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Williams played with many of the top big bands of the '20s, '30s, and '40s, yet beginning in 1940 he did some of his finest work as a member of Sidney Bechet-led small bands. Williams moved to Washington, D.C. as a small child. After the death of his parents he was sent to an industrial school in Delaware, where he played in the band. He returned to Washington after two years and studied trombone with Juan Tizol and James Miller, Jr. He played locally around Washington, including a residency in the pit band at the Lincoln Theater. He played with Claude Hopkins in New Jersey in 1927, just before moving to New York, where he stayed only briefly. He worked back in Washington for a time, then joined Horace Henderson's band in 1929. He played regularly with that band for the next three years while also working occasionally with Hopkins, Cliff Jackson, and Horace's brother Fletcher Henderson. He joined Fletcher's band full-time in 1932, staying for about a year before moving on to Chick Webb's orchestra.

Williams stayed with the Webb outfit after the drummer's death in 1939 when Ella Fitzgerald assumed the leadership. He left in early 1940. Over the next year he spent time with both the Benny Carter and Coleman Hawkins bands; he also worked with Sidney Bechet, recording with the clarinetist/soprano saxophonist for the first time in June, 1940. Williams had limited experience in small groups; his solos were typically fine, but it reportedly took him some time to get the hang of the ensemble work. Nevertheless, his fresh approach to the early jazz repertoire satisfied Bechet, who used him on sessions and gigs over the next few years.

In the early '40s Williams worked for other leaders, including Lucky Millinder, Cootie Williams, Mezz Mezzrow, Pete Brown, and Wild Bill Davison. In 1943 he spent time with Duke Ellington, temporarily replacing Lawrence Brown. Over the next several years he also worked with Oran "Hot Lips" Page, Don Redman, Rex Stewart, Claude Hopkins, and Roy Eldridge. On December 15, 1945 Williams played with Bechet's band at a Town Hall concert celebrating the Blue Note record label. Health problems caused him to eventually stop performing by the early '50s. He began gigging again occasionally in the late '50s, but from the '60s dental problems hindered his musical activity. ~ Chris Kelsey

Danny Rivera is an outspoken singer/songwriter from Puerto Rico whose career spans several decades and includes numerous hits, many of them romantic songs in the bolero tradition. Born February 28, 1945, in Santurce, San Juan, Puerto Rico, he began his singing career at an early age in his church choir. During the late '60s and early '70s, he rose to fame in Puerto Rico with hits such as "Porque Yo Te Amo," "Fuiste Mía un Verano," "Manolo," "Mi Viejo," "Yo y la Rosa," "Va Cayendo una Lágrima," and "Jesucristo." After establishing himself as a popular singer of hit songs, he began to release full-length albums such as Mi Hijo (1972), En Concierto (1975), Alborada (1976), Muy Amigos (a duet album with Eydie Gormé, 1977), and Serenata (1979). During the '80s Rivera continued to enjoy popularity and began hitting the Latin pop charts regularly with albums including Así Cantaba Cheíto González (1984), Controversia (1985), Inolvidable Tito: A Mi Me Pasa Lo Mismo Que a Usted (1986), Mi Canción Es Paz (1987), Ofrenda (1987), and El Día Que Me Quieras (1988). Though his popularity began to fade after the turn of the decade, he remained active during the '90s and beyond. En Vivo Desde el Carnegie Hall (1999) was the most successful of his latter-day albums. Following his 2001 arrest for protesting U.S. military exercises on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques, Rivera published the book Enamorado de la Paz (2002), a collection of poems and diary entries written during his month-long imprisonment. ~ Jason Birchmeier

Formed in October 1998 to record an improvisational set in Montreal's Maison de la Culture Frontenac (which would result in the album, Year of the Tiger, released in 1999), the Dave Turner Quartet brought together some of Canada's most experienced jazz musicians. Saxophonist Dave Turner and pianist Jean Beaudet formed the home-town core of this group, aided by Toronto musicians Barry Elmes on drums and Steve Wallace on bass. The resulting sound was heavily steeped in bop and swing, with the bulk of the songs featuring Turner's compositions and arrangements. ~ Stacia Proefrock