Kate Williams is a jazz pianist and composer. Her father, John Williams, is a guitarist. Her mother is a classical pianist. She was awarded the John Dankworth Award for Talent Deserving Wider Recognition and has a distinguished reputation as a performer and writer. Four Plus Three, her most recent CD, is a collaboration of trio and string quartet (see page Four Plus Three). Her septet CD Atlas And Vulcana is a further reflection of her colourful originality as a pianist/composer/arranger. This album features pieces for septet, quartet, and trio. It is a collection of contrasts that includes some of the best musicians in the UK jazz scene. “British pianist/composer Kate Williams creates jazz albums that few younger musicians can achieve these days. It is full of uptempo swing and graceful storytelling, gentle piano breaks with a Bill Evans hue, and bebop solos over nimble moving grooves. ….A collection of elegant originals for her septet. Williams’s lyricism and polish, as well as her subtle touch, make this one her most successful and personal ventures. John Fordham, The Guardian 7th November 2014. She has previously released several CDs to great critical acclaim. Most recently, she released ‘Made Up,’ which was recorded with her septet, and ‘Smoke And Mirrors,’ which was recorded with Bobby Wellins, tenor legend. Both albums were included in Mojo magazine’s top ten jazz albums of 2011 and 2012. She was featured at the Pizza Express Steinway 2-Piano Festival with Robin Aspland, Nikki Iles and others in 2011, 2011 and 2013. Two of her concerts were broadcast on Radio 3’s Jazz Line Up. She and William Goodchild founded Interplay Series: Bill Evans and The Impressionists in March 2014. This project featured new arrangements of Bill Evans tunes along with works by Ravel, Debussy, and for orchestra and trio. The first two performances were at the Bristol International Jazz Festival and the Guildhall Jazz Festival.www.interplayseries.com She is a member of Chris Biscoe’s Mingus Moves, has recorded with vocalists Georgia Mancio (for whom she has also composed and arranged) and Juliet Kelly, as well as performing with many other leading UK artists including Anita Wardell, Tina May, Henry Lowther, Jim Mullen, John Etheridge, Julian Siegel, Tim Whitehead and Karen Sharp. Way Out West is a collective of jazz musicians located in West London that has been hosting weekly gigs since over ten years. Kate is one of the founders. Others include Tim Whitehead and Tony Woods, Chris Biscoe (Pet Hurt), Pete Hurt, Gary Willcox, Nette Robin, Mike Outram, Tony Kinsey, and Pete Hurt. She is an accomplished educator, currently teaching jazz courses at Middlesex University and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. from www.kate-williams-quartet.com
