thanks for sharing! not to take anything away from tony, but the rock-jazz thing was happening a lot come the late 60's and into the 70's.. of course miles davis bitches brew and all those players involved in that project, but interestingly, many of the uk players involvement speaks of the unique musical dynamics taking place in the uk during this same period... of course lifetime with mclaughlin and bruce - the band is half uk and half usa! prog rock might not be the same thing, but there are a lot of connections..
in bill brufords autobiography he mentions how the rock players thought of him as jazz and the jazz players thought of him as rock... you just can't win!! clearly tony was both too! i have felt the same - was born in 56 and have played drums in mostly original groups, or groups emphasizing improvisational music... fusion or jazz rock - its just a name which is trying to include different influences - rock or jazz or whatever you are bringing into the music.. what is this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-MLQRHfej0 - same general time frame! different drummer - tony oxley...
if you look into the project that john scofield, larry goldings and jack dejohnette did - trio beyond - ( or read the liner notes to the cd/album called saudades) that was a dedication to the influence of tony williams.. again - dejohnette is a player who has embraced something more along the lines of improvisation, as opposed to bebop or straight ahead jazz - although he is capable of it all - as was tony! i think it was a younger generation looking to find their own voice, while acknowledging and honouring those who came before them.. we have a lot to be thankful for musically speaking! thanks for the article..
Great essay James— many important points here. Love the Saudades album, thanks for mentioning, an important album explicitly referencing Lifetime, Bruford’s book is a great resource, I learned much from it. Thanks for reading, posting, and sharing!
"Two Worlds" and "One Word" were from a mid-1970 session from this quartet, the MKII if you will. They were both mixed in July 1970 for a 45 release. Ron Carter played Double Bass on Ego, but the touring bass guitarist and band member at the time was the late Juini Booth.
P.S. If you haven't heard it, the unreleased Bill Laswell remix of "Turn it Over" sounds incredible. It's not just a remix - he basically assembled an alternate version of the album including outtake material.
Damn! As much as I loved the first clip, this is the one. And you’re right, the split screen really does let you hone in on Tony’s amazing stick work. Thanks so much for sharing
thanks for sharing! not to take anything away from tony, but the rock-jazz thing was happening a lot come the late 60's and into the 70's.. of course miles davis bitches brew and all those players involved in that project, but interestingly, many of the uk players involvement speaks of the unique musical dynamics taking place in the uk during this same period... of course lifetime with mclaughlin and bruce - the band is half uk and half usa! prog rock might not be the same thing, but there are a lot of connections..
in bill brufords autobiography he mentions how the rock players thought of him as jazz and the jazz players thought of him as rock... you just can't win!! clearly tony was both too! i have felt the same - was born in 56 and have played drums in mostly original groups, or groups emphasizing improvisational music... fusion or jazz rock - its just a name which is trying to include different influences - rock or jazz or whatever you are bringing into the music.. what is this? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7-MLQRHfej0 - same general time frame! different drummer - tony oxley...
if you look into the project that john scofield, larry goldings and jack dejohnette did - trio beyond - ( or read the liner notes to the cd/album called saudades) that was a dedication to the influence of tony williams.. again - dejohnette is a player who has embraced something more along the lines of improvisation, as opposed to bebop or straight ahead jazz - although he is capable of it all - as was tony! i think it was a younger generation looking to find their own voice, while acknowledging and honouring those who came before them.. we have a lot to be thankful for musically speaking! thanks for the article..
Great essay James— many important points here. Love the Saudades album, thanks for mentioning, an important album explicitly referencing Lifetime, Bruford’s book is a great resource, I learned much from it. Thanks for reading, posting, and sharing!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb4pvZPq8a4
"Two Worlds" and "One Word" were from a mid-1970 session from this quartet, the MKII if you will. They were both mixed in July 1970 for a 45 release. Ron Carter played Double Bass on Ego, but the touring bass guitarist and band member at the time was the late Juini Booth.
P.S. If you haven't heard it, the unreleased Bill Laswell remix of "Turn it Over" sounds incredible. It's not just a remix - he basically assembled an alternate version of the album including outtake material.
Right on! I love the Laswell remix. Thanks for the info, and thanks for reading!
It's amazing how they've edited the clip and amazing how long they took before posting.
Anyway I'm a music writer myself. Let's subscribe to each other's newsletters.
Damn! As much as I loved the first clip, this is the one. And you’re right, the split screen really does let you hone in on Tony’s amazing stick work. Thanks so much for sharing
Glad you enjoyed Ron, and thanks for reading!