YOUR Favourite Tony Williams albums

Civilization. I like Geo Rose especially on that album.
 
What is the deal with Tony Williams? I'm not trying to be smart... Help me understand.

Like a recent post about Steve Gadd, I just don't 'get' Tony Williams. I have a couple TW albums (Story of Neptune and Trio of Doom) and it just doesn't make sense to me. It's almost like listening to a foreign language. Maybe I just don't get fusion.

So what is it exactly about him? I know the 'blush-da' lick (I've used it a few times) pretty much came from him but I have to be missing something else that makes him such an inspiration for so many.

However, to answer the question, I would have to say Story of Neptune since I REALLY don't get the Trio record...it sounds like they are all playing a completely different song. Plus, Neptune has a Beatles track on it.
 
What is the deal with Tony Williams? I'm not trying to be smart... Help me understand.

Like a recent post about Steve Gadd, I just don't 'get' Tony Williams. I have a couple TW albums (Story of Neptune and Trio of Doom) and it just doesn't make sense to me. It's almost like listening to a foreign language. Maybe I just don't get fusion.

So what is it exactly about him? I know the 'blush-da' lick (I've used it a few times) pretty much came from him but I have to be missing something else that makes him such an inspiration for so many.

However, to answer the question, I would have to say Story of Neptune since I REALLY don't get the Trio record...it sounds like they are all playing a completely different song. Plus, Neptune has a Beatles track on it.

This is what I am trying to find out by listening to some more of his work. I was interested to find out because most people put him in the same sentence as Max Roach and Elvin Jones - two of the best (imo) drummers ever. I am on the same boat as, you, my friend.
 
These are my favorites:
Miles Davis - Filles de Kilimanjaro (or the complete In A Silent Way sessions)
Miles Davis - Nefertiti
Miles Davis - Four & More
Miles Davis - My Funny Valentine
Miles Davis - Miles Smiles
Miles Davis - ESP
Herbie Hancock - Maiden Voyage
Herbie Hancock - Empyrean Isles
Eric Dolphy - Out to Lunch
McCoy Tyner - Supertrios

I can't really explain his playing in a way that's going to cause you to hear or understand the drums any differently- it's something you have to discover for yourself through a lot of listening and maybe a little reading and talking to people. I good experiment might be to A/B some of his Miles tracks with earlier versions of the same tunes. On Four & More you might do that with Four, Walkin', or So What; on MFV All Blues would be a good one.
 
What is the deal with Tony Williams? I'm not trying to be smart... Help me understand.

Like a recent post about Steve Gadd, I just don't 'get' Tony Williams. I have a couple TW albums (Story of Neptune and Trio of Doom) and it just doesn't make sense to me. It's almost like listening to a foreign language. Maybe I just don't get fusion.

So what is it exactly about him? I know the 'blush-da' lick (I've used it a few times) pretty much came from him but I have to be missing something else that makes him such an inspiration for so many.

However, to answer the question, I would have to say Story of Neptune since I REALLY don't get the Trio record...it sounds like they are all playing a completely different song. Plus, Neptune has a Beatles track on it.

I think you have to try to play the music to understand more about Tony's genius. I became aware of his greatness when I got started on jazz years ago. When you try to play good jazz, you understand more about what those guys were doing. For my part, the track that really opened my ears was Nefertiti by Miles Davis. Amazing drumming on that track. Hope that helps.
 
One of my favorite TW quotes ever; "Telling a drummer not to be loud is like telling a trumpet player not to sound so brassy." I'm pretty sure that was from Modern Drummer back in the 90's. I don't think he was saying drummers should just wail all the time, but I think he was being pretty much telling it like it is. Drums and cymbals are just loud by nature.

I think to "get" TW, you have to understand his place in the context of jazz. He was part of a group of drummers in that period that really started trailblazing the places that jazz in general (and the drumming in particular) could go. Understanding it on that level makes it easier to understand. Without getting that context it can be hard to follow. It probably is anyway because I just glossed over it real quick.

Any of the music listed in this thread is great.I would also throw in any of the Tony Williams Lifetime albums. If you just want some samplings of the man in general without investing money into it, there's tons of YouTube videos of performances, solos, even some interviews that are great. Max Roach and Elvin Jones got a mention in this thread, and I remember there being a video featuring all three drummers.

Don't give up on Tony. He's a national treasure.
 
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Listen to Empyrean Isles by Herbie Hancock, specifically the song "The Egg". The way he interprets the time feel is very different than the way I think most jazz drummers would do. It's sort of a 3/2 feel, I think. You definitely have to understand Tony in the context of jazz, and try to understand how his ideas formulate and unravel within the realm of improvisation. He is truly an innovator.
 
this is a tough one.
i'd have to say that i prefer his late '60s and '70s albums more than the later stuff. obviously the miles period and the lifetime material, but also with wayne shorter ("juju" and "the soothsayer"), mccoy tyner ("counterpoint"), and eric dolphy ("out to lunch).
i've been trying to hunt down stan getz's "captain marvel" for ages now...still to no avail.
 
there is so much about Tony's playing thats amazing(and very difficult to play) start with trying to play some of his ride patterns that he plays on those miles' records and you will get an idea of his technique. Also Tony's playing is very hard to "get" at first, but stick with it...........it's worth it as a whole new volcabulary opens up to you.
 
this is a tough one.
i'd have to say that i prefer his late '60s and '70s albums more than the later stuff. obviously the miles period and the lifetime material, but also with wayne shorter ("juju" and "the soothsayer"), mccoy tyner ("counterpoint"), and eric dolphy ("out to lunch).
i've been trying to hunt down stan getz's "captain marvel" for ages now...still to no avail.
I don't know what format you've been trying to find it in...but amazon.ca has both vinyl and Cd. Amazing album! heres a link. http://www.amazon.ca/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=stan+getz+captain+marvel
 
I really dug the playing he did on the abridged Live at the Plugged Nickel with Miles. For some reason Tony live sounds alot better to me than Tony in the studio. But I also liked his last album Young at Heart. It's so hard to pick just one because there's so much to hear and learn from over the years. It's because of Tony talking about Max Roach that I got into Max Roach (I know, it shoulda' been the other way around), and just as you study all of these guys you end up listening to everybody and discovering that they all had something to add to the jazz conversation, too.

Funny, while I answer this, Sister Cheryl is playing on my iPod.
 
"The Joy Of Flying" from 1978. This one has a variety of musical styles to enjoy from rock, to R&B to jazz. The all-star line-up includes keyboardists Jan Hammer, Brian Auger and Herbie Hancock, guitarists George Benson and Ronnie Montrose and tenorman Michael Brecker among others. Good stuff.
 
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