Lawrence Lowell Williams (Larry Williams) is an American record producer, composer, arranger, and multi-instrumentalist. He is proficient on the keyboards, saxophone, flute, and clarinet. Williams began his musical career in the 1970s, and has since established himself as a prominent figure in the music industry. He regularly toured and recorded with Al Jarreau for over 3 decades and also was a musician on Michael Jackson's albums Off The Wall, Thriller, and Bad.[1][2]
Williams was born in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in Overland Park, Kansas. He began learning the clarinet at age 7, under the influence of his father professional musician Tom Williams, who played the saxophone, clarinet and flute and also taught many students. Williams's father began teaching him alto saxophone around age 10. A few years later he sent him to study clarinet with Bob Luyben and first chart flautist with the Kansas City Symphony, Jim Hamilton. . After showing great aptitude for woodwinds he began learning music theory, arranging and classical piano with master educator John Elliot who produced many world -class musicians (Pat Metheny, Bobby Watson and Bob Brookmeyer among many others).
Williams went on to study music at New Mexico State University for one year and then transferred to Indiana University School of Music in 1969. His major was woodwinds and he studied clarinet with Bernard Portnoy and saxophone with Eugene Rousseau. He performed and toured with David Baker's big band on tenor and alto sax, as well as performing in a quintet Jerry Hey at the Notre Dame Collegiate Jazz Festiva in 1971l. Williams also played piano in the second big band under Robert Hores. While at university, Williams also began touring with the area orchestras of several artists, including those of Glen Campbell, Henry Mancini, Andy Williams and Johnny Mathis.
While studying at Indiana University, he met Jerry Hey and Kim Hutchcroft, who would later become members of jazz-fusion and funk band Seawind. He decided to leave university and focus to work full-time with any artists in Hawaii[3], eventually focusing on Seawind which he founded with composer/drummer Bob Wilson.
A notable part of the band's sound was the "Seawind Horns" (Williams with trumpeter Jerry Hey, and sax and flute player Kim Hutchcroft).
Seawind caught the attention of drummer-producer Harvey Mason. He encouraged the group to move to Los Angeles where they quickly established a regular gig at the club The Baked Potato.[2]
Career
In LA, the band was noticed by many producers and musicians, most notably Quincy Jones. This led to Williams and the other members of the Seawind Horns becoming studio musicians for Jones himself and several Jones’ productions such as George Benson, Brothers Johnson and Michael Jackson.[2] Williams has had a long association with Quincy Jones in which he toured and recorded on woodwinds and keyboards. The horn section was a mainstay of many of Quincy's productions. Williams's most prominently featured keyboard work with him is the synthesizer solos and sweetening on the Brothers Johnson "Blam!". He credits Quincy Jones as his main mentor, along with producers/arrangers Tommy LiPuma, Arif Mardin and Dave Grusin.
Williams had a nearly 40 year association with Al Jarreau, with whom he recorded several well known synthesizer solos, most notably "Spain" , "Easy' and Alonzo". He also toured the world with Jarreau for many years. His most well known saxophone solos are Sheila E's "The Glamorous Life" (alto sax with Prince producing) and Jody Watley/s "Everything".
↑ Murph, John (September 2004). "Al Jarreau Accentuate the Swing (interview)". JazzTimes. Retrieved July 26, 2013. He knows me inside and out, Jarreau says of Williams. It was just natural for him to do the arrangements, because he knows where I've been, what I like doing, and how I am these days onstage.
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