Patrick Williams

A major arranger who has been active in the film industry for over three decades, Patrick Williams occasionally leads projects of his own. He started out studying classical trumpet and played in the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, in high school, Williams led his own swing-oriented jazz band. He studied at Duke University (where he led the Duke Ambassadors) and Columbia University. Williams was active in the studios from an early age, piling up many credits while in New York during 1961-1967. Although he played trumpet and vibes early on, Williams has been strictly a composer/arranger since moving to Los Angeles in 1968. He has written the scores for over 60 feature films and a countless number of television assignments, founded and run the short-lived jazz label Soundwings in the late '70s, and arranged for many performers, including Barbara Streisand and Billy Joel. Williams has taught at many universities while continuing to lead record dates of his own, including sessions for Pausa, Verve, Capitol, Columbia, ABC, Allegiance, Warner Bros., Soundwings, and EMI. Having been nominated for numerous Grammy Awards in his career, Williams received the award in 1974 for his big-band album Threshold, and again in 1986 for his trombone and orchestral work "Suite Memories." In 2011, Williams was nominated for two Grammy Awards for his big-band jazz recording Aurora.