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Tony Williams

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Born in Chicago and growing up in Boston, Williams 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 Williams at 16. At 17 Williams found considerable fame with Miles Davis, joining a group that was later dubbed Davis's "Second Great Quintet." His first album as a leader, 1964's 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 Davis. Williams was a vital element of the group, called by Davis in his autobiography "the center of the group's sound". [citation needed] His inventive playing helped redefine the role of 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, he formed a trio, "The Tony Williams Lifetime," with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ
George Coleman: George Coleman with Strings

by Dan McClenaghan
Tenor saxophonist George Coleman decided to leave the orbit of trumpeter Miles Davis in 1964. Or he got an elbow to the ribs and a hip check to leave the quintet, to be replaced by Wayne Shorter in the saxophone slot. Three top-notch live albums came out of the group that featured Coleman: In Europe: Live ...
Phil Haynes: Electricity Incarnate!

by Doug Collette
In the annals of jazz both short-term and long, the influence of drummer-led initiatives is immeasurable. There is Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers, of course, plus Tony Williams' Lifetime and, in addition, numerous single-minded efforts like these two coincidental releases of Phil Haynes. Each is a largely freewheeling exercise in revisitation gestated during COVID lockdowns: ...
Nick Brignola: Between A Rock And The Jazz Place, Part 2

by Rob Rosenblum
Part 1 | Part 2 This interview was originally published in 1969 in an Albany, New York area arts publication called Transition. It documents a time when saxophonist Nick Brignola was in the process of trying to break out of the confines of bebop and incorporate some of the elements of fusion that was ...
The Sun Rises Again on Strata-East Records

by Joshua Weiner
Fans of classic post-bop, avant-garde, and spiritual jazz rejoiced at the news of Mack Avenue Music Group's partnership with Strata-East Records, a pioneering independent label founded in 1971 by trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell. Many Strata-East releases are being reissued on CDs, deluxe all-analogue vinyl LP packages, and digitally through streaming services, many for ...
Steve Hirsh: Root Causes

by Mark Corroto
Although Steve Hirsh's name appears on the masthead of Root Causes, you might not immediately recognize it as a drummer-led recording. Unlike the unmistakable leadership of Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams, Hirsh leads with subtlety, functioning more as a selfless, responsive collaborator than a dominant force. The album features a classic piano ...
Brad Mehldau Trio Groovin' High at SFJAZZ

by Roy Strassman
Brad Mehldau Trio SFJAZZ Center San Francisco, CA April 3, 2025 SFJAZZ Center honored the Bay Area's jazz fans with the Brad Mehldau-Christian McBride-Marcus Gilmore trio, in town for a four-night run from April 3-6, 2025. Opening night was a real treat for the ear, eye, and soul. Casually dressed, the ...
Freddie Hubbard: On Fire--Live From The Blue Morocco

by Jack Kenny
Freddie Hubbard is a conundrum. His style has varied significantly over the years, as though he were unsure of himself at a deep level. There were the Blue Note years, then the funk years, where he gained money and lost credibility. The all-encompassing technique was displayed in so many contexts, with Art Blakey, Ornette Coleman, John ...
Jacob Wutzke: You Better Bet

by Jack Bowers
Jacob Wutzke, long an admirer of fellow drummer and composer Tony Williams, moved closer to Williams' orbit several years ago when acclaimed bassist Ira Coleman--who had performed and recorded with Williams in the 1980s and '90s-- relocated to Wutzke's home base in Montreal, Canada. After meeting Coleman, Wutzke proposed the idea of recording an album of ...
Brilliant Corners 2025: Days 1-4

by Ian Patterson
Brilliant Corners 2025 Black Box/Various Venues Belfast, N. IrelandFebruary 28-March 8, 2025 Thirteen is young for most things, smartphones, cars and your average household pet aside. Thirteen is young for jazz festivals too, but as jazz festivals go, Brilliant Corners qualifies as a precocious youth. Its programming, whilst musically inclusive and ...