Tony Williams

Chicago-born and Boston-raised drumming legend Anthony Tillman "Tony" Williams III was recruited by Miles Davis when the young prodigy was only 17-years old. The power phenom was one of the first pieces Davis found to form his new "hard bop" band in the early 1960s--a band that, with the addition of bassist Ron Carter, keyboard phenom Herbie Hancock, and saxophonist Wayne Shorter, would become known as Miles' "Second Great Quintet." Tony had has his start at 13-years old playing for Sam Rivers before being picked up by saxophonist Jackie MacLean when he was 16. This is where Miles first became aware of Tony; Jackie actually introducing Tony to Miles because he saw something special in Tony that he thought Miles would appreciate. Miles asked Tony to sit in with him for some sessions in New York City in May of 1963--the sessions that produced what would end up as three of the six songs on Columbia Records' July 15 release of Miles' Seven Steps to Heaven.

March 19, 1963: recorded the material that would become the August Blue Note release of My Point of View, Herbie Hancock's second album as a band leader, with Chuck Israels on bass, Donald Byrd on trumpet, Hank Mobley on tenor sax, and Grant Green on guitar, and Grachan Moncur III on trombone. Tony's performance on the album's third song, "King Cobra" is quite extraordinary: it lets the world know that a new force in music has arrived on the jazz scene.

April 1, 1963: Tony was hired to sit in for the recording sessions for Kenny Dorham's material that would end up on the Blue Note publication of Una Mas (One More Time). Kenny's quintet for the session included Herbie Hancock, Anthony Williams, bassist Butch Warren, tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, and himself on trumpet. A great lineup that grooves and simmers steadily on every track.

April 30, 1963: recording sessions for Jackie MacLean's One Step Beyond--which would be released by Blue Note in early 1964. An amazing album of extraordinary performances, not the least of which is that of the 17-year-old newbie, Anthony Tillmon Williams III.

MILES DAVIS Seven Steps to Heaven (1963)

Recorded for Columbia Records in Hollywood (tracks A1, A3, B2) on April 16, 1963 and on May 14 in New York City (tracks A2, B1, B3). The album represents Tony Williams' debut with Miles but the result is not as impressive as one might have been led to expect.

May 14, 1963: the session that would turn into four songs for the Seven Steps to Heaven and "Seven Steps to Heaven / Joshua" releases--of which the former was published on July 15. Present with Miles for the recording session that occurred on this date were Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams--four-fifths of the lineup that would become known as Miles "Second Great Quintet." 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Miles Davis / trumpet

- Ron Carter / bass

- Frank Butler / drums (A1, A3, B2)

- Victor Feldman / piano (A1, A3, B2)

- George Coleman / tenor saxophone (A2, B1, B3)

- Anthony "Tony" Williams / drums (A2, B1, B3)

- Herbie Hancock / piano (A2, B1, B3)

A2. "Seven Steps To Heaven" (6:24) clean, clear sound with acoustic double bass front and center, clean, clear capture of Tony Williams' crisp drumming relegated to the right channel, Herbie Hancock's choppy-style of piano zip occupying the left, George Coleman's tenor sax also in the right, and Miles' intimate trumpet front and center. My favorite parts are in the final minute when Miles and George harmonize the speedy melody in perfect unison. Fun tune--though fully-entrenched in the be-bop category. (9/10)

B1. "So Near, So Far" (7:00) a cover of a Tony Crombie & Bennie Green composition, this turns out to be the most progressive and refreshing tune on the album as each of the musicians seems to be working in their own universes while being cleverly overlayed as they are all woven together quite magically as one beautiful (though busy) tapestry. Herbie and Tony are present on this one with both adding their own syncopated accents beneath Miles' dominant-though-relaxed open trumpet play. George Coleman is given the green light for a solo in the third and fourth minutes. Starting out rather stiffly he sticks to the script pretty tightly for the first minute, but then he loosens up and starts to slur and spew some cool little riffs and flourishes. Herbie is given the sixth minute before the band returns to the neat little five-part harmony weave for the final minute. I like this song! (13.75/15)

B3. "Joshua" (7:01) the third and final song involving the full quintet, all parts are up and running from the opening notes: Ron walking all over that upright fretboard, Tony contributing his otherworldly syncopated and off-center accents, Herbie stretching out his harmonic gifts, while Miles and George explore the melodic possibilities up top. A great, adventurous, spirited, and highly-creative tune that really puts on full display the talents of these artists. It's so nice to hear Herbie, Ron, and Tony given a short leash: feeling alive! (14.125/15)

Total Time: 46:20

Though produced by Miles' longtime "finisher," Teo Mecero, this was still before the explosion of new sound engineering ideas and possibilities had emerged, so there is more of Miles and the band here than Teo's cut-and-splicing. Too bad that there are no original compositions on this album--especially with all of the talent he's got with him.

Though not a Jazz-Rock Fusion album--and by no means exhibiting the fire and brimstone of the fully-formed "Second Great Quintet"--there are a couple of songs here that push the envelope of traditional and accepted jazz modalities a bit ("So Near, So Far" and "Joshua").

90.26 on the Fishscales = A-/4.5 stars; a very solid contribution of skillful and accessible Jazz that shows some interesting ideas being developed in Miles' thinking. 

From here out Miles monopolized Tony's time for the summer and fall by taking him on tour as part of his new quintet.

July 1963: recordings are made of Miles' Seven Steps to Heaven quintet at a live performance at The Antibes International Jazz Festival on the French Riviera. Selections from these recordings would then be released on July 13, 1964 by Columbia Records as Miles Davis' Miles Davis in Europe. 

November 29, 1963: recording sessions at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for Grachan Moncur's Evolution --an album that wouldn't be released by Blue Note until April of 1964.

February 25, 1964: the material that would end up on Blue Note's Out to Lunch! by Eric Dolphy, was recorded. Eric was leading a quintet 
formation with trumpeter Freddie Hubbard, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, and bassist Richard Davis (and Tony). (Published in August.) A much lauded and praised album that I find little enjoyment from. None of Tony's performances here are impressive to me because everybody is acting so disparate and independent of one another. I guess I like/seek cohesion and weaves. 

ANDREW HILL Point of Departure (1964)

On March 21, 1964, Tony sat in on Andrew Hill's recording session for Point of Departure. Present was iconic pianist Eric Dolphy, performing for what would be his final recording session on American soil. The resulting album, which for reasons unknown to me, wasn't released by Blue Note until April of 1965, is considered a landmark album of avant-garde jazz.

June 17, 1964: recording session for Herbie Hancock's Empyrean Isles which was released on Blue Note in November of 1964. Herbie really lets Tony have space to play--which the 19-year old does, brilliantly, especially on the album's opener, 1. "One Finger Snap" (7:21)

By now, Tony had earned the privilege of his own contract with Blue Note--and the green light for the recording of his own material, which resulted in his 1964 album release, Life Time, and 1965's Spring.

August 21 & 24, 1964: recording sessions at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, for Tony's first solo album, Life Time with collaborators Gary Peacock and Richard Davis on basses and Tony's old boss, Sam Rivers on tenor sax for the opening song, "Two Pieces of One," Bobby Hutcherson on vibraphone and Herbie Hancock on piano for the song, "Memory," and and Ron Carter and Herbie on the final song, "Barb's Song to the Wizard." The album was released on Blue Note in January of 1965. 

ANTHONY WILLIAMS Life Time (1964)

Before he became "Tony" his official birth name would often appear on album credits (sometimes even with the "III" numeral at the end of his name). 20-year old Anthony Williams III had barely had time to unpack from his work with Sam Rivers' band to start working with Miles Davis as Miles was itching to start a new "quintet" when this recording opportunity came his way. The album's first three tracks were recorded in the first session, on August 21, at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, while the last two songs were recorded with an entirely different lineup on August 24 in the same venue.   

Line-up / Musicians:
- Anthony Williams / drums, timpani, wood block, maracas, triangle

With:

- Gary Peacock / double bass (A1, A2, B1)

- Richard Davis / double bass (A1, A2)
- Sam Rivers / tenor saxophone (A1, A2, B1)

- Herbie Hancock / piano (B2, B3)

- Bobby Hutcherson / vibraphone & marimba (B2)

- Ron Carter / double bass (track B3)

A1. "Two Pieces of One: Red" (8:06) expecting the wild frenetic "animal" that shows up on Miles DAvis albums, I found myself quite shocked at the pensive, cerebral nature of this song. The palette is quite sparse with nothing more than a little horn and a lot of solo double bass over the first 2:30, then Tony and Sam enter full time to play with the two bass players. The initial melody carried by Gary Peacock is still present (in the basses) but offered in a wide variety of permutations and combinations while Tony responds and Sam Rivers goes into his own world of expression. In the sixth minute the band leaves a bass player alone (again) while the second bassist supports with bowed scrapes and held notes. I would love to hear what composer Williams was thinking when he created this piece and again when he instructed his collaborators on its form and intentions. I find it intriguing if not entirely clear to me. With titles like "Red" and "Green" I find myself thinking of "stop" and "go"--which about sums up the essence of the two. (13.5/15)

A2. "Two Pieces of One: Green" (10:40) given a "green light" what one can and does do is pretty limitless--which I think Sam takes to heart while launching the song off while Tony plays along, totally reacting to Sam's pace and mood and mental changes. There is not a lot of Gary or Richard Davis' bass present in the first half of the song, though there is a great exploratory drum exposition in the very middle. (18/20)

B1. "Tomorrow Afternoon" (5:35) another "real" jazz tune with bass (Gary Peacock), drums, and Sam Rivers' tenor sax all working together within the loosely-concerted bebop tune. The first three minutes are fully Sam Rivers in the spotlight (though both Tony and Gary are well worth the listener's attention), then Gary does one of his amazingly adventurous solos in for the next 90 seconds before giving the stick back to Sam--who takes it to the finish, actually moving back toward standard melody formats for the final 20 seconds. Nice. (9/10)

B2. "Memory" (8:06) in a trio format with no bass! only Bobby Hutcherson's vibes and Herbie Hancock's piano. Tony's maracas open this before Bobby starts hitting one bar of his vibraphone. Eventually, slowly, Bobby begins to expand the presence of his instrument with a couple notes, then a few, then a pattern or flurry, then what sounds like something that might evolve into a motif. But, no! Tony backs out his support causing Bobby to stop, to question his own choices. As if seeking approval, Bobby continues trying a note or chord here and there until finally, prompted by some criterion unknown to any one--even perhaps to Tony himself--Tony picks up his percussion play, even taking his place behind his drum kit--which reignites Bobby's confidence to start exploring playful little ditties on his vibraphone and then, a little later, his marimba. Tony steps back to watch, to listen, as Bobby continues to play around. Herbie makes his presence known, prompting Tony to rejoin with his percussion instruments (maracas, wood block, triangle, and then drum kit), which results in both Herbie and Bobby stopping, as if to watch Tony. Tony's play seems self-absorbant, even when Bobby attempts a return, and then it's suddenly over! I wish I knew the impetus and inspiration for the music on this album. (13.25/15)

B3. "Barb's Song to the Wizard" (5:56) in a trio format with Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock unleashing a torrent of controlled sound manipulations with a vacuum of infinite possibility. Each and every note, intended and/or mistaken, is captured with no chance of ever being lost or forgotten, much less manipulated or recast. Herbie seems to be more frail in his commitment, more unsure of his choices, than Ron; Ron more bold and carefree with his notes and techniques--and yet the insecure and overly-careful youth continues as the over-confident and perhaps-reckless "elder" (Ron is three years older than Herbie) moves onward: either uncaring of any consequences or hurrying, happy to get on with his life. And there he sits: a presence of potential energy, looking on, fully able to act, to join in, but either mesmerized with all that he was observing, hearing, satisfied that letting his chances pass by would turn out to be a good thing, or cowering in fear, afraid to step in for fear of "ruining" or affecting the outcome negatively. (Tony was nearly a decade the junior to these rising stars.) It's beautiful, it's child-like, it's perfect for exactly what it preserved: like a videotape of two children playing in the yard, oblivious to anything outside their little world of make-believe, oblivious to the passage of time, to the documentation of their lives. (10/10)

Total time: 38:23

An insight I just received with some deep dive research into this album and this era of these young experimentalists' exploits in music revealed this gem: "[Tony and Herbie] just don't care if they get lost for a minute[!]" It was all a part and consequence of the experience of trying new things (like complex time signatures or atonal counterpoint). Rather than thinking that the tape and studio time (and money) spent recording these songs as wasted, they young men were proud to display the results of their pioneering forays--exuding a confidence that they were "perfect" in their imperfection!  

91.07 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a fascinating exposition of creative and experimental jazz--not quite free jazz and not really bebop; more like avant garde.

Tony sat in on the December 11, 1964 recording sessions at Rudy Van Gelder's studios for the material that would end up becoming Sam Rivers' Fuchsia Swing Song, which was released early in April, 1965.

MILES DAVIS E.S.P. (Released August 16, 1965)

After a couple of years of touring, testing out new lineups and new formats while trying to form a new quintet (and releasing several live albums in the interim), Miles has his new dream lineup--what will be remembered as his "Second Great Quintet"--as superstar Wayne Shorter has finally come aboard to join Miles and Ron Carter with wunderkinder Tony Williams and Herbie Hancock. The first studio album to feature the full lineup of the Second Great Quintet is recorded at Columbia Studios in Los Angeles on January 20-22, 1965. Producer Teo Macero has by now been exposed to the amazingly new and expanding possibilities of sound engineering (he's had lots of fun practicing with a couple of live albums released between this and 1963's Seven Steps to Heaven as well as the long process of finishing the classic Gil Evans big band collaboration, Quiet Nights, which had been recorded in 1962 and early 1963 but not released until December of 1963), thus the six months between recording sessions and the final Columbia Records release. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Miles Davis / Trumpet
- Wayne Shorter / Tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock / Piano
- Ron Carter / Double bass

- Tony Williams / Drums

A1. "E.S.P." (5:29) there is a sense of comfort and ease from the very onset of this song: this band "clicks." Wayne Shorter leads on his tenor sax from the opening note with Ron Carter and Tony Williams running like mice beneath and Herbie accenting the mid-range on piano. When Miles takes over the lead in the second minute it feels like everybody kicks into hyper-focus: "Got to impress the boss" they're thinking. Herbie gets the next solo starting at 4:05. His melodies are impressive for how quickly things are moving along. At the advent of the sixth minute Ron slows down as Wayne and Miles recapitulate the main melody together, bringing the song to a close. Impressive jazz. (9.125/10)

A2. "Eighty-One" (6:14) Herbie leads on this one while Miles and Wayne inject a few interesting blasts before the reins are handed over to the bandleader. There is a definite fresh, innovative feeling to this song: I'm not sure if it's the odd structure or mix of changing motifs from partial elements of the group while the soloists play, but there is something very interesting here. It's like the band members are each allowed to change things up--to shift gears or styles--whenever the mood or whim excites them. Tony, Herbie, and Ron all do it and a few times the whole band follows suit but sometimes they don't! I'm not sure what you call that which I'm listening to here but it's very different from the jazz I'm used to hearing. When Miles and Wayne join forces to play in tandem over Herbie's solo in the final minute, it is so cool! It's as if they're playing a game: trying to read each other's minds while not taking too much away from Herbie. A very cool jazz song that feels as if it's pushing boundaries. (10/10)

A3. "Little One" (7:21) soft, slow, and spacious piano-led (and Herbie-composed) jazz music over which Miles and Wayne each take turns soloing with pensive intent. Ron and Tony are there in the background, trying to feed off the leader's energy (Tony trying to hold back his penchant for more dynamic play) and Wayne's "thought trains" a little more active-preoccupied than Miles' reflective ones. Even Herbie in the background feels as if he's ready to exude more enthusiasm than his leaders have laid down, yet his turn in the spotlight is perhaps the most beautiful in its contemplative expression of all of them. (It's between he and Miles.) The support from the rhythm section backs way down in the seventh minute, giving the song a much more "finished" feeling to its end. Nice exercise in mental discipline. The boys did well! (14/15)

A4. "R.J." (3:56) back to a quicker pace with Tony keeping time while Ron runs through a two-measure sprint over and over with a brief piano-filled break in between each race. Wayne takes the first solo but I find myself so distracted by the intriguing little dance that Herbie and Ron are doing that I find it hard to pay attention to the soloists. Fascinating! (9.3333/10)

B1. "Agitation" (7:45) Tony, sticks on the skins, for the first two minutes of this before Miles' muted trumpet squeaks into the soundscape with Ron and Herbie tip-toeing beneath. Eventually, Ron, Tony, and Herbie fall into sync with one another creating what feels like a motif that is intended to mesmerize the listener; they're sneakily trying to brainwash us! Miles distracts us from "behind" with his muted trumpet while the other three go through their Marth Graham-like angular motions with the consistency of time pieces. Wayne steps in to give a gentle solo that continues to lull us while the scientists do their work underneath. Again: fascinating! Miles and his collaborators are definitely exploring the structural rules of jazz--testing the confining boundaries with these mathematical exercises. I find myself really enjoying this (and the process)! A Miles composition, I imagine he was quite exacting of his demands on the rhythmatists here. (14/15)

B2. "Iris" (8:31) opening like a late-night piece from Kind of Blue we are informed very early on by Herbie that this is in no way anything like anything from Bill Evans or Wynton Kelly. Ron and Tony stay pretty firm in their commitment to standard jazz support, but Miles and Wayne are definitely stretching the familiar routes of melody and dynamics on this Wayne Shorter composition. While I truly enjoy all of the solos, it is Herbie's humane piano solo in the seventh minute that I love the most. (It is actually quite a lot like something Bill Evans or Vince Guaraldi might do. Lovely!) Wayne, too has manifests some pretty awesome ideas here. One of the few songs on which it is the soloists/melody-makers that impress me the most! This might actually be my favorite song on the album! (19.25/20)

B3. "Mood" (8:49) once again we've got a set up in which Tony is keeping time while Ron and Herbie play off of one another to help create a kind of see-saw rhythm track. Then Miles, playing another muted trumpet, and Wayne, here playing a breathy (slightly muted?) sax, play off each other in a way that is similar to Ron and Herbie. In both duo's cases one of the members is being more steady (Ron and Wayne) while the other is spicing things up a bit (Herbie and Miles). But then, in the fourth minute, Wayne is given the spotlight while Miles sits back and watch/listens. Nice solo here, Wayne! For the sixth minute, Herbie gets the next solo. Again, I am so impressed by his discipline and presence: the way he takes time to let the next chord or phrase emerge out of him without ever seeming to press or rush. Amazing! Miles and Wayne return to their original binary star dance for the final minute. Interesting, lovely, though a bit soporific. (17.875/20)

Total Time: 48:23

I am rather surprised at the way the music on this album somehow manages to keep the band's usually-hyperactive drummer in a rather sedate state. The dynamic rock inputs of the previous album are totally absent. (Perhaps Tony is spent or distracted from the energy he is putting into his solo projects at the time. Or perhaps Miles put some heroin into Tony's chamomile tea.) The result is what I feel is probably the least impressive Second Quintet album. Let Tony loose!

93.58 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of jazz music that I hold up as one of the finest demonstrations of boundary-pushing jazz I've ever heard. Though there is little to no influence of rock music here, the mentality of mathematical experimentation with structure that is supremely present here is something that I find very essential to the "progressive" part of both high arts of Progressive Rock and Jazz-Rock Fusion. HIGHLY recommended--even essential to any music lover's album collection.

ANTHONY WILLIAMS Spring (released in February of 1966)

Tony's second release with Blue Note was also recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, on August 12, 1965, still four months before his teen years would end. Anthony coaxes several of his new acquaintances into the studio, making for a lineup of now-legends that brings very high expectations to the listener.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Anthony Williams / drums & percussion

- Gary Peacock / double bass (A1, A3, B1, B2)
- Herbie Hancock / piano (A3, B1, B2)
- Sam Rivers / tenor saxophone (A1, A3, 

- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone (A1, A3, B2)

A1. "Extras" (8:09) after an awesome start with wildman Gary Peacock and Tony's brushwork supporting a double-barreled explosion of Sam Rivers and Wayne Shorter the music settles on Peacock as the bus driver while the sax players take turns with dynamic solos over the top. (There is no Herbie Hancock on either of the album's first two songs.) The way each of the sax players are able to sneak cool melodies into their frenetic playing is quite amazing. Tony switches to sticks for some reactive cymbal play to support Gary's solo in the third minute. This is very dynamic jazz despite Tony's narrow use of only one aspect of his drum kit at a time. Back to brushes on his snare while one of the sax players explores the deep end of their instrument's range. The imaging of the instruments on this song are among the most spherical I've ever heard. Amazing remastering from Rudy Van Gelder in 2009. (14/15)

A2. "Echo" (5:00) a solo drum exposition, Tony exhibits his speed, unusual sense of time and power, as well as his right and left hand separation. The subtle syncopation of the high-speed snare solo in the third minute is pretty remarkable. I'm sure drummers love and study this but, in all honesty, the skills on display here are beyond my feeble abilities to comprehend. My personal favorite part is the final minute. (9.25/10)

A3. "From Before" (6:52) two saxes playing a minimalist arrangement before Herbie joins in. Again, the clarity of the surround-sound imaging of this remaster is nothing short of astounding. (The original is also pretty amazing.) Every time I hear this song I find myself quaking to awareness of melody lines, straightforward and varied, inversions and permutations, that come from the classic film song, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow"! (13.75/15)

B1. "Love Song" (8:24) the main melody that Sam introduces in the opening minute (and closes the song with) sounds like it was lifted from an ancient Christmas carol, the rest sounds like a total variation on "My Favorite Things" melodies and rhythms. It's a good song--great performances and tight "standard" jazz structure and play--just like to hear a little more originality from Anthony--especially on compositions for which he takes credit for (which would be all of them on this album). (18.25/20)

B2. "Tee" (10:29) from a dynamic, full-band opening the song proceeds with everybody at top creativity, drummer Williams driving the musicians with his odd syncopation to be rhythmically creative on their own part--and all seem quite up to the task: Gary Peacock bridging his neck walks with odd little flourishes; Herbie accenting the lead sax performances with odd little chords and riffs, spanning the full length of his piano keyboard; and both sax players stretching themselves according to Tony's prods and directives. Of all the album's songs, this one feels like the one that Anthony was able to bring like-minded inspiration to all of his collaborators. (Fascinating to hear Herbie vocalizing along with some of his solo melodies in the way that George Benson would later make famous as one of his signature forms of expressions). BTW: great drumming! (18.5/20)

Total Time: 38:55

Thought the band does not always gel to Anthony's aspirations, their efforts reveal some high creativity and noble attempts at whole band cohesion (far more than Tony was attempting to get out of his previous sessions for Life Time). In retrospect I'd say that Tony was on his way to successfully leading a band--on getting other musicians to buy into and comprehend his musical ideas. Whereas Life Time was more of a self-satisfying attempt to show off his "weirdness," Spring is his attempt to engage collaborators with his ideas--some of which were based on "borrowed" standards from songs that had already become classic standards in the jazz world. 

92.1875 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; no matter its shortcomings (based upon the inflated expectations generated by our modern-day comprehension of who these "giants" were going to become), this definitely sounds and feels like a minor masterpiece of standard yet-exploratory jazz.

MILES DAVIS Miles Smiles (Released Feb. 17, 1967)

Recorded at Columbia's 30th Street Studio, New York City, on October 24 and October 25, 1966. Whereas the previous studio album (recorded all the way back in January of 1965) showed the band experimenting with very subtle structural elements in what felt like very profound and skill-building ways, this one shows a return to more dynamic, loosely-constrained improvisational music. The band has had over a year and a half of almost continuous touring and live performing to hone their skills as well as play with and express their transcendent subliminal connections, and now they're ready to re-enter the studio not just as a machine but as a fully-fledged organic organism capable of fluid and united here-and-now morphing: something like the murmurations of a flock of starlings. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Miles Davis / trumpet
- Wayne Shorter / tenor sax
- Herbie Hancock / piano
- Ron Carter / bass
- Tony Williams / drums

A1. "Orbits" (4:35) the first of three Wayne Shorter compostions, it opens with Miles, Wayne, and Tony bursting out some riffs before smoothing with Ron Carter's twinkle-toes support into a  The nuances Tony is throwing at us from his sticks is extraordinary: it's as if he's playing multiple percussion instruments over there (in the right channel) all at the same time! Oddly, there is absolutely no presence of Herbie Hancock's piano until the 2:45 mark when he's given a solo slot. I like Herbie's lower octave piano phrasing here: it's very smooth and virtuosic--even understated--in its imitation/regurgitation and development of the main melodies offered by the horn players. (9.125/10)

A2. "Circle" (5:52) a song attributed to Miles, it harkens back to the softer, more subtly populated fare of old Miles' songs like Kind of Blue and Sketches of Spain. Miles' muted trumpet presents the melodies for the first 90-seconds and then Wayne comes in with one of his masterful melancholy solos--the kind that feel so simple and easy and yet contain untuold numbers of virtuosic touches that you and I could never duplicate. Then Herbie's solo starts and it's a beauty: so well proportioned with the play of Ron's bass and Tony's brushes. I'm glad to have Herbie's gentle phrasing bridge the rhythmatists and melody-makers for the full length of this song. Miles, Wayne, and Herbie each take second solos in the middle of the song: these being even more melodic and emotionally-charged than the first ones while Ron and Tony exude magical techniques that I've never heard before (from the double bass' upper registers and from Tony's hi-hat), and then Miles' muted trumpet takes us out--ever so gently--as everybody else also dials down their inputs. Wow! What a great song! (10/10)

A3. "Footprints" (9:44) the second Shorter composition, this one is overflowing with pleasing melodies! At the same time, the confidence exuding from the instrumental sounds played by all of the band members has grown in geometric proportions; it's as if previously Miles was tearing his young collaborators down in order to rebuild them better than before. The success shows commensurately. (18.5/20)

B1. "Dolores" (6:20) on Wayne's #3 contribution, it sounds like a slight variation on the previous track: slightly faster, slightly more dynamic, giving more open reins to Tony, in particular. It's not the dynamic, rock-muscling drumming of Lifetime, but it is virtuosic. The oddest thing about this song is that I hear absolutely no piano until 3:15! (9/10)

B2. "Freedom Jazz Dance" (7:11) something I see less frequently on Miles' studio albums: Miles covering someone else's composition--here a song by Eddie Harris. I love the interplay among the musicians--that includes Ron and Herbie as Wayne and Miles lead the way. In the meantime, underneath it all, Tony is again set free to play! And amazing is his exhibition! I have to keep going back to try to listen to the other musicians because I always seem to end up being drawn to Tony's drum play. Teo has Herbie mixed a little low in the mix--off in the left channel with Wayne and Ron, Miles right-center, while Tony is left pretty much alone in the right channel. (No wonder I can't stop listening to him: my right ear is my better ear!) The construct and play is a little more angular and less melodic in the solos, but as long as Tony is there to wow me, I don't really care. And then the song comes to a proper, natural end (as opposed to being faded out). (14/15)

B3. "Ginger Bread Boy" (7:40) another cover song, this one of a song by saxophonist Jimmy Heath. The band opens with Wayne and Miles riffing together while Tony drives his kit like he's weaving in and out of traffic on the Autbahn (while Ron tries to keep up with him by fast walking on his fretboard). Once again there is minimal (if any) piano play in the support sections. Miles gets an awesome solo in the second and third minutes in which he verily feeds off of the energy being issued by Tony. Then Wayne, too, offers up something lively and inspired--not quite as entwined with Tony's playing as Miles' solo (and mixed a little into the background) but still quite impressive. Herbie rather awkwardly gets the nod to jump in toward the end of the fifth minute. His choppy solo feels less connected to the rest--more heady and experimental than loose and free-flowing. As Wayne and Miles duet to bring us back to the opening motif with a minute to go, you think it's going to fade out, but instead they give Ron a little spotlight time with which to bring the song to a close (with the additional rasp of Miles talking to Teo at the very end). Mr. Williams is incredible and it's Miles who does the best job of feeding off his drummer's phenomenal energy. (14/15)

Total Time 40:35

Boy! Have these guys come a long way! It's so amazing to actually hear and feel the tremendous growth they've achieved as a band. My only complaint with some of the songs is the choice to not have Herbie's piano act as an accompanist: he's given solos in the second half of these songs but allowed no presence in the opening or closing portions of three songs! 

93.28 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of wonderfully-cohesive quintet jazz. This band is not called "great" for no reason! Highly recommended to anyone wanting to experience a full album of really high-quality jazz music. 

MILES DAVIS Sorcerer (1967)

On May 16, 1967; May 17, 1967; May 24, 1967; and, for "Nothing Like You," August 21, 1962, MILES DAVIS and his Second Great Quintet laid down the music that became released by Columbia Records as Sorcerer on October 23.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Miles Davis / trumpet

- Ron Carter / bass

- Tony Williams / drums

- Herbie Hancock / piano

- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone

With:

- Bob Dorough / vocals (track B3)

- William Correa / bongos (B3)

- Paul Chambers / bass (B3)

- Jimmy Cobb / drums (B3)

- Frank Rehak / trombone (B3)

A1. "Prince Of Darkness" (6:27) the great, dynamic yet-melodic music of the Second Great Quintet here on display at its absolute finest. Everybody is in sync, feeling the spirit and excitement of this extraordinary collaboration. (9.5/10)

A2. "Pee Wee" (4:49) though slower, less animated and more docile than the album's opener, the melodic sensibilities exhibited from each of the musicians here are still very strong, very accessible. Wayne and Herbie in particular shine. (9.25/10)

A3. "Masqualero" (8:53) opening with some interesting interplay between Ron and Tony, the blending of harmonically-woven melody lines from Miles, Wayne, and Herbie is pretty amazing. Moving quickly into the lead solos--the first one from Miles--the reactive, almost predatory behavior of Tony on his drums is quite remarkable. Herbie tries to get into the act, less successfully so, while Ron holds down the foundation quite admirably. Wayne's turn up front in the fourth and fifth minute is interesting: still carrying forward that odd predatory hunt-like tension that Miles and Tony seemed to present in the second and third minutes--though Tony only begins to react in the guise of the prey again in the second half of the sixth minute. In the seventh minute Herbie gets his turn. The man performs some spectacular displays of artsy-expressive male mating dancing in his opening barrage before settling back into what feels like the expression of more cocky strut-like behaviors. Fascinating! Some truly original play in this one. (19.5/20)

A4. "The Sorcerer" (5:10) straight off to the races, the steady-eddy making the most of his circuitous track, Tony and Ron are the feet and breath while Miles and Wayne's back-and-forth dialogue is the self-reflective conscious mind and Herbie is the heartbeat. The quick exchanges between Miles and Herbie are very cool--and then they come together for perfectly synchronized chorus shouts while Herbie gets a nice piano solo in the middle. (9.3333/10)

B1. "Limbo" (7:13) two horns and Herbie's piano jump out together on this Wayne Shorter composition to introduce the main melody as an ensemble while Ron and Tony lay out the amazing rhythm track beneath. Ron is so calm and cool while sneaking in plenty of garlands and drapery into his expression while Tony the adolescent Tiger is putting on a clinic from start to five-minute mark when things slow down and thin a bit to give Herbie plenty of air for his piano solo. When Wayne and Miles return to the leads for the final minute, Tony finishes his with a cheeky statement of finality. Wow! I wouldn't want to have to learn that drum performance for a test! (14.5/15)

B2. "Vonetta" (5:36) one of Waynes' slower, more somber yet-beautiful late night pieces, it carries a bit of the classic "My Funny Valentine" feel and melody within it. Wayne gets the lead for the first four minutes while Herbie and Miles get some shine in the last 90 seconds, but the real star of the show, for me, is Ron Carter: his spicey, even cheerful bass play elevates the music out of the dregs of a late night maudlin love song into something containing a little more optimism and hope. (9.25/10)

B3. "Nothing Like You" (1:55)* why and how this little Bob Dorough song from a 1962 recording session found a place on a 1967 album release is a mystery to me. There's a completely different lineup of musicians performing on it! Did they really need the filler? How strongly Miles must have felt in order to convince Teo and everyone to include it! It's cute; it feels like a blast from the past--the 40s or before! (4.75/5)

Total Time: 40:20

I love the energy and creativity--both collectively and individually--on all five fronts--of this album! Almost every song has it! And Tony Williams is very much dialed in: at the top of his focus and flow. And this might be the best I've heard Wayne and Ron--and the most collaborative/synergistic that I've ever felt Miles: with great dual performances between he and Wayne. Awesome album!

95.10 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a masterpiece of highly-inventive, highly-creative modal hard bop jazz! The pinnacle of the Second Great Quintet!(?)

MILES DAVIS' Nefertiti (1968)

Recorded in June and July of 1967 and released on January 15, 1968, Nefertiti was the fourth studio album to come from the pioneering trumpeter's "Second Great Quintet."

     To be sure, this has to be one of the most talented lineups ever in jazz history and, despite Miles' young collaborators being (mostly) in their 20s and most definitely showing signs of some immaturity, the greatest innovation occurring here (in my opinion) is with 21-year old Tony Williams' drumming.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Miles Davis / trumpet
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock / piano
- Ron Carter / double bass
- Tony Williams / drums

1. "Nefertiti" (7:52) a rather dull and slightly melodic lead song with Miles and Wayne up front has some rather adventurous performances from Herbie Hancock and, especially, the dynamic Tony Williams. (13.25/15)

2. "Fall" (6:39) another pleasant, melodic song in which the musicians are operating more nearly on the same wavelength--until fourth minute, that is, when Tony begins to go off into his own world, rhythmically, beneath Herbie's piano solo, but then he backs off and gets very quiet during Wayne's following solo and what follows. Interesting! (8.875/10)

3. "Hand Jive" (8:54) a much more dynamic song construct with Ron Carter walking all over his upright double bass while Tony Williams flies around his cymbals and toms. There is an odd, subtle shift in tempo in the third minute that I do not think is intentional but obviously not considered significant enough to correct or redo--and Ron Carter is not always "in the pocket" (at least not according to these amateur ears), but the song certainly displays the skills of all of the band members, with a considerable amount of time given to Wayne Shorter's solo in the middle. When Herbie is next given his turn, he seems a bit lost at first, but, after he gets warmed up, he starts to move better. Maybe everybody's just a little overwhelmed or intimidated by Tony's creativity (and Ron's hot-and-cold conformity to the "pocket"). (17.5/20)

4. "Madness "(7:31) more of the same as the previous song with Ron's fast walking and Tony's cymbal play providing the bulk of support beneath one of Miles' more dynamic and passionate solos on the album. The trio seem quite entrained. Then Wayne is given the nod to take over from Miles. He's not quite as dynamic but very impressive for his softer, breathy notes. When it comes time for Herbie's turn, everybody nearly cuts out, with only Ron and Tony remaining beneath part time, not flying around the fretboard and cymbal like they were. But then they return to their earlier form as Herbie heats up, though not quite as synched as they were with Miles--which may have something to do with Herbie's less smooth, less-melodic approach. And then they all come back together ever-so briefly before bringing the song to a quick close. (13.375/15)

5. "Riot" (3:04) Same cymbal play from Tony while Ron machine guns around the upper registers of his bass and Herbie plays a lot of chords beneath Wayne's initial lead. Then Miles is there, too. It's nice to hear the whole band working together (and Tony does get a little more active as the song develops). (8.875/10)

6. "Pinocchio" (5:08) a song that feels more like standard or old Miles bebop or hard bop. Opening with the whole rhythm section behind Wayne and Miles, Ron and Tony become more active as the song develops, something that is more noticeable during Wayne's solo (as Miles and Herbie check out). Tony really picks it up here, even when Miles and Wayne return to recapitulate the main melody. Then Herbie gets his solo. It's good, probably the best on the album, but then its over and the band pulls together to close. Very tight, "standard" jazz tune. (8.875/10)

Total Time 39:08

I think this album is most significant for confirming how much of a force drummer Tony Williams is (and is going to be). As impressive as Tony is (and Miles and Wayne, as well), I think Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter are showing how much growth they have yet to achieve--especially to be able to achieve the moment they are called upon.

88.44 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent album for prog rockers to gain insight into the genius of some of Jazz-Rock Fusion founders and all-stars--especially the phenom that was drummer Tony Williams.

MILES DAVIS Miles in the Sky (1968)

In a session in Columbia Studio B on January 16, Miles Davis begins recording new material for an album that would become Miles in the Sky, (released in July). This session marks the final studio session of Miles' exclusive collaboration with Tony Williams, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Ron Carter--his "Second Great Quintet."

     In mid-May of 1968, Miles Davis wraps up recording the material that would become the album Miles in the Sky, an album whose music and electrified sound palette display a definitive shift in Davis' music. The May 15-17 sessions found Miles inviting electric jazz guitarist George Benson into the studio as well as asking bassist Ron Carter and keyboard master Herbie Hancock to perform on electric bass and electric piano, respectively. The sessions would also begin the trend of long, occasionally "side-long," jams: resulting here in four songs covering 51-minutes of music. The album would be released on July 26. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Miles Davis / trumpet
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone
- Herbie Hancock / piano, electric piano on "Stuff"
- George Benson / electric guitar on "Paraphernalia"
- Ron Carter / bass, electric bass on "Stuff"
- Tony Williams / drums

The best songs for hearing Tony at his best include:

A2. "Paraphernalia" (12:41) a composition credited to both Wayne and guest George Benson, as many have noted, this has got to be one of George's most unusual guitar performances, mostly sitting back as a single bass-dominant chord rhythmatist, reinforcing Tony's driving rhythm track, accenting Ron's wildly-exploratory and mountaintop-to-valley-floor walking bass line. As a matter of fact, until the sixth minute, George does little else but play one chord in perpetual rhythm--like another tom on Tony's kit. Herbie, Miles, Wayne, and even Tony, however, really flash and flair--whether in solos (Miles and Wayne), melodic support (Herbie) or rhythmic attack (Tony). Finally at 7:10, George is "allowed" to step up to the front of the stage. But by the end of the ninth minute it's over: Herbie takes over for his first and only true solo (which, to my ears, sounds a little harsh and "off"--until he hits a cool series of chords in the beginning of the 12th minute, then he's cookin'. At the end of the 12th minute the horn players rejoin--though reluctantly as it is uncertain whether Herbie has completed his statement (he has not: he just continues doing so--off in his own very cerebral world--while the others tentatively play around him. I really like this ending: the ambiguity and uncertainty is really endearing for the fact that it shows the band's individual humanity with all of its doubt and frailty! Cool song! Especially for Tony's dynamic play, Ron's amazing adventurosity, Herbie's perseverance in the face of adversity and uncertainty, and Miles and Wayne's professional maturity. As for George: he's almost a non-entity; a moot member; I can't even remember his solo! (23.75/25)

B2. "Country Son" (12:51) a more loosely organized jam that sounds like something Teo recovered from hours of tape, fade in, splice away, and faded out--which would lead me to deduce that the song was not very cleanly composed (which is probably why Miles took the writing credit); it's more of a series of themes and ideas strung together--quite possibly played in the order published, even possibly planned as is with the thematic and stylistic shifts occurring due to signals from Miles, but that third and fourth minute feels to me as if the band was just wandering around beneath Wayne's soling sax, searching and fumbling around for the right style and pace to support him with--with Ron usually the promulgator of stylistic and rhythmic changes. It's just too weird of a conglomeration of musical themes to be intentional; it has to be a flow of thematic attempts--though, hearing this, one cannot help but compare these rather severe and dramatic shifts to prog songs like "Close to the Edge," "Supper's Ready," "Tarkus," or even one of Camel or Nektar's side-long symphonic pieces. This may be able to fall under the label "symphonic" but I swear: no symphony I've ever heard has this kind of radical stylistic and melodic shifting going on within a continuous flow. I'd be more inclined to call it a medley or, less respectfully, a hodge podge of leftovers pulled randomly and sequentially out out of the refrigerator. I like many of the themes present here, I think the motif that Herbie leads in the seventh into the eighth minute might be my favorite though Miles melodic play with his band's support in the thirteenth minute is pretty cool, as well. Overall, it just leaves me with a weird aftertaste. Like leftovers. (22.25/25)

Total Time: 51:04

The presence of four notably long songs supposedly squeezed into two sides of vinyl is a bit suspicious (though Todd Rundgren would routinely squeeze 30-40 minutes into a side during his mid-1970s heyday)--and I wish I could verify if Teo and Columbia managed to squeeze the long version of "Black Comedy" onto Side Two--which would equal some 25 minutes of music  

91.125 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of hard bop/post bop that many people consider transitional to, or pre-, Jazz-Rock Fusion. I hear some of what they're talking about but to me its sounds more like a group of musicians who are quite familiar with one another, who are showing signs of growing a bit bored or fatigued with their collaboration: they're still performing at a high level but they feel as if, at times, they're reaching, stretching for inspiration and motivation--especially on that last song. And I agree with the critics of "Stuff" in that it begins to over stay its welcome--to sound repetitive--after about ten minutes.

MILES DAVIS Filles de Kilimanjaro (1969) 

In June of 1968 (June 19-21) Miles Davis returns to the recording studio, recording material that would end up on the album Filles de Kilamanjaro. At Columbia's 30th Street Studio, on the 19th, with newcomers Dave Holland and Chick Corea sitting in for Ron Carter and Herbie Hancock, respectively, they got "Petits machins (Little Stuff)" in the can. On the 20th, with the core Second Quintet, two versions of "Toute de suite (Right Away)" were taped. On the 21st, in Columbia Studio B, "Filles de Kilamanjaro (Girls of Kilamanjaro)" was recorded with the core Quintet. A final song, "Mademoiselle Mabry (Miss Mabry)" was recorded on September 24 with Holland and Corea, again, as a celebration and wedding gift to his bride-to-be, Betty Mabry. (The two were married on September 30). Once Teo finished with his editing and mastering, the album was released on February 5 of the following year (1969). Despite the inputs and presence of "outsiders" Holland and Corea, Filles would be the last studio album released from Miles' "Second Great Quintet."

Line-up / Musicians:
- Miles Davis / trumpet

- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone

- Tony Williams / drums

- Ron Carter / bass (A1, A2, B1)

- Herbie Hancock / piano, electric piano (A1, A2, B1)

- Dave Holland / bass (A3, B2)

- Chick Corea / piano, electric piano (A3, B2)

A1. "Frelon Brun (Brown Hornet)" (5:37) the newcomers (Holland and Corea) definitely present some new spice to Miles' music, while Tony seems content to play Tony (as only Tony can) no matter who he sits in with. (He is indomitable.) Meanwhile, Miles and Wayne seem to start out rather cautiously, conservatively, before really allowing themselves to feed off of Tony's controlled mayhem. Dave Holland certainly acquits himself of any accusations of wrongdoing with his performance in the second half of the song. Not one of Miles' classics but definitely a prime display of Tony's indefatigable spirit. (8.875/10)

Total Time: 56:30

I really miss the wild and crazy, dynamic shaker and mover, that was Tony Williams in the early Sixties. How much did Tony like these sessions? How crazy was he going And why the French titles?

88.48 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an interesting if sometimes confusing and difficult-to-access musical exhibition in the transitional period between Miles' Second Great Quintet and his Jazz-Rock Fusion stage. 

MILES DAVIS In a Silent Way (1969)

In a way, a more accessible album than Bitches Brew, In a Silent Way offered the Miles listener a gentler show of transition from the exclusive world of jazz into the world of pop-rock-funk-jazz fusion. Enlisting the contributions of hot shot young bloods Herbie Hancock, Tony Williams, John McLaughlin, and Joe Zawinal, Miles continued to rely on bassist Dave Holland and saxophonist Wayne Shorter as well as recent band stalwart, Chick Corea. The biggest development with In a Silent Way came in the form of giving Columbia Records producer Teo Macero the green light to employ engineering thus taking the "live" sound out of the music and creating a fabricated, even stylized and/or fabricated music. (Teo was a big fan and student of classical music formats, thus the three movements, exposition, development, and recapitulation, used in the reconstruction of Miles' band's studio recordings.) The music here is surprisingly sedate and accessible for such a "revolutionary" and "innovative" album. Nothing is offensive or repellant but then nothing, to my ears and mind, is neither particularly mind-blowing or ear-catching. I guess it's more of the fact that there are two side-long pieces presented here--something bands like The Soft Machine, Colosseum, Magma and other jazz and jazz-rock bands picked up on fairly quickly. While many hardcore jazz musicians turned their thumbs down to the new commercialized jazz coming out of Columbia and Miles, many others found inspiration and a new freedom to explore--many of them members of Miles' own studio sessions. The two songs are great if subdued, with my favorite performances on "Shh/Peaceful" coming from Dave Holland (bass) and Larry Young (organ) and on "In a Silent Way/It's About That..." from Miles and Wayne Shorter and the funk of Dave Holland and the keyboard players. Tony doesn't get much time to shine and John's guitar is so subdued without any effects enhancements that it sounds quite dull and even tame. I guess what we're really all in awe of is Teo's shaping of the music into pop-like songs (despite 19 minute lengths).

Line-up / Musicians:
-Miles Davis / trumpet
With:
- Wayne Shorter / tenor saxophone
- John McLaughlin / electric guitar
- Herbie Hancock / electric piano
- Chick Corea / electric piano
- Joe Zawinul / organ, electric piano
- Dave Holland / double bass
- Tony Williams / drums

1. "Shhh/Peaceful" (18:16)
- a. "Shhh" (6:14)
- b. "Peaceful" (5:42)
- c. "Shhh" (6:20)
2. "In A Silent Way/It's About That Time" (19:52) :
- a. "In A Silent Way" (4:11)
- b. "It's About That Time" (11:27)
- c. "In A Silent Way" (4:14)

Personally, I don't understand why this album is given such acclaim: the music is okay, the musicianship fine, and, yes, there are electronic instruments used and the expanded lineup with three artists covering the keyboard positions is rather novel, but the sound production and compositional dynamics are completely devoid of any of the fire and passion that define the jazz-rock fusion subgenre. Are we giving credit just for the novelty of three electric keyboard players, a dynamic drummer, and a tamed- and toned-down guitar lion? I mean, musically there is very little on this album to excite me in the way that John McLaughlin and his Mahavishnu Orchestra, the latter-day Mwandishi lineup, Italy's Area, later Return to Forever and Weather Report, and Jean-Luc Ponty will generate.

87.1875 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a surprisingly dull and suppressed 38 minutes of music from a lineup that had incredible potential. In the military we would call this "unrealized potential" or "a dud."

TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Emergency! (1969)

"The loudest stuff I ever heard in my life," recalled Herbie Hancock of a Tony Williams Lifetime concert that he attended in the fall of 1969. Knowing that he was probably risking his hearing later in life, he stayed for the entire show. "It was … new. It was exciting and very arresting."
     Miles Davis heard the trio perform their amped up set at a club in Harlem in the early winter. John McLaughlin had only been in the US for two weeks (he had come to New York specifically to join Tony Williams' Lifetime project) when he got a call from Miles asking if he would join him in the studio on February 18. This single day of recording would result in the July release of Miles' landmark fusion album, In a Silent Way.

     Recorded at Olmstead Sound Studios, New York City, May 26 & 28, 1969, with Jack Lewis and Monte Kay in the production seats, it was then released by Polydor Records in September--before Bitches Brew!

Line-up / Musicians:
- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals (2,3,5)
AND
- John McLaughlin / electric & acoustic guitars
- Larry Young / organ

Volume One (35:01)
1. "Emergency" (9:35) power drumming with loud, distorted electric guitar power chords open this one with Larry Young's organ providing the low and middle ground including all of the bass lines. John McLaughlin's guitar playing moves easily between runs that exude smoke and fire and those that evoke comfort and supplicating beauty, while his chord play in support are often jagged, angular, and confusing in their complex intention. Meanwhile, Larry Young gets some time to come out from his cave beneath the bridge (which is exactly when John gets his most ambiguous: is he trying to be mean or just provocative?). While some of the sound is a bit muddied (especially in the higher end), the jamming is so focused, so tight, so intertwined. and then it just ends! Probably my favorite song on the album. (19/20)

2. "Beyond Games" (8:17) built over a blues progression, Tony uses his speaking voice to recite some pre-Gil Scott-Heron poetic social commentary. (He sounds so young--like the lead singer of the Brighter Side of Darkness: just sitting in his high school classroom wishing he could say his thoughts out loud. John's guitar is ominous in its support while Larry's organ (and bass line) is almost Timmy Thomas gospel-like. You can tell that this song was recorded on the same take as the previous one--two songs on the same tape continuously--as all of the sounds and levels are the exact same. after six minutes the repetitive four bar four-chord progression gets a little old--which is right when Tony returns to speaking his quotidian poetry advice. (17.5/20)

3. "Where" (12:10) a very-sparsely populated opening is where Tony chooses to start singing his philosophical musings. In the third minute John begins to solo cerebrally while Tony's drums provide steady yet-minimal support and Larry's organ is so quiet it's almost non-existent Then in the fifth minute John begins to go to a higher gear and Larry's right hand and Tony's prowess begin to show--but then all this is cut off at the five-minute mark for a quiet section in which Tony sings his ambigous mult-level questions. This then ends after which Tony's cymbal play and John's small repetive blues chords provide support for a two-minute organ solo. There is a very basic hard-bop motif shifted into in the ninth minute while Larry resumes soloing. This is not the fire and ice that I was expecting to hear from these practitioners of scorched-Earth tactics. (Nor was I expecting lyrics or singing.) (21.5/25)

4. "Vashkar" (4:59) the signatory song of this album, here we have the fiery interplay between drummer and guitarist with the organ providing the glue between them. Lots of stop and start, loud and soft alternations. Great skill that would be better if there was a more pleasing melodic hook. Another favorite. (9/10)

Volume Two (36:28)
5. "Via The Spectrum Road" (7:50) like southern blues swamp rock--and acoustic guitar and not one but two vocalists singing. John's blues-rock lead guitar is purposely placed in the background--sounds as if it's coming from a different room. The nuances are numerous and delightful. Too bad Larry is relegated to being pretty much the bass player. Sounds like something from the Sixties--especially John's raunchy guitar play. Larry's distant and sparse injections of organ chords have an other-worldly spacey feel to them and Tony's drumming is marvelous but overall this is not really something that a musician would really get into. I know this one is considered revolutionary, but it is far from my favorite. (13/15)

6. "Spectrum" (9:52) Wow! What a ride Tony, John and Larry take us on. There is no let-up or break to the break-neck speed that these musicians hurl through space and time--and Larry even gets some lead organ time despite having some very demanding bass lines to keep going. Quite a stunning (and exhausting) ten minutes of hard-bop-based power fusion. John's lead and rhythm play are both quite often abrasive--and unapologetically so as he keeps doing the irritating, angular things he just seemed to temper with bridges of more-classic and familiar (and softer, more melodic) riffs. A very impressive song. (18.25/20)

7. "Sangria For Three" (13:08) another barn-burner, this song has some very experimental passages (like the fifth minute and the 11th and 12th minutes) as well as some that are very hard-driving rock and others that are very Hendrix-like in their powerful blues-rock. This is my other top three song: I just love all of the shifts and turns, the high speed chases and the stuck-in-the-mud experimental passages, and the powerful Hendrix-like passages. (23.5/25)

8. "Something Spiritual" (5:38) not one of the timeless beauties that John would pump out with great regularity over the course of the rest of his career, more a testament to the challenging and repetitive work required to establish a spiritual practice and then keep it going. Great drumming beneath the very repetitious four chords played by John and Larry to mind-numbing nauseum. But I get it! (8.75/10)

Total time 71:29

I can see why this is such an important and, yes, seminal album--especially for the rise and notice of the fusion of jazz and rock 'n' roll musics, but it's really not a an album of great songs: ground-breaking and often great performances, but often so raw and under-developed, rarely enjoyable or "finished" feeling.

90.69 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor-masterpiece of genre-busting rock- and avant-infused jazz music that would open the doors for all other jazz-rock fusion ideas and bands to come flooding into the fold. Definitely one of THE landmark albums of the J-R Fusion movement.

TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME (Turn It Over) (1970)

Recorded at Olmsted Sound Studios, New York City in February of 1970 and then released by Polydor in July. Ten years beyond Tony's entry into the jazz limelight his confidence, skill, and prowess knows no bounds. After the mind-blowing, soul-stirring experience of hearing this band's Emergency ! release the year before, I wonder if they were at all prepared for an album like this that would take that power further, delivering it in polished and concisely-moulded packages instead of sprawling jams.

Line-up/Musicians:

- Tony Williams / drums, vocals

- Jack Bruce / electric bass, vocals

- John McLaughlin / guitars
- Khalid Yasin (Larry Young) / keyboards

A1. "To Whom It May Concern - Them" (4:18) ominous drum and bass pulsations accompanied by low bluesy guitar notes with swirling organ chords roiling mischievously above turns into more blues-rock with John McLaughlin's increasingly aggressive blues guitar play--which is matched by the intensity of Tony's drumming. There are riffs appearing in this song that will be built and rebuilt over the next couple years in both Tony's world and John's creation of and compositions for The Mahavishnu Orchestra. Incredible technical skills being exhibited here. (9.5/10) 

A2. "To Whom It May Concern - Us" (2:58) the bluesy jam that continued from the previous tune. Khalid and Tony really showing off. (8.875/10)

A3. "This Night This Song" (3:45) gentleness!?! Spaciousness!?! Pop-psychedelia!?! Vocals! Tony's lyrics are trippy--as is Khalid's shimmering organ chords. John and Jack seem/feel a bit out of place--as if unsure of how to accompany/support Tony's vocal/lyrics. Too bad Tony's voice is a bit pitchy--the signs of an untrained (and horribly-engineered) voice. I love the organ work but the rest is a total failure. (8.6667/10)

A4. "Big Nick" (2:43) the band's cover of a John Coltrane song. Everybody is synchronized and stepping up from the opening notes, eventually settling into a bluesy swing motif in which Jack's walking bass line holds everybody in line while Tony and Khalid play off of one another's dynamic play while John settles back into more of a rhythm role. (8.75/10)  

A5. "Right On" (1:52) this venture into psychedelia sounds like something taken straight from a LSD-induced stage performance at the previous summer's Woodstock Music & Art Fair. Definitely a groove taken from a longer instrumental jam. (4.375/5)

B1. "Once I Loved" (5:05) this one opens with a prolonged space organ experiment from Khalid--one that lasts until 1:43 where Tony enters with a dulcet singing voice. John offers a few chords from his electric guitar, but Tony doesn't seem to need structure or support: he's singing from his heart--lyrics that sound as if he'd pre-written them as opposed to extemporaneous improvisation. Almost using the melody lines and pacing of the now-famous "Nature Boy" tune as written by America's first hippie, eben ahbez (George Alexander Aberle). I really like this! (9.25/10)

B2. "Vuelta Abajo" (4:57) the band unleashing a torrent of aggressive sound that feels akin to Larry Coryell & Company's live performances as The Free Spirits as well as Hendrix and Cream's live performances. Tony, Khalid and John really let loose while Jack holds down the earth-grounding with his bass. Amazing if a little scary--even (or especially) when they slow down and break things into smaller bits and riffs during the final 80 seconds. Man! Does this song inform/predict the music of so many soon-to-be bands and albums--especially Emerson, Lake & Palmer and The Mahavishnu Orchestra?! Tony's drumming is furious. It's like he's single-handedly, personally, "defiantly," trying to dismantle all that was jazz, all that was his upbringing, with something so daring and expressive. This is the song that really best exhibits his desire and intention to channel The MC5's Kick Out the Jams. (9.333/10)

 
B3. "A Famous Blues" (4:15) this song opens with eerie organ with eerie whispers ("Take me home with you") over the organ chords notes before the creature springs from its lair in sudden bursts of truly terrifying yet-sleek force and energy--like a feline predator on a practice hunt. There is something playful and very controlled in this that actually amplifies both the terrifying nature of the spectacle while at the same time increasing the observer's awe and respect. Wow! Can music be more theatric than this? And that's not even acknowledging the incredible technical skill and band cohesion on display here! (10/10)  

B4. "Allah Be Praised" (4:39) another powerful song in which John and Khalid's chords move and carry the song forward while Jack's active bass play and Tony's frenetic drum play commands the spotlight. In the third minute the music settles into a more standard and more spacious blues form while Khalid does his thing and Tony backs off into more supportive and accentuating mode (at least till the end!) (9.125/10)

Total Time: 38:34

Now this is Jazz-Rock Fusion! Whereas artists like Miles Davis and Ralph Towner are jazz musicians making music that fuses some of the quintessential elements of Rock 'n' Roll (like electrified and electronic instruments), Tony has always felt like an outsider: an artist that is trying to shake up jazz and jazz musicians. Tony's drumming has always pushed boundaries, has always brought "outside" elements of power and aggressiveness to the jazz bands/projects he's been involved in but with his Lifetime projects he is really embracing the marriage and union of Jazz with Rock. Khalid Yasin's organ play is clearly beyond all that jazz, blues, and gospel had generated. Jack Bruce was already the graduate of several blues and rock bands (Graham Bond Organisation, John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers, and, of course, Cream). And John McLaughlin had begun dismantling all previous traditions for guitar and electric guitar with his work with Miles Davis and especially with his solo work (and would repeat such havoc and envelope obliteration with his next project, The Mahavishnu Orchestra). And Tony had already "appeared" on the scene with the energy and creativity of a revolutionary. Whereas drummers like Jack DeJohnette and had come up as jazz drummers and would always remain stubborn adherents to their jazz trainings and stylings, Tony was a total aberration, an animal whose reckless and seemingly-feckless abandon shattered traditions as well as paved the way for whole new styles within jazz, jazz-rock, fusion, rock, and progressive rock. This album certainly proves all that as much of the music here is uncompromisingly rock-oriented--even moreso, in my opinion, than the Lifetime's previous album, the landmark and heavily-lauded Emergency !. The musicianship certainly shows a much higher degree of skill level and discipline than anything else appearing in the pop or Jazz-Rock Fusion scenes.

91.62 on the Fishscales = A-/five stars; a minor masterpiece of Jazz-Rock Fusion; a powerful tour-de-force that I like much better that its raw and under-polished predecessor, Emergency ! I find myself saddened that I'm only now, in the year 2025, at the age of 67, getting to know it! (Better late than never, right?!) I'm going to just keep turning this one over . . . and over . . . and over, etc. Definitely an essential album to both the history of music, the history of Jazz-Rock Fusion, and the testament of that which humans are capable of.

TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Ego (1971)

Recorded during February and March of 1971, all of the tracks on Ego were credited to Tony except "Some Hip Drum Shit" which was apparently a collaborative effort between the three percussionists.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Tony Williams / drums
- Ted Dunbar / guitar
- Ron Carter / bass, cello
- Larry Young / organ
- Don Alias / percussion
- Warren Smith / percussion
- Jack Bruce / vocals

A1. "Clap City" (0:54) an excerpt extracted from a longer jam. 
A2. "There Comes A Time" (5:54) what feels like another excerpt extracted from a much longer jam. Ted Dunbar's guitar is the main feature over the plodding bass, organ chord progression, congas, and fairly active drumming (that starts out sounding quite restrained and uninspired but then engages about two minutes into it). Tony's typical philosophical musings are here doubled up by either Jack Bruce or himself. A song that feels much more structured along the lines and scale of a pop or rock song than anything remotely resembling jazz. (8.75/10)

A3. "Piskow's Filigree" (3:52) opening with a dynamic display of drumming accompanied by wood block and other hand-manipulated percussion instruments from Don Alias and Warren Smith. Larry Young eventually starts to add some very timidly-place organ chord hits, but mostly this is a percussionists jam. In the second half the musicians really start to gel, to entrain. Cool! (8.875/10)

  
A4. "Circa" (6:27) church-like gospel organ music that seems to be built like a cheesy small-town church It feels so tongue-in-cheek sarcastic! Until, that is, the electric guitar jumps into the lead position. Then everybody steps up and aligns into a more serious flow. Funny to hear 33-year old Ron Carter act as the "elder statesman" by setting the pace so seriously, so fastidiously. A very odd, very "out of place" song--one that feels aberrant to both Jazz and Jazz-Rock Fusion--could be more suitable to a Henry Cow, Samla Mammas Manna, or Soft Machine/Matching Mole/Robert Wyatt album. (8.875/10)

A5. "Two Worlds" (4:26) unveiling yet another really odd song leaves one scratching one's head wondering "Where is Tony trying to take music?" And the rest of the band are apparently on board with him (which completely surprises me on Ron Carter's behalf)! At this point, I cannot help but ask, "Were these guys taking a lot of drugs?" (8.875/10)

 
B1. "Some Hip Drum Shit" (1:31) Nice collaborative work from the percussionists. (4.5/5)

B2. "Lonesome Wells" (Gwendy Trio) (7:29) more really weird vocals (with equally-weird lyrics). At least this time it's over some pretty good (though not really jazzy) music--music that sounds like Stereolab trying to play some Sly And The Family Stone music. The final minute or so feels like a SANTANA jam with Latin percussionists going crazy on several fronts. (13.25/15)

B3. "Mom And Dad" (5:42) relying on Larry Young's descending chord progression (as the previous song had) the percussionists and guitar have lots of room to express in periods of whole-group free-for-alls. An interesting experiment that is not without its positive results. (8.875/10)

B4. "The Urchins Of Shermêse" (6:25) more free-form drum and percussion play over guitar-led circular chord progression. Larry gets some shine-time on this one despite Tony's domineering drumming. The percussion interactivity is fascinating--especially with some of Tony's best play on the album going on--but the mathematical chordal-melodic experiment is a bit of a bust. (8.875/10)  

Total time 42:18

I consider this album a collective of highly-disparate and often-disorganized song constructs that feel as if they've been thrown together rather haphazardly and with haste. Also, Tony seems immersed in anti-modal jazz, more percussion-oriented jam and psychedelic pop music than Jazz-Rock Fusion.

88.59 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; an excellent display of an artist in the full height of his powers and skills seeking experimental, sometimes extreme, avenues for expressing himself. One cannot fault him but I'm sure most listeners are hoping the Father of Jazz-Rock Fusion will soon return to either J-R F or classic Jazz. 

GENE RUSSELL New Direction on Black Jazz Records (1971) Tony played congas on this album.

TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME The Old Bum's Rush (Jan. 1973)

After his ground-breaking Jazz-Rock Fusion albums Emergency ! Turni It Over, and Ego, Tony seems to be going after the kind of soulful, bluesy jazz-rock pioneered by Brian Auger and Julie Driscoll and soon taken to extremes by Betty Davis. The Ben Sidran-produced album was recorded in Boston.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals, arrangements
AND
- Linda "Tequila" Logan / guitar, vocals, percussion
- Webster Lewis / organ, clavinet
- David Horowitz / piano, ARP synth, vibes
- Tillmon Williams / tenor sax
- Herb Bushler / bass

1. "You Make It Easy" (5:20) nice Smooth Jazz-based fare that sounds like something by Todd Rundgren--even when the Laura Nyro-like voice of Linda Logan, who co-composed he song with Tony. Strong presence of organ and ARP synthesizer from Webster Lewis and David Horowitz. (8.875/10)

2. "What It's About" (5:37) another theatric pop song co-penned by Tony and his then-love interest sounds again like a Laura Nyro Bluesy White Soul for Broadway song. This one is, unfortunately, more rudimentary, repetitive, and melodically (and lyrically) dull than the album's opener. (8.6667/10)

3. "What'cha Gonna Do Today" (3:40) the third and final Williams-Logan composition depends on some fine piano play from David Horowitz to liven this one up in a Southern Rock kind of way. (8.75/10)

4. "Mystic Knights Of The Sea" (5:12) a return to injecting some jazz into a pop song that sounds like it could be an interlude/set-change song for a Broadway musical. Interesting space/psychedelic finish. (8.875/10) 

5. "Changing Man" (4:50) a full on attack of the blues with David Horowitz' piano pounding way beneath the wild play of Tony's dad, Tillmon Williams, on the sax. The song straightens out a bit after the first minute for a sultry, suggestive Betty Davis-like blues/R&B vocal performance. David's piano play--both hands (or two tracks), is very impressive--as is Linda's--especially opposite Tony's raspy "street dude" performance. I just wish I liked this type of music. (8.75/10) 

6. "The Boodang" (5:20) some insistent funky space jamming going on with synths and a running monologue and vocal barrage from Linda in the fabric of the background and undercurrent of the song. There's a point where Herb Bushler's steady bass and Webster Lewis' clavinet are the only thing holding the song together while Tony and Linda play off of one another as if they're having foreplay before sex, using their drumming and vocal to challenge and caress one another while a running commentary from a street crowd seems to be adding their enthusiastic inputs from a street-level viewing post. I really like this! Now here's one of Tony's musical ideas that really could've/should've been explored/exploited more. Easily the best song on the album--both musically and attitudinally. (9.5/10)

7. "The Old Bum's Rush" (10:17) a bluesy bass line with Larry Young organ and synth support play over the top of Tony's jazz rhythm keeping. Webster, David, Herb, and even Linda (with vocalese and on guitar?) seem to be regularly throwing their punches into the ring with a randomness that seems to not care who's toes are being stepped on--though Webster's Larry Young-like space organ seems to be dominant whenever he chooses. A decent and definitely entertaining song that would rate higher if it were of a type of music that I appreciate more and/or enjoy. (17.5/20)

Total time 40:16

This was the last of Tony's Polydor label records (he knew they were dropping him after the completion of this album), causing him to discontinue his drastically-evolving Lifetime idea/project as well as forcing him to return to working as a journeyman and studio hired-gun. 

88.65 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a collection of weird blues-rock songs that qualify low on the Jazz-Rock Fusion scales. Though there are a few cool ideas and performances on the album, there is really nothing here that contributes to the progression of either J-R F or prog.

RAY MANZAREK The Golden Scarab (1974)

Recorded in Los Angeles in 1973 and released by Mercury Records on March 28, 1974. The album featured the presence of sax player Ernie Watts and guitarist Larry Carlton. Tony played drums on all tracks.

POP WORKSHOP Song of the Pteradactyl (1974)

This project was put together in Sweden at the Europa Film Studio by keyboard genius (and producer) Wlodek Gulgowski. With a lineup that included Zbigniew Namyslowski on electrified alto saxophone, flute, and cello, Mads Vinding (of Burnin' Red Ivanhoe, Secret Oyster fame) on Fender electric bass, and Janne Schaffer on electric guitar, Tony was in the company of some of Northern Europe's absolute best jazz and jazz-rock musicians. The result was some of Tony's best playing of the 70s.

STANLEY CLARKE Stanley Clarke (1974)

With a cast that included Return To Forever's first guitarist, Bill Connors, Weather Reports first drummer/percussionist, Airto Moreira, Mahavishnu Orchestra founding member, Jan Hammer, and orchestra genius Michael Gibbs (not to mention Stanley), it might seem acceptable that Tony gets overshadowed and repressed on this song, but he really gets to shine on the amazing 4. "Power" (7:40) (13.25/15).

STAN GETZ Captain Marvel (1975)

An album of all-Chick Corea compositions that were recorded on March 3, 1972 at A&R Studios in New York City with Chick, Stan, Airto Moriera, Stanley Clarke and Tony. This is the same lineup (minus Tony) that would become the first lineup of Chick Corea's Return to Forever (the eponymously-titled debut album of which was recorded in February and will be released in September--in Germany). Several of Chick's songs here would also appear on RTF albums (the first two albums).

THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Believe It (1975)

An album that is as notable for luring guitar phenom Allan Holdsworth away from a pretty good gig with The Soft Machine as it is for being one of the legendary drummer's finest. The album was recorded in New York City early in 1975 for Columbia Records and released in October. The two years spent with Tony (actually living with him in his NYC apartment!) have often been cited by Mr. Holdsworth as the most transformative experience of his life. 

Line-up / Musicians:

- Tony Williams/ drums, vocals, arrangements

With:

- Allan Holdsworth / guitar

- Alan Pasqua / piano, clavinet

- Tony Newton / bass

1. "Snake Oil" (6:30) opening with a truly funked up bass, the surprisingly-raunchy guitar from Allan Holdsworth enters with Tony's surprisingly straightforward drumming to establish a foundational framework within which the band members work in their little nuances of extras until 1:40 when Allan begins a guitar solo of subtly varied guitar chords based on the foundational flow. The band is very tight but, again, surprisingly stiff and unadventurous--until Alan Pasqua starts a clavinet solo around the three-minute mark. Thereafter one can hear Tony start to loosen up and fly around his drum kit beneath the rigid form of his bandmates. In the sixth minute, Allan launches on a surprisingly controlled and "slow" solo for about a minute, and then the song just slow fades! Wow! Kind of weird--and definitely unexpected! (8.75/10)

2. "Fred" (6:48) one of Allan's compositions, it is surprisingly melodic and smooth--especially Allan Pasqua's keyboard parts (which Allan matches with his soft guitar chords for the first two minutes. Tony's play is nice. Electric piano gets the first solo--a surprisingly extended two minute jaunt during which Tony's drum play just gets more and more dynamic. Allan finally enters as the soloist at 3:45--but it's Tony again who garners all my attention--even after 4:25 when Allan finally starts to cook, it's Tony that I am enjoying the most. How can a drummer be this "melodic"? Nice guitar solo finally ends about 5:37 whereupon we reenter the lush keyboard-and-guitar chord sequence of the opening. Nice tune. Great drum display! My favorite. (13.75/15)

3. "Proto-Cosmos" (4:02) a nice driving jazz-rock tune on which Tony once again shines despite more-than-adequate performances from his band mates--just nothing as extraordinary or dynamic as Tony's play. (8.875/10)

4. "Red Alert" (4:39) opening with a rock sound that sounds like the sound palette of Edgar Winter's "Frankenstein." At the end of the first minute bass player Tony Newton is the only one left carrying the song forward as everybody else clears out for a stupendous Allan Holdsworth solo. This is the first time on the album that Allan has displayed any of the fireworks that we heard on his last album prior to this one, The Soft Machine's Bundles. Alan Pasqua gets the next solo on his electric piano in the second half of the third minute. I love how both Holdsworth and Newton (as well as Williams) embellish their own "support" play beneath Pasqua--this is the first time the three have done this to this degree. (8.875/10)

5. "Wildlife" (5:22) a slow, melodic arrangement with upper register electric piano and electric guitar presenting and carrying the BOB JAMES-like melody forward from the start. Holdsworth takes his time taking the first solo slot--and never hits third gear, just maintains and supports the basic melody, pretty much. Pasqua's clavinet is a nice second keyboard and Newton's bass play is the most loose and satisfying that we've heard beneath Pasqua's cool electric piano solo in the fourth minute. I LOVE how the bass and drum play--both fairly straightforaward and sedate--give the feeling of pushing: giving more power and even trying to push the pace up a notch. Really cool feeling! Otherwise, just a nice song. My second favorite song. (9/10)

6. "Mr. Spock" (6:15) another song that seems to have more of a rock and pop orientation--at least until the speed is finally established at the one-minute mark. In the second minute, Alan Pasqua takes the first solo with silence from Mr. Holdsworth beneath--which makes Tony's play even more noticeable. Nice bass play from Mr. Newton. Even Tony's straightforward play is filled with such nuance and subtlety! Holdsworth puts in a decent solo in the fourth minute with Pasqua now completely dropping out. Cool idea! Tony's solo play in the second half of the fifth minute (beneath Holdsworth somewhat annoying distorted three-chord guitar play) feels a little bit "amateurish" for its showy-ness. (8.87510)

Total time 33:36

Overall this is a nice album of almost proto-Smooth Jazz on which Tony Williams shows us some of the amazing power he controls in his most basic drum play. The rest of the quartet are adequate in their play but rarely jaw-dropping. The songs are a little too formulaic with the way in which they are set up to harbor a succession of individual solos (except for "Fred").

89.42 on the Fishscales = B+/4.5 stars; a near-masterpiece of jazz-rock fusion. The album recording experience that Allan Holdsworth credits for being the most significant learning experience of his musical career.

THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Million Dollar Legs (1976)

Recorded at Caribou Ranch, Neder Land, Colorado in June of 1976 for August 20 release by Columbia Records.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Tony Williams / drums & percussion

- Allan Holdsworth / guitars
- Tony Newton (Motortown Revue) / bass, vocals
- Alan Pasqua / keyboards

A1. "Sweet Revenge" (6:04) definitely a hard-rock-oriented tune with a five chord repeating power motif within which Tony and keyboardist Alan Pasqua fly around while Allan and bassist Tony Newton hold down the fort until the 1:35 mark when the musicians shift into a spacious funk groove that is led by Tony Newton's bass line and Tony Williams' steady straight-time drumming while Alan and Allan add little of their spice to the mix. By the three-minute mark Allan is back to providing the five power chords while Tony Newton remains fixed to the funk bass lines as band leader Tony and the keyboardist begin to add their spicey flourishes and riffs. Guitar gets some solo licks in during the sixth minute but really nothing more: it never becomes a song for solo set ups; the musicians are each responsible for working their own creative ideas over and above the mainline they are each charged with. Very interesting! Once again "Jazz Drummer" Tony Williams surprises me with his firm rock orientation and commitment. (9/10)

A2. "You Did It To Me" (3:50) is this where DEVO got the ideas for their hit "Whip it"? Tony Newton's vocals (multiplied with some tracks effected with heavier reverb) is rockin' funky R&B in a kind of Jazz-Rock AVERAGE WHITE BAND form and sound. (The uncredited horn section leads me to surmise that all of those extraordinary horn lines can be attributed to keyboard genius Alan Pasqua and his familiarity with the very latest of keyboard technologies--perhaps the Yamaha CS-80 or ARP Omni or even Mellotron.) Though Jack Nitzsche is listed as contributor of arrangements, not artist/musician/or group is ever credited, which makes the employment of a horn section suspect. Rated up for the extraordinary work of Alan Pasqua. (8.875/10)

A3. "Million Dollar Legs" (6:36) using JIMMY CATOR BUNCH's bass line from "Troglodyte," Billy Preston's "Outa Space"-style clavinet, plus some gorgeous ARP strings, more keyboard-generated horns, Disco drumming, and horn-like lead guitar work from Allan gives you this interesting . By this time, the third song in line, I am coming to feel that band-leader Tony Williams had a very diverse and comprehensive plan for this album, for these musicians--a plan for which his enlisted musicians would have to be fully-attentive to.  (9.125/10)

A4. "Joy Filled Summer" (5:51) the melodic offerings of this song almost make it guilty of sliding into the realm of Smooth Jazz (especially with Tony's anchoring it all in his souped-up Disco drumming) but there is just too much nuance and complexity going on here to ever call this "Smooth"--and too much rock infusion to call it "Jazz"--and yet, Jazz-Rock Fusion it is in all it's perfect if decadent glory. (SO sad to see/hear J-RF go this route.) At the end of the fourth minute the band deigns it possible (and perhaps permissible) to clear out for some Holdsworth pyrotechnics but it's short-lived as the other three exceptional musicians all are suddenly flooding the pool with their own extraordinary offerings: all at the same time! Amazing! I mean, musically this isn't that enjoyable, but instrumentally it's quite a show! (9/10)

 
B1. "Lady Jade" (3:59) gentle Fender Rhodes and, later, ARP Strings and Moog synth from Alan P. that sound as if they could be coming from or BRIAN JACKSON or JOE SAMPLE (or Richard Clayderman!): it's like an overture or intro to something much bigger, much more grandiose. With this song I've finally begun to understand how and why Allan Holdsworth treasured his two year stint with Tony Williams as the most formative and transformational of his lifetime: the music here is so creative, the ideas so fresh and boundary-pushing (and eclectic). While the end results, as polished and incredibly-well-executed as they are, may not be to everybody's liking, they are, each and every one, displays of extraordinarily complex, extraordinarily difficult pieces to play. What an adventure! What an apprenticeship for any musician! As a matter of fact, I would go so far to say that any musician who is hired, mentored, and then launched out into the world after being part of a Tony Williams project has been given the finest "finishing school"--or, better yet: "graduate school"--experience available on the planet.  (9.25/10)

B2. "What You Do To Me" (7:06) beautiful and melodic "smooth" Alan Pasqua-decorated funk with deceptively hard to play music  in which each of the band members has to keep devoutly disciplined as well as ego-lessly focused in order to add their own idiosyncratically-generated "more" on top. The execution of this song reminds me of the stories that Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis tell of Prince's demands of them during band practice/rehearsals for THE TIME: always adding more to what he wanted from his musicians: dexterity, syncopation, polyphony, harmony with and over the melodies, but then movement (dance moves), looks and facial expressions and other theatricals, vocals, costuming, attitude, etc. The point is: by asking/expecting more from his musicians (multi-tasking), Prince was able to help his musicians grow: to help them realize that they are capable of so much more than they themselves ever thought themselves possible. I imagine that this is exactly how Tony Williams made his collaborators feel: as if they were helped to re-imagine themselves as much better, much bigger, much more capable musicians (and humans) than they had ever imagined of themselves. (13.875/15) 

B3. "Inspirations Of Love" (9:48) Opening with a rather bombastic full band "orchestrated" motif that feels like an opening overture or intro to a Broadway musical, but then after 90 seconds everybody just kind of quits: going on a walkabout as Tony Newton and Alan Pasqua wander off into a stunned space-filling spacey space filler with spacious bass notes and swirling Rainer Brüninghaus-like waves of piano runs that feels like part Pharoah Sanders, part space interlude. At 3:45 the full band/orchestra chords signal the entry into a new motif (reminding me of The Soft Machine's "Hazard Profile") which then  turns into a funk-rock Mahavishnu--like vehicle for some stellar new-era Allan Holdsworth soloing until Tony asks for a clear-out in the sixth minute to make room for a beautiful and impressive (for being so incredibly smooth) extended drum solo, the echoing cavernous tom-tom play extending well into the eighth and ninth minutes even as Alan Pasqua's Chick-Corea-like waves of piano runs begin to rejoin and fill part of the field. At 8:20 Tony Newton's big bombastic bass re-enters and leads the band into an "orchestrated" outro that feels like a bookend match to the song's rockin' Broadway musical opening. An unusual song that feels like a response to some of the more symphonic and proggy pieces of recent Lenny White, Chick Corea, and Return To Forever albums (Venusian Summer, Leprechaun, and Romantic Warrior, respectively). I found this particular song so surprising, so wildly unexpected yet so uncommonly creative and mystifyingly enjoyable (for the cinematic and melodramatic journey it takes one one) that I found myself listening to it over and over for several hours before I finally felt that I could finally get a grasp on it. One of the best musical listening experiences I've had in a long time. (20/20)

Total time: 43:14

The technical and keyboard wizardry of Alan Pasqua really comes shining through for me throughout this album. Tony's drumming are dependably flawless and Allan Holdsworth guitar playing feels very restrained and constrained while Tony Newton's contributions feel spot on top-notch quality for whatever Tony Williams is asking of him (which is considerable--but which the 15+ years Motown/James-Jamerson-trained bass player is well prepped and suited), but, in my opinion, it's really the keyboardist's album to show off on despite the exceedingly high demands Tony has placed on his band mates. As for my assessment on Tony's performances and accomplishment: I am awed at his ability to play at multiple levels of technical prowess: playing flawlessly on the timing front while spicing things up with his endlessly-creative flourishes and embellishments that wow and impress without taking anything away from the rest of the song or his collaborators. To listen to six songs over 43 minutes in which not a second is wasted, not a second is "coasting" or moving along rotely, without having to work, not a second goes buy without the listener being able to find a "resting" place for any of the musicians, this is such a rare feat in the world of music that I have endless respect and admiration for this album. 

93.09 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; a purely unique masterpiece of incredibly well-rendered and well-played performances of intensely-creative and highly-sophisticated musical ideas unlike any other album from Jazz-Rock Fusion's "peak era" that I've heard. For those listeners and critics of this album who fail to see its redeeming qualities--the way it stands up to either the standards set or the expectations provided by Tony's previous albums (or Allan Holdsworth's future potential), I will stand up mano à mano to them and ask them one single question that should serve to settle any dispute as to whether or not this album is great: I want you to show me that you can play one minute of any part of any of these musicians' parts in any one of the songs on this album. If you can do that without flaws or overdubs, then only then will I let you get away with trashing this album as a "sub-par" sellout illustrating the crumble and demise of the Jazz-Rock Fusion movement. Instead, I choose to hold this album up as one of the most remarkable peaks and apogees of the entire Jazz-Rock Fusion scene.  

MILES DAVIS Water Babies (1977)

A compilation album of alternate takes of songs that appeared on Miles' Second Great Quintet's albums Nefertiti, Filles de Kilimanjaro, and In a Silent Way as well as Wayne Shorter's Super Nova.

HERBIE HANCOCK V.S.O.P. (1977)

Line-up/Musicians:

- Mwandishi Herbie Hancock / electric piano [Fender Rhodes, Yamaha Electric Grand Piano], clavinet [Hohner D6] (C1 to C3); electric piano [Fender Rhodes, Yamaha Electric Grand Piano], synthesizer [Arp Odyssey, Arp String Ensemble], clavinet [Hohner D6], synthesizer [Micro-Moog, Oberheim Polyphonic Synthesizer, Echoplex, Countryman Phase Shifter, Cry Baby Wah Wah] (D1, D2); electric piano [Yamaha Electric Grand Piano] (A1 to B)

- Mchezaji Buster Williams / bass (C1 to C3)

- Ron Carter / bass (A1 to B)
- Tony Williams / drums (A1 to B)

- Jabali Billy Hart / drums (C1 to C3)

- James Levi / drums (D1, D2)
- Paul Jackson / electric bass (D1, D2)

- Mwile Bennie Maupin / flute [alsto] (C1 to C3); saxophones [ tenor & soprano], Lyricon (D1, D2)
- Ray Parker Jr. / guitar, synthesizer (D1, D2)

- Wah Wah Watson / guitar, synthesizer [Maestro Universal Synthesizer System, Maestro Sample & Hold], Talkbox [Voice Bag] (D1, D2)

- Kenneth Nash / percussion (D1, D2)
- Wayne Shorter / saxophones [tenor & soprano] (A1 to B)

- Pepo Julian Priester / trombone [ tenor & bass] (C1 to C3)
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet (A1 to B)
- Mganga Eddie Henderson / trumpet, flugelhorn, effects – (C1)

A1. "Piano Introduction" (4:32)
A2. "Maiden Voyage" (13:18)
A3. "Nefertiti" (5:17)
B. "Introduction Of Players/Eye Of The Hurricane" (18:35)
C1. "Toys" (14:00)
C2. "Introductions" (1:47)
C3. "You'll Know When You Get There" (7:00)
D1. "Hang Up Your Hang Ups" (11:54)
D2. "Spider" (10:12)

THE HERBIE HANCOCK TRIO The Herbie Hancock Trio (1977)

Out of the surprising success of the V.S.O.P. first appearance at the Newport Jazz Festival in July of 1978, Herbie orchestrated a tour of Freddie Hubbard and four-fifths of Miles Davis' "Second Great Quintet" for the following summer. In between some concert dates in California, Herbie organized some recording time at David Rubinson's new recording studio in San Francisco--to which Tony Williams and Ron Carter showed up (and out of which, due to separate contractual obligations, arose two albums: this one from CBS/Columbia/Sony Records and another on Milestone Records attributed to Ron Carter, called Third Plane). The session conveys the musicians enthusiasm for the new V.S.O.P. collaboration--which would also culminate in several albums, live and studio, over the next few years.

Line-up / Musicians:
- Herbie Hancock / piano
- Ron Carter / double bass
- Anthony Williams / drums

1. "Watch It" (12:24) Though four of the songs are Herbie Hancock compositions (the fifth, Miles Davis' famous "Milestones") there is a very strong feeling of Tony Williams' LIFETIME in this, the opener. An amazing, jaw-dropping yet thoroughly-engaging song of dynamic Power Jazz/Jazz-Rock Fusion of the kind that Tony is so known for--but all of the performances on this song are humming along at "Eleven": virtuosos performing at the absolute peak of their powers. As a matter of fact, I find my judgment as to who's the ascendant performer swaying back and forth between Ron, Herbie, and Tony, over and over. What enthusiasm! Sublime expressions of joy and camaraderie. (25/25)

2. "Speak Like a Child" (13:04) while absolutely adore the original version of this song on the 1969 album of the same name, this one is a bit showy--especially from Herbie. It's still a great tune--and I love Ron's gnarly play on his fretless bass. Still a great song, just not the innocent and pure masterpiece that was rendered for Speak Like a Child. Though Herbie is dominant, the other two give every bit as much of their power and force as they did at any point of working with Miles in the "Second Great Quintet" (which, in my opinion, peaked with Sorcerer). (22.5/25)

3. "Watcha Waitin For" (6:19) the band members' energy seems to be waning a bit--at least Tony's--from that of that amazingly dynamic opener. Ron is still going super strong, super creative, and Herbie's doing fine; Tony just feels a little less enthused. The song is upbeat and uptempo slightly less melodic and engaging as the previous two songs. (8.875/10)

4. "Look" (7:40) an attempt at a late night cruiser is slightly diminished or led askew by both Ron and Herbie's more-enthusiastic-than-desirable play while Tony's subdued brush play on the traps is both suitable and perfect to capture the night fly. It's as if the guys want to play something for the late night crowd but two of them are still riding the high of adrenaline pumping through their system (especially Ron). Melodically, the song has quite a similar sound and feel to BRIAN JACKSON and GIL SCOTT-HERON's great "Pieces of a Man." (13.375/15)

5. "Milestones" (6:38) taking advantage of the trio's boundless energy, they decide to cover a classic Miles Davis song (now a jazz standard)--one that I'm sure they'd covered many times in live concert performances. All three of the band members are on fire throughout this but I must say that Herbie really puts on a show to display how good and how confident he's become over the years. Amazing! One of my favorite covers of this classic jazz tune! (10/10)

Total Time 46:05

A/five stars; a masterpiece of high-powered, highly-skilled acoustic jazz. HIGHLY recommended.

V.S.O.P. The Quintet (1977)

Recorded live at: The Greek Theatre University of California, Berkeley, July 16, 1977 and The San Diego Civic Theatre, July 18, 1977. Released by Columbia Records in October of 1977.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Herbie Hancock / keyboards
- Freddie Hubbard / trumpet
- Tony Williams / drums
- Ron Carter / bass
- Wayne Shorter / tenor and soprano saxophones

A1. "One Of A Kind"
A2. "Third Plane"
B1. "Jessica"
B2. "Lawra"
C1. "Introduction Of Players, Darts"
C2. "Dolores"
D1. "Little Waltz"
D2. "Byrdlike"

Total Time: 71:47

THE GREAT JAZZ TRIO Love for Sale (1977)

Recorded on May 22, 1977

Line-up / Musicians:

- Hank Jones / piano
- Buster Williams / bass
- Tony Williams / drums

A1. "Love For Sale" (6:55)
A2. "Glad To Be Unhappy" (6:51)
A3. "Gee Baby, Ain't I Good To You" (6:42)
B1. "Secret Love" (6:06)
B2. "Someone To Watch Over Me" (6:23)
B3. "Autumn Leaves" (5:48)

Total time:

on the Fishscales = / stars;

BEN SIDRAN The Doctor is in (1977)

Tony sat in on the recording sessions for two of the album's 11 songs: B2. "Silver Serenade" (5:11), a Horace Silver composition, and B4. "Charlie's Blues" (1:59), a Sidran composition.

CHET BAKER You Can't Go Home Again (1977)

Tony was hired to sit in on all of the 1977 recording sessions at Sound Ideas Studio in New York City for this album: February 16, 21 & 22, as well as May 13. The all-star cast included appearances by Hubert Laws, Paul Desmond, Michael Brecker, Don Sebesky, Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Alphonso Johnson, John Scofield, Gene Bertoncini, Ralph MacDonald as well as a small string section arranged and conducted by Sebesky. 

HAL GALPER Now Hear This (1977)

Pianist Galper's intimate little quartet produced seven songs at New York's C.I. Recording Studios on February 15, 1977, all of which have received high praise ever since--especially for the "driving bass of Cecil McBee and brilliant drumming of Tony Williams." [The San Francisco Examiner: 45. October 30, 1977]

TAKEHIRO HONDA Another Departure (1977)

Recorded for Flying Disk Records on May 2 & 3 at Vanguard Studio, New York, Tony and bassist Ron Carter supplied support for the Japanese pianist's original compositions.

LARRY CORYELL Difference (1978)

A collection of songs recorded in 1975 but not released until 1978  by Egg Records, half of the songs were recorded in Electric Ladyland Studios in New York City and half gathered from a live performance in Montreal, it includes a cast of Smooth Jazz all-stars, including: the Brecker Brothers, David Sanborn, guitarists Steve Khan, Glen Moore, and Arthur Rhames; Don Grolnick on keys, Will Lee on bass, and an unconfirmed appearance by Steve Gadd on one song. But, with a running time of only 31:24, it hardly seems worth it.

SONNY ROLLINS Don't Stop the Carnival (1978)

Recorded live for the Milestone record label from the Great American Musical Hall in San Francisco in on April 13-15, 1978, the album features several rather obscure West Coast musicians that Tony rarely got to play with, including Sonny, bassist Jerome Harris, pianist Mark Soskin, guitarist Aurell Ray, and trumpeter Donald Byrd.  

SONNY ROLLINS Easy Livin' (1978)

Recorded for Milestone Records in 1977 on August 3-6, Tony's companions on these dates included some of Jazz-Rock Fusion's all-time greats, including: keyboardist George Duke, electric bass phenom Paul Jackson and his brother Charles on electric guitar, and percussion legend Bill Summers. The album contains three Rollins originals with three covers. 

MICHAEL MANTLER Movies (1978)

Eight original songs produced by Carla Bley (not Manfred Eicher?!!) A studio recording done in Sweden for ECM Records back in March of 1977 but not released until early 1978. It included legends Steve Swallow, Larry Coryell, Carla Bley, and trumpeter Mantler. A critically-acclaimed and still highly-regarded jazz masterpiece.

DIDIER LOCKWOOD New World (1979)

Recorded in 1979 for MPS Records on February 20-22 in Stuttgart's famed Tonnstudio Zuckerfabrik, the album the album featured the great Gordon Beck as well as guitarists Jean-Michel Kajdan and John Etheridge, Danish bass legend, Niels-Henning Ørsted Pederson, and the Lockwood Brothers. One of my favorite jazz albums of European origins.

TONY WILLIAMS The Joy of Flying (1979)

A real mish-mash of collaborators yields a predictably-diverse set of songs--spanning a spectrum from one end, jazz (à la the duet with Cecil Taylor), to the other end, rock 'n' roll (à la Ronny Montrose's "Open Fire") and everything in between.

Line-up / Musicians:

- Tony Williams / drums

With:
- Stanley Clarke / bass (A3, B1), composer (B1)
- Paul Jackson / bass (A2, B3)
- Mario Cipollina / bass (A4)
- George Benson / guitar, composer (A2)
- Ronnie Montrose / guitar, co-composer (A4) 
- Jan Hammer / keyboards, composer (A1, B2, B3)
- Herbie Hancock / keyboards (B1)
- Brian Auger / hammond B3 (A4)
- Cecil Taylor / piano, composer (B4)
- Ralph MacDonald / percussion (A2)
- Michael Brecker / tenor sax (A2)
- Tom Scott / lyricon (A3, B1), composer (A3)
- Jon Faddis / trumpet (A2)
- David Sanborn / alto sax (A2)
- Ronnie Cuber / baritone sax (A2)

- Barry Rogers / trombone (A2)

A1. "Going Far" (4:13) rock-leaning J-R F of the kind Jan Hammer was now gravitating to (and pioneering). Nothing too innovative but solid. (8.875/10)

A2. "Hip Skip" (8:03) a start that sounds like a play on STEVIE WONDER's "Superstition" slowly turns (with Tony's strong guidance) into something more jazzy--albeit Smooth Jazz. The full horn section is nice to hear with George Benson's music--as is the Jan Hammer Moog synthesizer. The chorus is all BOB JAMES-like--following a melody that sounds like Anita Baker's chorus to "Same Old Love." A very solid, very well arranged and executed song that presents little special other than easy listening melodic hooks and some dynamic Moog soloing. George's performance is typical George, and Dave Sanborn manages to push his sonorous sax into the seventh minute. (13.5/15)

A3. "Hittin' On 6" (6:18) a Tom Scott composition that is rife with Herbie Hancock's clavinet and other masterful keyboard work (mostly Fender Rhodes), Tony's excellent drumming, Stanley Clarke's rather subdued but rock solid funk bass playing, and Tom's wonderful Lyricon play. Easily the best/my favorite song on the album. (9.375/10)

A4. "Open Fire" (6:15) live stage craft that turns out to be merely an on-stage jam session by a bunch of rock and jazz guys who'd probably never jammed together before. Ronnie Montrose and Tony are the two guys who get to let loose and impress the audience the most. (Co-composer Brian Auger remains remarkably restrained.) (13.25/10)

B1. "Tony" (6:50) Stanley's composition to Tony comes across as a white man's discofied Smooth Jazz piece. I love Tom Scott's lyricon, Herbie's clavinet, and the melodies coming from both the lead instruments (synths) and the chord progressions but it's gettin' pretty white in here! (13.5/15)

B2. "Eris" (3:33) another Jan Hammer tune that allows both he and Tony to ramble and jamble without going too wild or off-center. Jan is here trying out some of his "Eastern" sounds to ground the song in something that one might take as akin to John McLaughlin's work with Shakti: synth drones, strum/strokes Jan's synth meant to imitate John's veena-like seven string "sympathetic" strings over his Abe Wechter-constructed Gibson guitar, even Jan's MiniMoog solos are sounding like the note-bended sounds John would get from his guitar's scalloped fret zones. In the end, Clever Jan only achieves a cheap imitation of the Mahavishnu. (8.875/10)

B3. "Coming Back Home" (6:06) Paul Jackson and Jan Hammer laying out a smooth yet jazzy weave of synthetic bedding for the first, introductory motif. In the second half of the first minute George Benson steps in, changes everything quite a bit as the band rallies to support him from beneath. The opening motif returns, cycling into the song flow whenever George backs out. I like some of George's playing more than I like most of his playing: I just don't really like that Wes Montgomery style of jazz guitar playing. Jan gets a nice MiniMoog solo in the sixth minute before the band returns to the simple, calming, and centering opening motif for the finish. The jazzier side of Smooth Jazz. Some of the more fitting drumming play of the album. (9/10)

B4. "Morgan's Motion" (8:18) Despite having stumbled upon and fallen in love with Don Pullen's Kele Mou Bana back in 1990, I could/would never have been able to tolerate much less enjoy this duet between Tony and jazz pianist Cecil Taylor had Hermann Szobel's Szobel not crossed my path (and blown me away) a couple years ago. I would never (yet) go so far as to say that I like this type of jazz, but at least now I can accommodate it--compartmentalize it with a group of other "free-jazz" albums. Where my understanding feels infantile is in trying to comprehend how Tony can "play along" with such chaotic and dynamic piano play (he feels as if he's very timid with his "comments" and "additions" to the 50-year old Maestro's "solo" play: afraid to interrupt, disrupt, or distract Cecil from his flow. (17.5/20) 

Total time: 49:36

This is an album that I probably would have loved in the late 1970s when I was going through my Tom Scott/Bob James/Earl Klugh/Ronnie & Hubert Laws/Joe Sample phase, but now, after the last three years of my celebrated Deep Dive into Classic Era Jazz-Rock Fusion, I look at it as a jumbled mess of too many styles and sounds, some well polished, some under-cooked, a few totally unbefitting my current tastes and preferences.

88.875 on the Fishscales = B/four stars; a solid if motley assortment of songs of high quality that often feel as if they could have been more developed, more seriously worked on. The contributions I value and applaud the most come from (in relative order): Tom Scott, Herbie Hancock, Jan Hammer, Stanley Clarke, George Benson, Paul Jackson, and Brian Auger. Tony himself would probably place third--between Herbie and Jan. 

WAYNE SHORTER The Soothsayer (1979)

Recorded at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on March 5, 1965! but never released until 1979! Perhaps the best alternative to Miles' "Second Great Quartet" as Wayne enlisted the halp of Ron Carter, McCoy Tyner, and Freddie Hubbard along with Tony. 

McCOY TYNER Passion Dance (1979)

A recording of live performances from July of 1978's Live Under the Sky Festival in Tokyo, Japan. it features predominantly solo performances by Tyner, with two tracks that include Tony and bassist Ron Carter.

RON CARTER Parade (1979-80)

Recorded in New Jersey at Rudy Van Gelder's studios in May of 1979, the album was finally released by Milestone Records the following year.

The Ron Carter, Chick Corea, and Joe Henderson core were all familiar to Tony, but the real star of these six songs--all composed and/or arranged by Ron--is the incredible horn section.

TONY WILLIAMS Play or Die (1980)

Recorded in two days in Germany while Tony's current funk band were on tour but were disintegrating. Tony was looking for a diversion and thus booked some studio time at the renowned Zuckerfabrik studio in Stuttgart. It was Tony's keyboardist for the tour, Tom Grant (on Jeff Lorber's recommendation), who suggested bringing Patrick O'Hearn to the studio for these sessions (Patrick had just been suddenly and summarily--along with Adrian Belew and others--from Frank Zappa's touring band as Frank was cleaning house, impulsively trying to get ready for another stage of his own development). On May 30 and 31 the trio entered the tonstudio in Stuttgart, (West) Germany, with producer Peter Schnuyder at the soundboard and proceeded to click and jam! The result was mixed and pressed right there, with a vinyl album receiving a pressing of 500. Needless to say, its product was heard little until 2022 when M.I.G. Music GmbH, an independent multi-genre recording label based in Hanover, Germany, recovered the original tapes and remastered and released the album with cleaned up sound and reordered and re-titled songs. Needless to say: the world has been missing out for over 40 years on one of Jazz-Rock Fusion's founding Fathers' performance masterclasses: for whatever reasons, these sessions brought out the very, very best of the late great Anthony Tillmon Williams. I for one, am so grateful to M.I.G. Music GmbH for letting us hear it!

Line-up / Musicians:

- Tony Williams / drums, percussion

- Patrick O'Hearn / bass [electric]

- Tom Grant / keyboards

A1. "Beach Ball Tango" (11:11) this song attributed to newcomer Patrick O'Hearn (fresh from a two-year stint with Frank Zappa), this jam song opens with a minute of solo toms and floor toms play from Tony before Patrick and Tom join in. The full motif is quite New Wave (not unlike much of the music Patrick will be making next year in his newly-founded group, Missing Persons). Hearing Tony's inspired, even daring and reckless, play, however, is what makes this song such a treat--especially the jaw-dropping solo towards the end . Who knew that little Anthony took such pleasure from Surfer Rock! Who knew that Tony would help launch the sprouting wing of Jazz-Rock Fusion that would (never) become known as Jazz-Synth-Pop-Rock Fusion?! (19/20)

A2. "Jam Tune" (previously known as "Spencer Tracy") (9:43) is a composition credited to all three members of the trio. It's pretty much a two chord vamp with a chorus section that is repeated a few times over which Tom solos with his 1980s synths, Patrick smashes some synthy-sounding bass chords, while Tony plays a steady if tribal-like one-man drum chorus. Again, it's not the music or melodies that will be lifted from this so much as the master class in drumming that Tony delivers. As other reviewers have pointed out, this song could just as easily come from one of the late 70s Jazz-Rock Fusion albums coming from Jeff Beck, Jan Hammer, Al Di Meola, Jeff Lorber, David Sancious, early Pat Metheny Group, or even Weather Report. (18.25/20)  

B1. "The Big Man" (6:41) a Patrick O'Hearn composition which seems to set Tony free to do whatever his deepest inspirations command him to do. Amazing drumming! Mega kudos to Patrick for composing something that would unleash this kind of performance from The Father of Jazz-Rock Fusion! The song itself--melodies, structure, variation--is quite simple and even monotonous, but the drumming is worth the ticket price and then some! (9.75/10)

 
B2. "Para Oriente" (6:33) one of Tony's two compositional contributions to the album comes out in the form of another two-chord vamp with chorus break/bridges which turns into a sparse area for a nice Patrick O'Hearn bass solo in the third minute. His style is a bit imitative of THE trend-setter of the day: Jaco Pastorius, but it's a nice solo. Next the motif switches to swing with Tom soloing on an organ (did I mention his start on the Fender Rhodes--which was not the instrument of the album before this), and then back to Rhodes and the original motif at the end of the fifth minute in order to carry the song to a slow and extended finish. Nice. It's a pleasure to hear a somewhat "standard" jazz/jazz-rock Fusion song. (Apparently this Tony song was recorded previously for both the 1979 V.S.O.P. release, Live Under the Sky as well as the legendary Trio of Doom album--which wasn't released until 2007.) (9.125/10)  

B3. "Lawra (There Comes a Time)" (5:38) another song that Tony had composed and previously recorded for his previous studio album, 1979's The Joy of Flying. Though Tony had tried singing on several albums before (Emergency!), now ten years on his vocal skill and control had had time to mature and gain confidence, leading to this: perhaps the greatest vocal Tony ever delivered. Great composition--probably the most sophisticated on the album--and still another example of a drumming clinic from one of the all-time greats! (9.75/10)

Total time: 39:47

94.11 on the Fishscales = A/five stars; an essential master-class in drumming as well as of an obscure direction that Jazz-Rock Fusion (almost) took/could have taken.

Because of his very experimental, always-boundary-pushing nature, Anthony Tillmon Williams III has a very checkered/inconsistent discography. My favorite Tony Williams albums do not always contain my favorite Tony Williams performances. This being said, here is my list of Tony Williams albums as they rate on the Fishscales: 

1. TONY WILLIAMS Play or Die (1980) - 94.11

2. THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Million Dollar Legs (1976) - 93.09

3. ANTHONY WILLIAMS Spring (1966) - 92.1875

4. TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME (Turn It Over) (1970) - 91.62

5. ANTHONY WILLIAMS Life Time (1964) - 91.07

6. TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Emergency! (1969) - 90.69

7. THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Believe It (1975) - 89.42

8. TONY WILLIAMS The Joy of Flying (1979) - 88.875

9. TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME The Old Bum's Rush (1973) - 88.65

10 TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Ego (1971) - 88.59

My favorite drumming performances of Tony's career--on studio albums--occur on the following albums:

TONY WILLIAMS Play or Die (1980)

MILES DAVIS Sorcerer (1967)

THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Million Dollar Legs (1976)

POP WORKSHOP Song of the Pteradactyl (1974)

TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME (Turn It Over) (1970)

MILES DAVIS Miles Smiles (1967)

HAL GALPER Now Hear This (1977)

THE HERBIE HANCOCK TRIO The Herbie Hancock Trio (1977)

MILES DAVIS' Nefertiti (1968)

MILES DAVIS Filles de Kilamanjaro (1969)

THE NEW TONY WILLIAMS LIFETIME Believe It (1975)

MICHAEL MANTLER Movies (1978)