"Blues for Becky"

The only piece of correspondence I ever remember receiving from my father, Richard Williams, was a postcard (pictured below) from London that he sent to me in the late 1970s. The other side was an image of nightlife at Piccadilly Circus. It reads:

"Dear Becky, I am fine and hope you are likewise. I will see if the record with your tune is out yet, and get a copy for you. I will write everybody again soon. love your father" 

The record my father was referring to was a song titled "Blues for Becky," named after me, which he recorded with jazz pianist Hilton Ruiz on his album, Excition, which came out in 1977, and which was re-released on Steeplechase in 1993. Other personnel included Frank Foster (sax), Buster Williams (bass), and Roy Brooks (drums). Click on the link to hear the song--a bop blues. I sometimes wonder...why did he write a blues for me? Those who know me well will not wonder. Enjoy!

Screamin' the Blues!

I have been chided by some folks because I haven't been posting on my blogs regularly--this is due to being extremely busy with a bunch of projects. But...here's something I hope you will enjoy.

Below is an image that was sent to me by a jazz fan of my father's (trumpet player Richard Williams--1931-1985). It was taken in the early 1960s, and pictures the personnel on an album by Oliver Nelson (at right) titled Screamin' the Blues. Here are the musicians, left to right: Oliver Nelson (tenor and alto sax); Richard Wyands--he also played on my father's classic New Horn in Town (piano); Roy Haynes (drums); Eric Dolphy (bass clarinet and alto sax); Richard Williams (trumpet); George Duvivier (bass).