I'm mourning the death of Jessica Williams, a jazz pianist of technical brilliance and exceptional creativity. I came close to studying with her when I was in college, and a decade later almost produced one of her albums—both never happened, much to my regret. But what an inspiring artist!
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
I'm a long-time fan of Jessica's. Today, for no particular reason, I put her music on shuffle in Apple Music, and have been listening to her brilliance for hours. Recalling that she had passed away last year, I googled to find out more. I came across your post; thank you for sharing your experience of her. While I did know she was eccentric, I've had a hard time grasping why she was not known as one of the greats of our generation. Your sharing sheds light; thank you. And remember that many artists do not become "famous" until well after passing. I still hope the world one day will honour this great lady.
I saw Jessica Williams play in small clubs many times during the '80s in Sacramento. I'm very sad to hear that she has died. Her performances were always magical. At the time, I had some friends that were young jazz musicians trying to make it at a very difficult time (none did, unfortunately), and they turned me on to her music. My recollection, both from the clubs and from a few occasions when she would hang out with my friends with me tagging along, is that she was a sad genius--a true artist who could see and create the truly sublime that the rest of us can only get fleeting glimpses of from their creative work, but like so many others of that description, seemed to need more than the world would ever, could ever, give back. I collected as many of her recordings as I could, and many times over the next few decades would put them on for friends who had never heard of her and they were always floored by how fantastic they were, and are.
Thanks for the remembrance, and for the link to her gobsmacking performance of Blue Tuesday!
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
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 . . .
i was already feeling that the world might as well just come to an end and now this news makes it pretty clear
I'm a long-time fan of Jessica's. Today, for no particular reason, I put her music on shuffle in Apple Music, and have been listening to her brilliance for hours. Recalling that she had passed away last year, I googled to find out more. I came across your post; thank you for sharing your experience of her. While I did know she was eccentric, I've had a hard time grasping why she was not known as one of the greats of our generation. Your sharing sheds light; thank you. And remember that many artists do not become "famous" until well after passing. I still hope the world one day will honour this great lady.
I saw Jessica Williams play in small clubs many times during the '80s in Sacramento. I'm very sad to hear that she has died. Her performances were always magical. At the time, I had some friends that were young jazz musicians trying to make it at a very difficult time (none did, unfortunately), and they turned me on to her music. My recollection, both from the clubs and from a few occasions when she would hang out with my friends with me tagging along, is that she was a sad genius--a true artist who could see and create the truly sublime that the rest of us can only get fleeting glimpses of from their creative work, but like so many others of that description, seemed to need more than the world would ever, could ever, give back. I collected as many of her recordings as I could, and many times over the next few decades would put them on for friends who had never heard of her and they were always floored by how fantastic they were, and are.