IN MEMORIAM: Tony Williams December 12,1945 - February 23, 1997 Tony Williams was in Chicago, Illinois. Tony, a pioneer of jazz fusion, is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential jazz drummers in history. Tony began studies with master drummer Alan Dawson at an early age and began playing professionally at the age of 13 with saxophonist Sam Rivers. Jackie McLean hired Tony at 16. At 17, Tony found considerable fame with Miles Davis, joining a group that was later dubbed Daviss “Second Great Quintet.” Tonys first album as a leader, 1964s Life Time (not to be confused with the name of his band Lifetime which he formed several years later) was recorded during his tenure with Miles. Tony was a vital element of the group and Miles considered him to be “the center of the groups sound. Tonys inventive playing helped redefine the role of the jazz rhythm section through the use of polyrhythms and metric modulation - transitioning between mathematically related tempos and/or time signatures. But perhaps his overarching achievement was in demonstrating, through his playing, that the drummer need not be relegated to timekeeping and accompaniment in a jazz ensemble; that the drummer may be free to contribute to the performance as an equal partner in the improvisation. In 1969, Tony formed a trio, The Tony Williams Lifetime, with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ. It was a pioneering band of the fusion movement, a combination of rock, R&B, and jazz. Their first album, Emergency!, was largely rejected by the jazz community at the time of its release. However, Miles Davis was so impressed with the album and its highly experimental direction that he asked to head the group as his own but Tony declined. Today, Emergency! is considered by many to be a fusion classic. After McLaughlins departure, and several more albums, Lifetime disbanded. In 1975, Tony assembled another band he called The New Tony Williams Lifetime, featuring bassist Tony Newton, pianist Alan Pasqua, and guitarist Allan Holdsworth, which recorded two albums,Believe It and Million Dollar Legs. In mid 1976, Tony was a part of a reunion of sorts with his old Miles Davis band compatriots, pianist/keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Miles backed out of the reunion at the last minute and was replaced by Freddie Hubbard. The record was later released as V.S.O.P. (which stood for a “Very Special OneTime Performance”) and was highly instrumental in increasing the popularity of acoustical jazz. The group went on to tour and record for several years, releasing a series of live albums under the name “V.S.O.P.” or “The V.S.O.P. Quintet.” In 1985, Tony recorded an album for Blue Note Records entitled Foreign Intrigue, which featured pianist Mulgrew Miller and trumpeter Wallace Roney. Later that year he formed a quintet with Miller and Roney which also featured tenor and soprano saxophonist Bill Pierce and bassist Charnett Moffett (later Ira Coleman). This band played Williams compositions almost exclusively and toured and recorded throughout the remainder of the 80s and into the early 90s. This rhythm section also recorded as a trio. Tony lived and taught in the San Francisco Bay Area until his death from a heart attack following routine gall bladder surgery. One of his final recordings was Arcana, a release organized by prolific bass guitarist Bill Laswell. Tony Williams was a true genius in every sense of the word. Earlier this year, he was voted one of The 50 Greatest Drummers of All Time by the readers of Modern Drummer Magazine.
Posted on: Fri, 12 Dec 2014 16:36:19 +0000