Who's to bless and who's to blame when it comes to the chronicling the frontiersman of music. Blessings go to Wayne Henderson and Herb Wong both of whom we lost recently as cats who played and wrote their asses off when it came to melodic invention.Much of the hoopla surrounding dance music in the 40 and 50 was being done in ballrooms. Duke Ellington and Count Basie leading crusades of young rabbits into urban theaters like Trenton where my guest is from.He learned under the tutelage of his father who was himself a big band leader just like The Skipper Henry Franklins father. Charles Anthony Williams had rehearsals at his house where his son could learn up close the strength of individual sound, knowing your role, knowing when to step outside that role, be a contributor an accompanist with Denny Zeitlin and The Crusaders, filling in for Ray Brown or showing up with Joe Farrell, Dakota Staton and Jon Lucien.
His musical legacy is unquantifiable. Over the past 50+ years he has been expanding the musical palettes of both his comrades like Herbie Hancock and stretching the ears of active audiences from Dubai to Europe to The It Club.
He has gone bop to be-bop, post bop to free music, soul funk to blues to driving gulf coast pocket magic. He is a mind reader...in that once he locks in - there is no time, everything around him is still there but with just a little light in contrast with the bombs my guest drops.
He shows no signs of slowing down, more active than ever before. Buster Williams welcome to the JFS