Tony Williams

Tony Williams’ death in 1997 of a heart attack was a major shock to the jazz world. Just 51, Williams seemed so youthful, healthy, and ageless even though he had been a major drummer for nearly 35 years. The open style that he created while with the Miles Davis Quintet in the mid- to late ’60s remains quite influential, and he had a long list of accomplishments during the decades that followed. Williams’ father, a saxophonist, took his son out to clubs that gave him an opportunity to sit in; at 11, the youngster already showed potential. He took lessons from Alan Dawson, and at 15 was appearing at Boston-area jam sessions. During 1959-1960, Williams often played with Sam Rivers, and in December 1962 (when he was barely 17), the drummer moved to New York and played regularly with Jackie McLean. Within a few months he joined Miles Davis, where his ability to imply the beat while playing quite freely influenced and inspired the other musicians; together with Herbie Hancock and Ron Carter he was part of one of the great rhythm sections.

Williams was still a teenager when he appeared on classic Blue Note albums including Herbie Hancock My Point of View and Empyrean Isles, Eric Dolphy Out to Lunch, Andrew Hill Point of Departure, and Sam Rivers Fuchsia Swing Song, and recorded his own debut as a leader in 1964 with the adventurous Life Time. Williams recorded a second Blue Note album Spring in 1965. He stayed with Davis into 1969, leading his own occasional sessions and becoming a household name in the jazz world.

In addition to his interest in avant-garde jazz, Tony Williams was a fan of rock music, and when he left Miles he formed the fusion band Lifetime, a trio with Larry Young and John McLaughlin. After leading other versions of Lifetime, Williams stuck to freelancing for a time, studied composition, and toured with Herbie Hancock’s V.S.O.P. band. By the mid-’80s, he was heading his own post-bop quintet which featured trumpeter Wallace Roney and a repertoire dominated by the drummer’s originals (including the standard “Sister Cheryl”). Williams returned to Blue Note Records for a remarkable run of albums through the early 1990s which included Foreign Intrigue, Civilization, Angel Street, Native Heart, The Story of Neptune, and Tokyo Live.

After breaking up his quintet in 1995, Williams gigged a bit with a trio and seemed to have a limitless future. His premature death makes one grateful that he started his career early and that he was extensively documented.