Jersey History: Buster Williams
Born in Camden 83 years ago, bassist-composer-educator Buster Williams has solidified his position as one of the main bass proponents in jazz history. He has had extended stays in the bands of vocalists Nancy Wilson and Sarah Vaughan, fellow bassist Ron Carter and guitarist Larry Coryell, and as the bassist in the groundbreaking 1970s band of the legendary Herbie Hancock, whom he’s collaborated with ever since. You can hear him on Hancock’s pioneering 1971 Mwandishi album. Buster also played with Miles in Europe and made some major Monk music for many years in Thelonious repertory band Sphere.
In 1975, Buster made his recording debut under his own name with Pinnacle. Fourteen years later, his brilliant Something More featured Hancock and Newark’s Wayne Shorter. In 2004, Rudy Van Gelder produced his Griot Liberte at his famous Hackensack studio. From 2010 to 2014, he toured as part of “4 Generations Of Miles” with sax man Sonny Fortune, guitarist Mike Stern and drummer Jimmy Cobb, performing selections from the four distinct eras of Miles Davis. He also moved to Hollywood at one point to work on movie soundtracks with Quincy Jones. And he credits Buddhist meditation for his late-life serenity.
The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD, called him “one of the key sidemen in modern jazz” with “a rock-solid grounding in harmony, counterpoint and orchestration,” noting that his “harmony is impeccable and he has a rhythmic sense that is unfailing, feeling and utterly original.”
When we called Buster at his Teaneck home, he told us about recording Herbie’s Mwandishi. “When you’re doing it,” he said, “you’re not thinking at all about its significance. You just do it. There was, though, a mystery to that session. We knew that it was unprecedented. We just didn’t realize the extent of it.” On playing background for such great vocalists, he said, “nothing is background. I never considered myself as playing behind anybody. It’s all about self-expression.” And about his Camden hometown: “That town was rife with great musicians. Always was.”