In August, we offer you a summer series dedicated to the great figures of “The Epic of Black Music” who died 25 years ago!
25 years ago, one of the most amazing drummers in the history of jazz passed away. Tony Williams had crossed the 20th century in a hurry as if he knew that the disease would prevail at 51 years old. A true acrobat of rhythm, he is still hailed today by his contemporaries as one of the best jazzmen of our time. Too modest, he would never have imagined that his name could resonate in 2022 as a model of virtuosity for many budding drummers. And yet, it was this kid of barely 20 who supported, in 1965, the lyricism of the famous trumpeter Miles Davis.
To reduce the destiny of Tony Williams to his participation in the historic quintet of Miles Davis in the 60s would be unfair. After learning from his elders, Tony Williams decided to strike out on his own in 1969. He was 24 years old and sensed very early on the stylistic evolution of jazz towards an electric fusion more in tune with the aspirations of the public. He created “Lifetime”, a formation whose unbridled psychedelic mood nourished the musical landscape of the 70s. Benson, John McLaughlin, among others… Over the decades, Tony Williams demonstrated his rhythmic versatility by distinguishing himself both in jazz-rock experimentation and in unbridled acoustic improvisations. His eclecticism also aroused the praise and recognition of his peers. His friends, Herbie Hancock, Michel Petrucciani, Branford and Wynton Marsalis, Ron Carter, Geri Allen, regularly called on his services and did not regret it.
In 1993, bassist Marcus Miller concocted his third solo album, The sun don’t lie. Haloed by his work with trumpeter Miles Davis for the album Tutu, he plans to pay tribute to his illustrious chaperone who died two years earlier. He thinks about the best way to salute his memory and composes a title in his honor, The king is gone. He said to himself that the presence in the studio of the former partners of Miles Davis would be a good idea. So he sends out the invitations. It will take the persuasiveness of saxophonist Wayne Shorter for Tony Williams to agree to take part in this recording session. The king is gone will finally seal the complicity between Marcus Miller and Tony Williams who, both, at different times, were the inspired running mates of a jazz giant, Miles Davis.
If the legendary trumpeter had very quickly understood the importance of the image, Tony Williams hesitated to put himself on stage. Jazz had to remain, in his eyes, a music that we listen to and the advent of the video clip, which he had witnessed in the 80s, did not enchant him. Tony Williams never boasted. He knew that his playing on the drums, which he never ceased to perfect, gave him real notoriety and indisputable legitimacy. The famous American music critic, Robert Christgau, had even presented it, in an article published in 1970 on the occasion of the release of the disc Emergency, as the “probably the best drummer in the world”. Tony Williams was, no doubt, honored with this distinction but he knew how to remain humble and was not lacking in humour. He knew that compliments, while nice to hear, didn’t pay his bills. Like any jazzman, his lifestyle was not that of a rock star. Certainly, he began his career at 17 alongside the flamboyant Miles Davis but did not try to look like him. “It was important for me to leave Miles Davis and the atmosphere that reigned around him. However, I recognize that I learned to live without fear thanks to him, I learned to bring together, to bring out the best in each individual, I learned who I was, what I wanted, how to determine it and how to ‘obtain. I had goals, of course, but they weren’t planned. Besides, most of the goals I set for myself, I still haven’t achieved them.” (Tony Williams on Joe Farmer’s microphone).
Tony Williams passed away on February 23, 1997.