William George "Rams" Ramsay (born January 12, 1929, in

Centralia, Washington Centralia () is a city in Lewis County, Washington, United States. It is located along Interstate 5 near the midpoint between Seattle and Portland, Oregon. The city had a population of 18,183 at the 2020 census. Centralia is twinned with Cheh ...

) is an American jazz

saxophonist The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to pr ...

and

band Band or BAND may refer to: Places *Bánd, a village in Hungary *Band, Iran, a village in Urmia County, West Azerbaijan Province, Iran *Band, Mureș, a commune in Romania * Band-e Majid Khan, a village in Bukan County, West Azerbaijan Province, I ...

leader based in

Seattle Seattle ( ) is a seaport city on the West Coast of the United States. It is the seat of King County, Washington. With a 2020 population of 737,015, it is the largest city in both the state of Washington and the Pacific Northwest regio ...

. In 1997, he was inducted into the Seattle Jazz Hall of Fame, the top of eight Golden Ear Award categories presented annually since 1990 by the Earshot Jazz Society of Seattle. Ramsay performs on all the primary saxophones – soprano, alto, tenor, and baritone – as well as clarinet (his boyhood instrument), and bass clarinet.

Performance affiliations

Current * Ramsay has been a member of the Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra since its founding in 1995. * He is the co-leader, with Milton Edwin Kleeb (born 1919), of a ten-piece jazz band based in Seattle – the Ramsay-Kleeb Big Band. The band plays the music of

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

Gil Evans Ian Ernest Gilmore Evans (né Green; May 13, 1912 – March 20, 1988) was a Canadian–American jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader. He is widely recognized as one of the greatest orchestrators in jazz, playing an important role ...

, and

Gerry Mulligan Gerald Joseph Mulligan (April 6, 1927 – January 20, 1996), also known as Jeru, was an American jazz saxophonist, clarinetist, composer and arranger. Though primarily known as one of the leading jazz baritone saxophonists—playing the instrum ...

Past * Alto sax in the

Buddy Morrow Buddy Morrow (born Muni Zudekoff, aka Moe Zudekoff; February 8, 1919 – September 27, 2010) was an American trombonist and bandleader. Career On a scholarship at age 16, Morrow studied trombone with Ernest Horatio Clarke (1865–1947) at Juill ...

Band in the early 60s * Bari sax in the

Maynard Ferguson Walter Maynard Ferguson CM (May 4, 1928 – August 23, 2006) was a Canadian jazz trumpeter and bandleader. He came to prominence in Stan Kenton's orchestra before forming his own big band in 1957. He was noted for his bands, which often served ...

Band * Lead alto sax in the

Ray McKinley Ray McKinley (June 18, 1910 – May 7, 1995) was an American jazz drummer, singer, and bandleader. He played drums and later led the Major Glenn Miller Army Air Forces Orchestra in Europe. He also led the new Glenn Miller Orchestra in 1956. ...

Band * Tenor sax in the

Benny Goodman Benjamin David Goodman (May 30, 1909 – June 13, 1986) was an American clarinetist and bandleader known as the "King of Swing". From 1936 until the mid-1940s, Goodman led one of the most popular swing big bands in the United States. His co ...

Octet * Bari sax in the

Count Basie William James "Count" Basie (; August 21, 1904 – April 26, 1984) was an American jazz pianist, organist, bandleader, and composer. In 1935, he formed the Count Basie Orchestra, and in 1936 took them to Chicago for a long engagement and the ...

Orchestra for two years; Ramsay was hired in April 1984, three weeks before Basie died, to sub for Johnny C. Williams (born 1941), who had been hospitalized; Ramsay got the call from Basie's road manager,

Sonny Cohn George Thomas Cohn (March 14, 1925 – November 7, 2006), known professionally as Sonny Cohn, was an American jazz trumpeter whose career spanned over six decades. After working for fifteen years with Red Saunders (1945–1960), Cohn went on ...

; Bobby Mitchell had recommended Ramsay to Basie after having heard him with the

Band * Bari in the

Duke Ellington Edward Kennedy "Duke" Ellington (April 29, 1899 – May 24, 1974) was an American jazz pianist, composer, and leader of his eponymous jazz orchestra from 1923 through the rest of his life. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Ellington was based ...

Orchestra * Toured with Les Brown,

Frank Wess Frank Wellington Wess (January 4, 1922 – October 30, 2013) was an American jazz saxophonist and flutist. In addition to his extensive solo work, Wess is remembered for his time in Count Basie's band from the early 1950s into the 1960s. Critic ...

Sweets Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard back ...

Band,

Grover Mitchell Grover Mitchell, born Grover Curry Mitchell (March 17, 1930 – August 6, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist who led the Count Basie Orchestra. Biography Mitchell was born in Whately, Alabama, but he moved with his parents to Pittsburgh, Pen ...

's New York All Star Orchestra,

Dennis Mackrel Dennis Mackrel (born April 3, 1962) is an American jazz drummer, composer, and arranger who was a member of the Count Basie Orchestra and the Vanguard Jazz Orchestra. Career The son of two jazz enthusiasts, Mackrel started playing drums at age ...

Jazz Orchestra, and

Frankie Capp Francis Cappuccio (August 20, 1931 – September 12, 2017), known professionally as Frank Capp, was an American jazz drummer. Capp also played on numerous rock and roll sessions and is considered to be a member of The Wrecking Crew. Biography ...

's "Juggernaut." * Performed with the bands of

Thad Jones Thaddeus Joseph Jones (March 28, 1923 – August 20, 1986) was an American jazz trumpeter, composer, and bandleader who has been called "one of the all-time greatest jazz trumpet soloists". Biography Thad Jones was born in Pontiac, Michigan, U ...

Cab Calloway Cabell Calloway III (December 25, 1907 – November 18, 1994) was an American singer, songwriter, bandleader, conductor and dancer. He was associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, where he was a regular performer and became a popular vocalist ...

Mel Lewis Melvin Sokoloff (May 10, 1929 – February 2, 1990), known professionally as Mel Lewis, was an American jazz drummer, session musician, professor, and author. He received fourteen Grammy Award nominations. Biography Early years Lewis was ...

Gene Harris Gene Harris (born Eugene Haire, September 1, 1933 – January 16, 2000) was an American jazz pianist known for his warm sound and blues and gospel infused style that is known as soul jazz. From 1956 to 1970, he played in The Three Sounds trio ...

, and

Quincy Jones Quincy Delight Jones Jr. (born March 14, 1933) is an American record producer, musician, songwriter, composer, arranger, and film and television producer. His career spans 70 years in the entertainment industry with a record of 80 Grammy Award n ...

* In the 1980s, Ramsay led his own big band that performed Sundays at Parnall's Jazz Club in Seattle

Selected discography

As leader * Ramsay-Kleeb Band, ''"Red" Kelly's Heros'', C.A.R.S. Productions (Los Angeles) (Ramsay arranges, plays alto & clarinet, co-directs) (1997) : Note: In the 1980s, Ramsay played tener sax with Thomas "Red" Kelly's quintet (jazz bass; 1927–2004),

Carl Fontana Carl Charles Fontana (July 18, 1928 – October 9, 2003) was an American jazz trombonist. After working in the big bands of Woody Herman, Lionel Hampton, and Stan Kenton, he devoted most of his career to playing music in Las Vegas. Career Font ...

(trombone), David H. Stetler (drums; 1923–2002), and Donald Wing Chan (piano; born 1941) As arranger * Jay Thomas with the

Cedar Walton Cedar Anthony Walton Jr. (January 17, 1934 – August 19, 2013) was an American hard bop jazz pianist. He came to prominence as a member of drummer Art Blakey's band, The Jazz Messengers, before establishing a long career as a bandleader and com ...

Trio, ''Easy Does It'',

Discovery Discovery may refer to: * Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown * Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown * Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence Discovery, The Discovery ...

(1984) :: Trombone orchestration by Ramsay As sideman *

–

Harry Edison Harry "Sweets" Edison (October 10, 1915 – July 27, 1999) was an American jazz trumpeter and a member of the Count Basie Orchestra. His most important contribution was as a Hollywood studio musician, whose muted trumpet can be heard back ...

Orchestra, ''Dear Mr. Basie''

Concord Jazz Concord Jazz is a record company and label founded in 1973 by Carl Jefferson, the former owner of Jefferson Motors Lincoln Mercury dealership in Concord, California. The label was named after the city in the East San Francisco Bay area, and the j ...

(1989) *

Orchestra, ''Hip Shakin,

Ken Music Ken Music was a jazz record label based in Japan that distributed CDs in Japan, Germany, North America, and Great Britain. The company was founded by Kenichi (Ken) Fujiwara in 1989 as a subsidiary of Matsuka USA, which, among other things, manufac ...

(1990) (see audio link below) : also on

(Japan) & Ken/Passport (Germany) * Jay Thomas, ''360 Degrees'' (Ramsay plays alto, tenor, and is arranger) Hep Jazz (1990) *

Mel Torme Mel, Mels or MEL may refer to: Biology * Mouse erythroleukemia cell line (MEL) * National Herbarium of Victoria, a herbarium with the Index Herbariorum code MEL People * Mel (given name), the abbreviated version of several given names (including ...

with the

Orchestra, ''Live at the Concord Jazz Festival, August 17, 1990'',

* The Frank Wess Orchestra, ''Entre Nous'', Live "Kan-i Hoken Hall", Tokyo, Japan, November 11, 1990

* Becca Duran with the Jay Thomas Group, ''Hide & Seek'',

Discovery Records Discovery Records was a United States-based record company and label known for its recordings of jazz music. Discovery was founded in 1948 by jazz fan and promoter Albert Marx. The record label eventually would record jazz notables such as Dizzy ...

(1991) *

Bud Shank Clifford Everett "Bud" Shank Jr. (May 27, 1926 – April 2, 2009) was an American alto saxophonist and flautist. He rose to prominence in the early 1950s playing lead alto and flute in Stan Kenton's Innovations in Modern Music Orchestra and thro ...

, ''Lost Cathedral'', (1995) * ''Seven Sensational Saxophones – Fujitsu-Concord 26Th Jazz Festival,'' Jesse Davis, Gary Foster, Bill Ramsay,

Ken Peplowski Ken Peplowski (born May 23, 1959) is an American jazz clarinetist and tenor saxophonist. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and known primarily for playing swing music. For over a decade, Peplowski recorded for Concord Records. In 2 ...

, Chris Potter,

, and

Rickey Woodard Rickey Woodard is an American jazz saxophonist. Born in Nashville, Tennessee, from 1980 on Woodard spent seven years with the Ray Charles band. A member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, Woodard has also recorded with Frank Capp and as a ...

(1994)
Edmonia Jarrett
''Live Live Live'', recorded at Triad Studios,

Redmond, Washington Redmond is a city in King County, Washington, United States, located east of Seattle. The population was 73,256 at the 2020 census, up from 54,144 in 2010. Redmond is best known as the home of Microsoft and Nintendo of America. With an an ...

(1996)
Jan Stentz
''Forever'', MNOP Records (1999) * Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, ''SRJO Live'',

Origin Records Origin Records is a jazz and classical music record label founded by drummer John Bishop in 1997.de Barros, Paul (July 2, 2002)Small label, big noise: Ballard's Origin Records drumming up national interest Seattle Times. With the help of drummer M ...

(recorded in Seattle, 29 March 1997, released 2002) *

Mel Tormé Melvin Howard Tormé (September 13, 1925 – June 5, 1999), nicknamed "The Velvet Fog", was an American musician, singer, composer, arranger, drummer, actor, and author. He composed the music for "The Christmas Song" ("Chestnuts Roasting on an Op ...

, ''Two Darn Hot: A Night at the Concord Pavilion/Live at the Fujitsu-Concord'' (2002) *

Pete Christlieb Pete Christlieb (born February 16, 1945) is an American jazz bebop, West Coast jazz and hard bop tenor saxophonist. Biography Christlieb was born in Los Angeles, California, United States, and is the son of bassoonist Don Christlieb. Christlieb ...

, ''For Heaven's Sake'', C.A.R.S. Productions (Los Angeles) (1999) * Jon Belcher & Savoy Swing, ''Till Tom Special'', Irrational Behavior Productions (1999) * ''Charlie May All Star Big Band Plays the Arrangements of Gaylord Jones'' (2001)
Lance Buller
''Let the Good Times Roll'' (2002)
Stephanie Porter
''Mood Swings'' (2003)

& the NW Prevailing Winds, ''Convergence Zone'',

(2003) * Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra, ''Sacred Music of Duke Ellington'',

(live performances at University Christian Church, Seattle 2001–2005, released 2006)
Phil Kelly
& the SW Santa Ana Winds, ''My Museum'',

(2006) *

, ''Awakening'' (2006) *

Jimmy Heath James Edward Heath (October 25, 1926 – January 19, 2020), nicknamed Little Bird, was an American jazz saxophonist, composer, arranger, and big band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually co ...

& the Seattle Jazz Orchestra, ''Endless Search'',

(2010)
Phil Kelly
& The Northwest Bouncing Beagles, ''Ballet of the Bouncing Beagles'',

(2009) *

Stix Hooper Stix or STIX may refer to: People * Stix Hooper (born 1938), American jazz musician * Gary Stix, American journalist * Thomas H. Stix (1924–2001), American physicist * Christine Stix-Hackl (born 1957), Austrian jurist Arts and entertainment * ...

, ''Many Hats'' (2010) * Primo Kim Villaruz, ''Make it Right'', R.K.K. Productions, Inc. (

Bothell, Washington Bothell () is a city in King and Snohomish counties in the U.S. state of Washington. It is part of the Seattle metropolitan area, situated near the northeast end of Lake Washington. As of the 2020 census, it had a population of 48,161 resident ...

) (2010) * Milt Kleeb Octet, ''Something if Nothing Else''
Pony Boy Records
(2011) Unpublished * Bill Ramsay & the Hipshaker Big Band, ''Thaddeus,'' unpublished live recording at Tula's (2004)

Filmography

* ''A Tribute to Count Basie,'' filmed at Kan-i Hoken Hall, Tokyo, November 11, 1989 (film for television) :Personnel: Harry "Sweets" Edison, Joe Newman,

Snooky Young Eugene Edward "Snooky" Young (February 3, 1919 – May 11, 2011) was an American jazz trumpeter. He was known for his mastery of the plunger mute, with which he was able to create a wide range of sounds. Biography Young was lead trumpeter of th ...

Al Aarons Albert Aarons (March 23, 1932 – November 17, 2015) was an American jazz trumpeter. Biography Aarons was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and graduated from Wayne State University in Detroit. He began to gain attention as a trumpet player in 1 ...

, Ray Brown, trumpet;

Al Grey Al Grey (June 6, 1925 – March 24, 2000) was an American jazz trombonist who was a member of the Count Basie orchestra. He was known for his plunger mute technique and wrote an instructional book in 1987 called ''Plunger Techniques''. Care ...

Benny Powell Benny Powell (March 1, 1930 – June 26, 2010) was an American jazz trombonist. He played both standard (tenor) trombone and bass trombone. Biography Born Benjamin Gordon Powell Jr in New Orleans, Louisiana, he first played professionally ...

, Michael Grey, trombone;

Marshal Royal Marshal Walton Royal Jr. (December 5, 1912 – May 8, 1995) was an American jazz alto saxophonist and clarinetist best known for his work with Count Basie, with whose band he played for nearly twenty years. Early life and education Marshal Royal ...

Curtis Peagler
alto sax;

, tenor sax, flute;

Billy Mitchell William Lendrum Mitchell (December 29, 1879 – February 19, 1936) was a United States Army officer who is regarded as the father of the United States Air Force. Mitchell served in France during World War I and, by the conflict's end, command ...

, tenor sax; Bill Ramsay, baritone sax; Ronnell Bright, piano;

Ted Dunbar Earl Theodore Dunbar (January 17, 1937 – May 29, 1998) was an American jazz guitarist, composer, and educator. Career Born in Port Arthur, Texas, Dunbar trained as a pharmacist at Texas Southern University, but by the 1970s he only did pharma ...

, guitar; Eddie Jones, acoustic double bass; Gregg Fields, drums. * ''Fujitsu Concord Jazz Festival'', filmed at Kan-i Hoken Hall, Japan, November 11, 1990 (film for television) : Personnel: Ray Brown,

Pete Minger Pete Minger (January 22, 1943 in Orangeburg, South Carolina – April 13, 2000 in Pompano Beach, Florida), born George Allen Minger, was an American bebop-based trumpeter. He also played flugelhorn. He came from a musical family with his moth ...

, Joe Newman, Snooky Young, trumpet; Arthur Baron,

Dennis Wilson Dennis Carl Wilson (December 4, 1944 – December 28, 1983) was an American musician, singer, and songwriter who co-founded the Beach Boys. He is best remembered as their drummer and as the middle brother of bandmates Brian and Carl Wilson. ...

Douglas Purviance Douglas Purviance (born July 18, 1952 in Turner Station, Maryland) is a jazz trombonist. He began his professional career as a member of the Stan Kenton Orchestra, playing bass trombone and tuba from 1975 to 1977. Mostly, he works as a studio sess ...

, trombone; Bill Ramsay
Curtis Peagler
alto sax;

, tenor sax, flute;

, tenor sax; Babe Clarke, baritone sax; Tee Curson, piano;

, guitar; Eddie Jones, acoustic double bass
Dennis Mackrel
drums,

, vocal, drums. * ''

Diane Schuur Diane Joan Schuur (born December 10, 1953), nicknamed "Deedles", is an American jazz singer and pianist. As of 2015, Schuur had released 23 albums, and had extended her jazz repertoire to include essences of Latin, gospel, pop and country music ...

: Live from Seattle - With

and His Big Bop Nouveau Band'' (2006)

Service in the U.S. Armed Forces

From September 28, 1948, to June 25, 1952, Ramsay served in the U.S. Army. He ended his tour with an honorable discharge.Veterans' Affairs, Department of, Korean War Era Veterans' Bonus Claims, 1955–1960
/ref>

Family

Parents : William George Ramsay was born in Washington to William Mathew Ramsay (1902–1969) and Edna Mae (' Forsythe; surname at death – Skramstad; 1902–1999). William and Edna were married October 22, 1921, in

Lewis County, Washington Lewis County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the county's population was 82,149. The county seat is Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia. Lewis County comprises the Centralia, WA Micropolitan Statisti ...

. Edna remarried Thorvald N. Skramstad (1903–1989) in

on March 26, 1972. Sister : Bill Ramsay had one sister, Gloria Phyllis Ramsay (1923–2003), who, in 1946, married Tim Clarence Oconnell (1918–2008). Spouse : Bill married Lillian (' Halstead; born 1931). Daughter : Bill and Lillian have a daughter, Jane Susan Ramsay (born 1952) and, grandson, Maxfield Ramsay Marcus, (born 1993).

Audio & video links

* * (Ramsay playing bari) * , featuring

and

Doug Lawrence Douglas Lawrence Osowski, known professionally as Mr. Lawrence, is an American voice actor, writer, animator, storyboard artist, director, and comedian. He is best known for his work as a writer and voice actor for the Nicktoons ''Rocko's Mode ...

on tenors (Ramsay on bari in the sax section)

References

External links

Seattle Repertory Jazz Orchestra official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsay, Bill American jazz saxophonists American male saxophonists American music arrangers Jazz arrangers American jazz bandleaders 1929 births Living people Musicians from Seattle 21st-century American saxophonists 21st-century American male musicians American male jazz musicians