PODCAST INTERVIEW WITH DEAN WILLIAMS

Keeping It Real Alicia Nelson

Dean Williams Short Bio 2019 Born in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, Dean Williams began his journey in music during his studies at his high school, Hillview College. He began playing all instruments in the school band, drums, bass, keyboards and the guitar. He further studied and performed onstage on the trumpet and double bass.

He has studied classic guitar with Anthony Williams, Graham Newling and Anders Kappel and completed grade 8 ABRSM certificate in classical guitar. He completed the final level Jazz guitar certification at Berklee online with Bruce Saunders and UTT with Dave Marcellin. He has completed both his Bachelors of Fine Arts (BFA) and his Masters of Arts (MA) degrees at UTT. He has taught music theory and guitar at both BP RENEGADES and BIRDSONG and the Holistic School music academies. Dean has lectured in Music Theory and instructed in guitar at Community College COSTAATT and works in their outreach programme.

He worked at the UTT Academy of Performing Arts from 2014 to 2017 as adjunct instructor of contemporary and classical guitar. Dean has toured extensively across Asia, Europe, North, Central, South America and the Caribbean. His career of recording, touring and performing with music acts include Kitchener, Sparrow, Rose, Machel Montano, Destra, Atlantik, Xtatik, 3Canal and Kindred. Shaggy, Wyclef Jean, Sean Paul, Ray Holman, David Rudder, Bp Renegades, Ras Shorty I and the Love Circle, Isaac Blackman, Vashawn Mitchell, Luther Francois, Ronald Boo Hinkson, Michele Henderson, Michael and David Boothman, Clive Zanda, Etienne Charles, Larnell Lewis (Snarky Puppy), Jonathan Scales and Leon Foster Thomas (Ropeadope Records).

He has recorded in genres including Pop, Jazz, R&B, Calypso, Soca, World Beat, Rapso, Gospel Jazz, Smooth Jazz, Calypso Jazz, Rock/Blues, Classical and Folk music.

Dean as a composer and producer has won the Silver Addy Award in the Caribbean Region for his suite of music composed for a major ad campaign in Trinidad. Guardian Peter Ray Blood calls Dean the ‘eclectic jazz guitarist.’ and Guardian Tennille Alleyne praises his “masterful touch.” Guardian Simon Lee says Dean ‘delivered a set of sensual George Benson - inflected smooth guitar, marking him as one of the young local musicians who embraces the challenge of taking his instrument to ears beyond our shores.’

He is a featured Jazz artist and composer on The TriniJazzProject CD 2014 debut album on Parlemuzik label. Dean recently led his quartet to three major jazz festivals; St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival 2016, Mt Irvine Jazz on the Beach 2015/2016 and the Jazz Artistes on the Greens Festival 2016. He has been the band leader at North Coast Jazz for 2018, 2019.

Dean Williams Artist/Composer/Educator 1-868-681-3326 1-868-338-5756 [e-mail]

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