by Scott YanowA major arranger who has been active in the film industry for over three decades, Patrick Williams occasionally leads projects of his own. He started out studying classical trumpet and played in the Norwalk Symphony Orchestra. At the same time, in high school, Williams led his own swing-oriented jazz band. He studied at Duke University (where he led the Duke Ambassadors) and Columbia University. Williams was active in the studios from an early age, piling up many credits while in New York during 1961-67. Although he played trumpet and vibes early on, Williams has been strictly a composer/arranger since moving to Los Angeles in 1968. He has written the scores for over 60 feature films and a countless number of television assignments, founded and ran the short-lived jazz label, Soundwings, in the late '70s and arranged for many performers, including Barbara Streisand and Billy Joel. Patrick Williams, who has taught at many universities, has led record dates of his own for Pausa, Verve, Capitol, Columbia, ABC, Allegiance, Warner Bros., Soundwings and EMI.