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A diverse choir and orchestral lushness on Richard Williams 'Hollywood Christmas' / Musicalmemoirs

On HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS, composer and multi-instrumentalist RICHARD WILLIAMS weaves a rich tapestry of big band swing, orchestral, and rock arrangements that create a new, updated sound for a dozen Christmas classics. 

Williams has found success writing music for the lucrative online gaming market. Although he has been playing and composing music for over 15 years, HOLLYWOOD CHRISTMAS is his debut album. Partly driven by his Mormon faith, Williams decided to show off his considerable arranging chops by putting his own spin on these well-known and beloved songs.

Williams was born in Utah but grew up in Salinas, CA. He started studying piano at a young age and performed with his school band since elementary school. After a while, with his mind buzzing with musical ideas, he began learning to play other instruments and eventually learned the sax, trombone, clarinet, and trumpet. He first became inspired to compose music when we saw the movie “Amadeus,” which was about Mozart and his contentious relationship with fellow composer Salieri. Williams says, “I was very young when I saw the movie, but I fell in love with composing, and I knew from then on that I wanted to write music.”

Williams returned to Utah to study at Brigham Young University and has remained in Provo ever since. He majored in film scoring and, since his mother is from Japan, he also majored in Japanese. While in school, he composed music for student films and garnered two Student Emmys (College TV Awards) for his scores for student animation films. 

Although orchestral music was William’s first love, he enjoyed playing in school jazz bands and became enamored of the big band sound, especially Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band. But writing for the online game market requires a composer to be able to write in different styles, and Williams soon became adept at writing and arranging in a wide variety of genres.

Williams is attracted to mainstream jazz and has been particularly enamored with Michael Bublé’s Christmas album and the Carpenters’ album, Christmas Portrait, for the way it encompassed pop and sacred music along with light classical and light jazz. Williams wanted the same elements on his album but with an even bigger, more lush sound, so he began his project by assembling a top-notch band of some very well-known jazz musicians, including saxophonists ERIC MARIENTHAL, SAL LOZANO, BRANDON FIELDS, DAN KANEYUKI, and  WILL VARGAS; trumpet players WAYNE BERGERON, ROB SCHAER, KYE PALMER, and MITCHELL COOPER; and trombonists ANDY MARTIN, JOEY SELLERS, ERIK HUGHES, and ROBERT TODD. RICHARD WILLIAMS on piano, TREY HENRY on bass, and BERNIE DRESEL on drums, round out the rhythm section. To create the orchestral sound, Williams also engaged the famed Budapest Scoring Orchestra for strings and additional woodwinds.


Musicalmemoirs writes…..Opening with the popular “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” Richard Williams features the smooth, jazzy vocals of Alex Stiles. Stiles is also featured vocalist on “The Christmas Song.”  Williams has orchestrated these familiar holiday songs to revisit big band jazz and Christmas orchestral music. He’s created a nice, easy-listening ride through this holiday season.

Williams was born in Utah, but his family relocated to Salinas, CA.  As a youth, he performed in his school band beginning in early, elementary days and learned to play several instruments including trombone, clarinet, saxophones, trumpet and piano.  At a very young age he was mesmerized by the music in his mind and Richard began composing.  In college, he majored in film scoring and Japanese.  You can tell by this lush production that orchestra music is Richard Williams’ first love. He captures Christmas with a diverse choir of voices and orchestral lushness.

Richard Williams, piano/bandleader/arranger/composer; Trey Henry, bass; Bernie Dresel, drums; Brady Bills, guitar; SAXOPHONES: Eric Marienthal & Sal Lozano, alto saxophones; Brandon Fields & Dan Kaneyuki, tenor saxophones; Will Vargas, baritone saxophone. TRUMPETS: Wayne Bergeron, Rob Schaer, Kye Palmer & Mitchell Cooper. TROMBONES: Andy Martin, Joey Sellers, Erik Hughes & Robert Todd. VOCALS: Alex Stiles, Nate Bryant, Robecca Lopez, Evon Collett, Connor Ross, Taylor Miranda, Hayley Kirkland, Dmitry Noskov, Benny Benack III, Chelsea Brooke Olson & Julie Seechuck. COMPANY B SINGERS: Hayley Kirkland, Clara Campbell, Kate Plewe. WOMEN’S CHOIR: Jean Williams, Ruth Gardner, Erika Felsted, Rose Lofthouse, Jeri Mellor& Carol Olson.