Thank you for this tribute. I hope you don't mind if I share the fundraiser I have started for her husband Duncan. I hosted Jessica Williams house concerts in Seattle for many years, and have remained in touch. Very sad.
That's fascinating--thank you. Her virtues as a pianist were numerous, but what most often caught my attention was her left hand: powerful but deft; and so well articulated and integrated.
Thank you for this beautiful tribute. I had the pleasure of hearing Jessica play solo at a house concert in San Francisco around 1999 or 2000, as well as at her wonderful set with Ray Drummond and Victor Lewis at Yoshis around the same time I think. I’d learned of her from a woman who’d played bass with Jessica back in the 70s when they were the opening musicians for the SF Mime Troupe. I treasure her albums and have been a big fan ever since. I’d learned she was sick but was devastated to learn just last night from a posting by Jenna Mammina that she’d left the planet. Thank goodness for all those albums.
Whenever a talk to someone about a great musician they don't know and they like her/him, I always say: "You're so lucky! You have all her/his music to discover!!".
I didn't know about Jessica. Yesterday I opened Spotify and started digging into her first albums. I love her playing! Beside the technique and accuracy, she had a passion when she hit the notes that reminds me of Michel Pettruciani and Tete Montoliu.
Thank you for introducing me to her! I have all her music to discover!!
I have been a big admirer of Jessica Williams talent and works-though I never saw her live she has left us with an immense catalog of recordings. Several years ago when I was trying to understand how she had developed her piano talents, on one of the many sites that feature a glimpse of her past through interviews I discovered that he had been born in Baltimore and had gone to Peabody Prep during her youth. We've lived here in Baltimore since the early 70's and seen lots of jazz through the years. She moved around that time to the West Coast. Our loss was San Francisco's gain. I hope she gets the recognition she deserves with her passing. I'll certainly be listening to her works in the coming weeks.
Jessica Williams deserves the tribute you've warmly written. Luckily, she resided about an hour east of Seattle so she gave a few brilliant house concerts. So intimate and musical. First time I saw her, she asked for requests. I blurted out, "All The things You Are." She kindly replied that she no longer played that since Keith Jarrett's stellar performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksV1XMprOy4
A wonderful tribute to this exquisite musician and a great personal anecdote too … I can only imagine the faces of your parents if Jessica had visited your house at 3 in the morning and proceeded to take the front or fall box off the piano so she could play the strings :) Also loved the link to Blue Tuesday 🔹
This is a lovely homage, Ted, and a true artist’s story. I can imagine the looks on your parents’ faces! But the music is bigger than everything. And ‘Blue Tuesday’ takes us to that place: a place that elevates us, and reveals us to ourselves. Thanks for writing this. KB
Thank you for this tribute. I hope you don't mind if I share the fundraiser I have started for her husband Duncan. I hosted Jessica Williams house concerts in Seattle for many years, and have remained in touch. Very sad.
https://gofund.me/c4e06e75
Thanks for the remembrance, and for the link to her gobsmacking performance of Blue Tuesday!
That's fascinating--thank you. Her virtues as a pianist were numerous, but what most often caught my attention was her left hand: powerful but deft; and so well articulated and integrated.
Thank you for this beautiful tribute. I had the pleasure of hearing Jessica play solo at a house concert in San Francisco around 1999 or 2000, as well as at her wonderful set with Ray Drummond and Victor Lewis at Yoshis around the same time I think. I’d learned of her from a woman who’d played bass with Jessica back in the 70s when they were the opening musicians for the SF Mime Troupe. I treasure her albums and have been a big fan ever since. I’d learned she was sick but was devastated to learn just last night from a posting by Jenna Mammina that she’d left the planet. Thank goodness for all those albums.
Whenever a talk to someone about a great musician they don't know and they like her/him, I always say: "You're so lucky! You have all her/his music to discover!!".
I didn't know about Jessica. Yesterday I opened Spotify and started digging into her first albums. I love her playing! Beside the technique and accuracy, she had a passion when she hit the notes that reminds me of Michel Pettruciani and Tete Montoliu.
Thank you for introducing me to her! I have all her music to discover!!
I have been a big admirer of Jessica Williams talent and works-though I never saw her live she has left us with an immense catalog of recordings. Several years ago when I was trying to understand how she had developed her piano talents, on one of the many sites that feature a glimpse of her past through interviews I discovered that he had been born in Baltimore and had gone to Peabody Prep during her youth. We've lived here in Baltimore since the early 70's and seen lots of jazz through the years. She moved around that time to the West Coast. Our loss was San Francisco's gain. I hope she gets the recognition she deserves with her passing. I'll certainly be listening to her works in the coming weeks.
Thanks. I sent my grand daughter Lya a Jessica Williams album when she was 12 .
Well said. That's who she was, the bit about the lessons captures it! I knew her then as well. She actually deserves a whole book.
Jessica Williams deserves the tribute you've warmly written. Luckily, she resided about an hour east of Seattle so she gave a few brilliant house concerts. So intimate and musical. First time I saw her, she asked for requests. I blurted out, "All The things You Are." She kindly replied that she no longer played that since Keith Jarrett's stellar performance. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ksV1XMprOy4
A wonderful tribute to this exquisite musician and a great personal anecdote too … I can only imagine the faces of your parents if Jessica had visited your house at 3 in the morning and proceeded to take the front or fall box off the piano so she could play the strings :) Also loved the link to Blue Tuesday 🔹
Gracias, no la conocía y ahora estoy disfrutando su elegante perfección en este atardecer de los últimos días del verano.
This is a lovely homage, Ted, and a true artist’s story. I can imagine the looks on your parents’ faces! But the music is bigger than everything. And ‘Blue Tuesday’ takes us to that place: a place that elevates us, and reveals us to ourselves. Thanks for writing this. KB
And this is why we subscribe . . .
The April 15 Fresh Air show (and podcast) on NPR is a replay of a 1997 interview of Jessica Williams by Terry Gross. It's just great!
i was already feeling that the world might as well just come to an end and now this news makes it pretty clear
Thanks for turning me on to Jessica Williams...Got to check out more of her stuff.