Mars Williams
Encyclopedia
Mars Williams is an American jazz
and rock
saxophonist. Originally a ten year classical clarinetist
after being exposed to Big Band
and Dixieland Jazz
by his trumpet
playing father, Mars migrated to the saxophone
in his senior year of high school, citing influences from Eric Dolphy
, John Coltrane
and Charlie Parker
. He then attended De Paul University and later the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
where he studied under the mentorship of founders Anthony Braxton
and Roscoe Mitchell
. In 2004 he was selected by the Moers Festival as their featured artist.
Mars is a veteran musician, orchestrator and arranger
who has played with various bands and recording artists including The Waitresses
and gold-record sellers The Psychedelic Furs. He was originally only to tour with The Furs in Australia for a month in 1983 as then sax-player Gary Windo
was unable to. After a successful tour and the subsequent Waitresses breakup, Mars was asked to stay on as a permanent member, which he did until 1989 and later rejoined in 2005. He has also performed with Billy Idol
and the Robert Palmer era Power Station
, as well as Billy Squier
, Massacre, Ministry
, Die Warzau
and other leading figures in both the Chicago
and the NYC
downtown music scenes. He also toured and recorded with the Peter Brotzmann Tentet, the Vandermark 5, and Cinghiale, Mark Freeland's Electroman, and is the bandleader of several spin-off jazz groups/projects: Grammy nominated, acid jazz
pioneer Liquid Soul
, Hal Russell
's NRG Ensemble
, Witches & Devils, Slam, and XmarsX. Despite his busy schedule, he manages to also stay active in the Chicago improvisational jazz underground scene both individually and as a member of the improvisational quartet Extraordinary Popular Delusions, which began a weekly Monday gig at Beat Kitchen in Chicago on 20 August 2010, after concluding a five-year-plus weekly run at nearby Hotti Biscotti.
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
and rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
saxophonist. Originally a ten year classical clarinetist
Clarinet
The clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
after being exposed to Big Band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
and Dixieland Jazz
Dixieland Jazz
Dixieland Jazz was a Canadian music television series which aired on CBC Television in 1954.-Premise:The series host was Trump Davidson, a cornet player. He also hosted a radio music series on CBC's Trans-Canada Network.-Scheduling:...
by his trumpet
Trumpet
The trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
playing father, Mars migrated to the saxophone
Saxophone
The saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
in his senior year of high school, citing influences from Eric Dolphy
Eric Dolphy
Eric Allan Dolphy was an American jazz alto saxophonist, flutist, and bass clarinetist. On a few occasions he also played the clarinet and baritone saxophone. Dolphy was one of several multi-instrumentalists to gain prominence in the 1960s...
, John Coltrane
John Coltrane
John William Coltrane was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Working in the bebop and hard bop idioms early in his career, Coltrane helped pioneer the use of modes in jazz and later was at the forefront of free jazz...
and Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
. He then attended De Paul University and later the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians
The Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians is a non-profit organization, founded in Chicago, Illinois, United States, by pianist/composer Muhal Richard Abrams, pianist Jodie Christian, drummer Steve McCall, and composer Phil Cohran....
where he studied under the mentorship of founders Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton
Anthony Braxton is an American composer, saxophonist, clarinettist, flautist, pianist, and philosopher. Braxton has released well over 100 albums since the 1960s...
and Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell
Roscoe Mitchell is an African American composer, jazz instrumentalist and educator, mostly known for being "a technically superb—if idiosyncratic—saxophonist." He has been called "one of the key figures" in avant-garde jazz who has been "at the forefront of modern music" for the past...
. In 2004 he was selected by the Moers Festival as their featured artist.
Mars is a veteran musician, orchestrator and arranger
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
who has played with various bands and recording artists including The Waitresses
The Waitresses
The Waitresses were an experimental new wave band from Akron, Ohio. The group was led by guitarist/songwriter Chris Butler with lead vocals performed by Patty Donahue.-Career:...
and gold-record sellers The Psychedelic Furs. He was originally only to tour with The Furs in Australia for a month in 1983 as then sax-player Gary Windo
Gary Windo
Gary Windo was a jazz tenor saxophonist.He came from a musical family in England and by age six took up drums and accordion, then guitar at 12, and finally saxophone at 17. He lived in the United States in the 1960s, but returned to England in 1969...
was unable to. After a successful tour and the subsequent Waitresses breakup, Mars was asked to stay on as a permanent member, which he did until 1989 and later rejoined in 2005. He has also performed with Billy Idol
Billy Idol
William Michael Albert Broad , better known by his stage name Billy Idol, is an English rock musician. A member of the Bromley Contingent of Sex Pistols fans, Idol first achieved fame in the punk rock era as a member of the band Generation X...
and the Robert Palmer era Power Station
Power Station (band)
Power Station was a 1980s supergroup made up of singer Robert Palmer, former Chic drummer Tony Thompson, and Duran Duran members John Taylor and Andy Taylor . Bernard Edwards, also of Chic, was involved on the studio side as recording producer. For a short time he also functioned as Power...
, as well as Billy Squier
Billy Squier
William Haislip "Billy" Squier is an American rock musician. Squier had a string of arena rock hits in the 1980s. He is best known for the song "The Stroke" on his 1981 album release Don't Say No...
, Massacre, Ministry
Ministry (band)
Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
, Die Warzau
Die Warzau
Die Warzau was an industrial music band formed in 1987 by performance artists Jim Marcus and Van Christie.-History:...
and other leading figures in both the Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and the NYC
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
downtown music scenes. He also toured and recorded with the Peter Brotzmann Tentet, the Vandermark 5, and Cinghiale, Mark Freeland's Electroman, and is the bandleader of several spin-off jazz groups/projects: Grammy nominated, acid jazz
Acid jazz
Acid jazz is a musical genre that combines elements of jazz, funk and hip-hop, particularly looped beats. It developed in the UK over the 1980s and 1990s and could be seen as tacking the sound of jazz-funk onto electronic dance: jazz-funk musicians such as Roy Ayers, Donald Byrd and Grant Green are...
pioneer Liquid Soul
Liquid Soul
Liquid Soul is a jazz, hip-hop, funk, freestyle fusion ensemble formed in 1994 from Chicago, Illinois which helped pioneer the Acid Jazz movement in the United States in the 90's...
, Hal Russell
Hal Russell
Hal Russell was an American free jazz musician. He performed mainly on drums and saxophone, but occasionally on trumpet or vibraphone. Russel's fiery music was marked by significant humor, not unlike much of Dutch drummer Han Bennink's output...
's NRG Ensemble
NRG Ensemble
NRG Ensemble was an American jazz ensemble founded in the 1980s by saxophonist/multi-instrumentalist Hal Russell.The group's personnel was somewhat fluid, but included a core of drummer Steve Hunt, saxophonist Mars Williams, guitarist/trumpeter Brian Sandstrom, and bassist Kent Kessler. Their music...
, Witches & Devils, Slam, and XmarsX. Despite his busy schedule, he manages to also stay active in the Chicago improvisational jazz underground scene both individually and as a member of the improvisational quartet Extraordinary Popular Delusions, which began a weekly Monday gig at Beat Kitchen in Chicago on 20 August 2010, after concluding a five-year-plus weekly run at nearby Hotti Biscotti.