Rudy Williams
Rudy Williams , also Red Rudy , (* 1909 in Newark , New Jersey , † 1954 ) was an American jazz saxophonist (mainly alto saxophone ) of swing and mainstream. He is best known as a member of the Savoy Sultans .
Live and act
Williams was the son of band leader Fess Williams and a cousin of Charles Mingus . Williams began playing the saxophone when he was twelve. In 1937 he joined the Savoy Sultans of Al Cooper , with whom he recorded a lot (including their hit Little Sally Water in 1939, solo after the sung request Ride Rudy Ride , further solo Sam Massenberg on the trumpet). He was considered one of the top alto saxophonists on the New York scene before Charlie Parker (alongside Benny Carter , Johnny Hodges ). Williams was also influenced by Parker in the early days of bebop. He played with Hot Lips Page , Luis Russell , Chris Columbus and John Kirby in the 1940s and with his own bands in Boston and New York City in the second half of the decade . In 1948 he played with Tadd Dameron and recorded as part of his sextet (with Fats Navarro , Kenny Clarke , Curley Russell , Allen Eager ) at the Royal Roost . He then worked in Boston until the early 1950s, performing with Illinois Jacquet and Gene Ammons in California, touring Japan with Oscar Pettiford and recording with Howard McGhee .
He has also appeared on recordings by Eddie Lockjaw Davis , Dud Bascomb , Eddie Cleanhead Vinson , Babs Gonzales , Don Byas , Bennie Green , Johnny Hodges and Tad Dameron, but never released under his own name. Tom Lord recorded 31 recording sessions from 1938 to 1954.
In addition to his favorite alto saxophone, he also played tenor and baritone saxophones .
Charles Mingus wrote the composition Eulogy for Rudy Williams , which he recorded in 1954 with the Jazz Composers Workshop .
Lexical entry
- Ian Carr , Digby Fairweather , Brian Priestley : Rough Guide Jazz. The ultimate guide to jazz music. 1700 artists and bands from the beginning until today. Metzler, Stuttgart / Weimar 1999, ISBN 3-476-01584-X .
Web links
- Rudy Williams at Allmusic (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Ita Gitler From Bop to Swing
- ↑ track list
- ^ Interview with Al Haig in Ira Gitler From Swing to Bop , Oxford UP, 1985, p. 143
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Williams, Rudy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American jazz saxophonist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1909 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Newark , New Jersey |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1954 |