Artist: Tony Williams

Anthony Tillmon Williams was an American jazz drummer.

Williams studied with drummer Alan Dawson at the age of 11, and began playing professionally at the age of 13 with saxophonist Sam Rivers. Saxophonist Jackie McLean hired Williams when he was 16. 

At 17 Williams gained attention by joining Miles Davis in what was later dubbed Davis's Second Great Quintet. Williams was a vital element of the group, called by Davis in his autobiography "the center that the group's sound revolved around." His playing helped redefine the role of the jazz rhythm section through the use of  polyrhythms and metric modulation. Meanwhile, he recorded his first two albums as a leader for the Blue Note label, Life Time  (1964) and Spring (1965). He also recorded as a sideman for the label including the classics Out to Lunch! with Eric Dolphy and Point of Departure  with Andrew Hill, both in 1964. 

In 1969 Williams formed the Tony Williams Lifetime, with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ. Lifetime was a pioneering band of the fusion movement. Their first album was Emergency!. For the Turn It Over album, the trio were joined by bass guitarist and vocalist Jack Bruce.

In 1975, Williams formed “The New Tony Williams Lifetime” featuring bassist Tony Newton, keyboardist Alan Pasqua  and guitarist Allan Holdsworth, who recorded two albums for Columbia Records, Believe It and Million Dollar Legs. 

In 1976, Williams reunited with his Miles Davis Quintet colleagues, saxophonist Wayne Shorter, pianist Herbie Hancock and bassist Ron Carter. (Davis himself was in the midst of a six-year hiatus and was "replaced" by trumpeter Freddie Hubbard.) A record of their concert was later released as V.S.O.P. (“Very Special One-time Performance”), the name under which the group toured and recorded for several years.