquid Soul and XmarsX (with a broken arm)) and at the Offside 2008 with the Mars Williams Quartet.
Award
- 2001: Grammy for the Liquid Soul CD "Here's The Deal"
Discographic notes
- Mars Williams / Ingebrigt Håker Flaten / Tim Daisy : Moments Form (Idyllic Noise, 2013)
- Mars Williams / Tollef Østvang : Painted Pillars (Stone Floor Records, 2018)
- To Ayler Xmas Vol. 2 (2018)
- Boneshaker: Fake Music (2019), with Paal Nilssen-Love, Kent Kessler
Lexigraphic entry
- Wolf Kampmann (Ed.), With the assistance of Ekkehard Jost : Reclams Jazzlexikon . Reclam, Stuttgart 2003, ISBN 3-15-010528-5 page?
Web links
- Biography at Chicagocalling
- Official site of Liquid Soul
- “Mars blows money out” , Rheinische Post , August 4, 2008, interview
- Mars Williams at Allmusic (English)
- Mars Williams at Discogs (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williams, Mars |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 29, 1955 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Elmhurst , Illinois |