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Emergency!

Tony Williams

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Album Review

Tony Williams' Emergency was one of the first and most influential albums in late-'60s fusion, a record that shattered the boundaries between jazz and rock. Working with guitarist John McLaughlin and organist Larry Young, Williams pushed into new territory, creating dense, adventurous, unpredictable soundscapes. With Emergency, Tony Williams helped create the foundation of the style and sound of fusion. It's a seminal release, originally released on two albums and now available on one CD.

Customer Reviews

Truly Amazing

I first heard this album shortly after its release. I was amazed then by the speed with which the trio played. I am amazed now by the depth of musical expression they achieved. A musical trio is like a three legged stool: if one leg is weaker, the stool is unstable. Therefore, no one player stands out more than any other in this group. Larry Young is uncanny in both his hands and his feet. He maintains the chord structure flawlessly on the manuals, while providing the needed groove with his pedals. Williams had to have been one of the greatest drummers to have lived. Period. He keeps things moving, flowing, and shifting with remarkable tightness. And pre-Mahavishnu John McLaughlin is at his most spontaneous. The playing is of the same period as his "Bithches Brew" performances, and to me, he was far freer and less structured in his earlier recording career. Some of his later work sounds like high speed etudes: scales in overdrive. If you've ever enjoyed late 60s Miles Davis, Weather Report, or Mahavishnu Orchestra, there's a better than even chance you will truly dig this album.

Kinda the beginning of the jazz Rock collision called FUSION, but weirder. GREAT!

This album is a record of what happened when the psychedelic rock of hendrix met the 60's jazz mentality/spirituality HEAD on. I saw this band at a small club in the east village called SLUGS in my late teens. It was the first time i ever saw JOHN McLAUGHLIN ( i had seen Hendrix ) I was absolutely blown away ... This sound is the beginning of so much AVANT GARDE exploration and remains a totally strange document. It is unrelentingly TRIPPY and is really jazz for heads. it is also EXACTLY how this band sounded live and TONY WILLIAMS was the best drummer I have ever seen barring Elvin Jones.

Biography

Born: December 12, 1945 in Chicago, IL

Genre: Jazz

Years Active: '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s

Tony Williams' death in 1997 of a heart attack after routine gall bladder surgery was a major shock to the jazz world. Just 51, Williams (who could be a very loud drummer) 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,...
Full Bio

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