Charles Williams (musician)

Charles Williams
Birth name	Charles Isaac Williams
Also known as	C. I. Williams
Born	(1932-07-18) July 18, 1932 (age 92)
Origin	Halls, Tennessee
Genres	Jazz, Soul jazz
Occupation(s)	Musician, bandleader
Instrument	Alto saxophone
Years active	1971–1997
Labels	Mainstream, Mapleshade

Charles Isaac Williams (born July 18, 1932) is an alto saxophonist based in New York City.[1]

Biography

Williams was born in Halls, Tennessee and moved to Alton, Illinois at the age of eight where he later played in the junior high school band, majored in music education at Lincoln University, in Jefferson City, Missouri and taught orchestral music in St. Albans, Queens.[2] He released three albums on the Mainstream label in the early 1970s.[3] Williams also played with Clark Terry, Frank Foster, and singer Ruth Brown.[2] In 1995 Hamiett Bluiett approached record producer Pierre Sprey's Mapleshade label and convinced them to record Williams first album in more than two decades.[1]

Discography

• Charles Williams (Mainstream, 1971)
• Trees and Grass and Things (Mainstream, 1971)
• Stickball (Mainstream, 1972)
• Snake Johnson with Ted Curson (Chiaroscuro, 1981)[4]
• When Alto Was King (Mapleshade, 1997)

References

1. Henderson, A., C. I. Williams: Allmusic Artist Biography, accessed November 11, 2014
2. Griffiths, David, Hot Jazz: From Harlem to Storyville, Scarecrow Press, 1998, pp. 82–85
3. Edwards, D., Callahan, Eyries, P., Watts, R. & Neely, T. Discography of the Mainstream Label (Preview), accessed October 18, 2014
4. Charles Williams discography, accessed November 11, 2014