Tony Williams is one of the most influential drummers in jazzn history. His open style implied the beat rather than rode it via the use of metric modulation and polyrhythms. His playing articulated itself in jazz, rock, funk and blues. Before he was 18 he joined Miles Davis's quintet. During his tenure with Davis, he issued two leader dates, Life Time (1964) and Spring (1965). In 1968 he founded the Tony Williams Lifetime with organist Larry Young and guitarist John McLaughlin. Emergency! their 1969 debut, is arguably the first fusion album. Lifetime's personnel evolved to feature an abundance of top tier players including Jack Bruce and Allan Holdsworth. In the 1970s, Williams co-founded the Great Jazz Trio, and worked extensively with Herbie Hancock and dozens more. Between 1985 and 1993 he ledi influential dates including Foreign Intrigue and Native Heart. He co-founded vanguard jazz rockers Arcana who issued The Last Wave in 1995. A second offering, Arc of the Testimony appeared in 1997.