John Ellis Dowell Williams, known as Jed Williams (12 June 1952 - 10 November 2003), was a Welsh

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 journalist and the founder and artistic director of the Brecon Jazz Festival

Brecon Jazz Festival

Brecon Jazz Festival is a music festival held on an annual basis in the rural surroundings of Brecon, in south Powys, Mid Wales. Normally staged in early August, it plays host to a range of jazz musicians who travel from across the world to take part and to many visiting tourists who are attracted...

.

Williams was born in Cardiff

Cardiff

Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...

 and educated at the Howardian Grammar School. By the time he left school, he was already a semi-professional jazz drummer. He played as a support musician for touring performers such as Wild Bill Davison

Wild Bill Davison

Wild' Bill Davison was a fiery jazz cornet player who emerged in the 1920s, but did not achieve recognition until the 1940s...

 and Buddy Tate.

In the 1980s, he became one of the organisers of the Welsh Jazz Society, and in 1983 became organiser of the Brecon Jazz Festival. In 1987, he opened The Four Bars Inn

The Four Bars Inn

The Four Bars Inn was a jazz club in Cardiff, Wales now known as "Dempseys". It was founded by Jed Williams in 1987, who was also musical director of the Brecon Jazz Festival. Williams, together with vocalist/trombonist Mike Harries formed the Inn's house band The Root Doctors. The Inn featured...

 jazz club in Cardiff, Wales, and together with vocalist/trombonist Mike Harries formed the Inn's house band The Root Doctors.

In 1991, he founded the magazine JazzUK, which he also edited.