Stu Williamson

Stu Williamson (May 14, 1933 – October 1, 1991) was an American jazz trumpeter.

Born in Brattleboro, Vermont, Williamson was the younger brother of jazz pianist Claude Williamson. Williamson relocated to Los Angeles in 1949 and became a regular on the West Coast scene, playing with Stan Kenton (1951, 1954-1955), Woody Herman (1952-1953), Billy May, and Charlie Barnet. Between 1954 and 1958 he played intermittently with Shelly Manne, and was a ubiquitous session musician up until 1968, when he retired from music. He battled drug addiction for much of his life, including for years after he left music. He died in Studio City, California in 1991.

Discography

• Sapphire (Bethlehem, 1955)
• Stu Williamson Plays (Bethlehem, 1955)
• Stu Williamson (Bethlehem, 1956)

With Shelly Manne

• Swinging Sounds (Contemporary, 1956)
• More Swinging Sounds (Contemporary, 1956)
• Concerto for Clarinet & Combo (Contemporary, 1957)
• The Gambit (Contemporary, 1958)
• Manne–That's Gershwin! (Capitol, 1965)

With Dizzy Gillespie

• The New Continent (Limelight, 1962)

With Elmo Hope

• The Elmo Hope Quintet featuring Harold Land (Pacific Jazz, 1957)

With Clifford Brown's All Stars

• Jazz Messages (Jazztone, 1954)

References

• Scott Yanow, Stu Williamson at Allmusic