Roy Williams
b. 7 March 1937, Bolton, Lancashire, England. Williams first played trombone with a Manchester-based traditional jazz band. After moving to London he became a well-known figure during the trad jazz boom of the late '50s and early '60s. He played and recorded with Monty Sunshine and other leading lights of the era, earning praise from the many visiting American jazz stars whom he accompanied. In 1965, he joined the Alex Welsh band where he remained for more than a dozen years. After leaving Welsh he joined Humphrey Lyttelton, staying with the band until the early '80s when he began freelancing. As a member of the Pizza Express All Stars, Five-A-Slide and other mainstream bands, touring with various visitors, recording with Spike Robinson and others, and broadcasting, he became one of the most familiar figures on the UK jazz scene. The respect he earned travelled well and in the '80s he was invited to play at one of Dick Gibson's famous Colorado Jazz Parties and he also worked in New York. Superb technical accomplishment, allied to impeccable phrasing, fluid swing and innate good taste, have combined to make Williams one of the best mainstream jazz trombonists in the world.