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Tony Williams
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Born in Chicago and growing up in Boston, Williams began studies with master drummer Alan Dawson at an early age and began playing professionally at the age of 13 with saxophonist Sam Rivers. Jackie McLean hired Williams at 16. At 17 Williams found considerable fame with Miles Davis, joining a group that was later dubbed Davis's "Second Great Quintet." His first album as a leader, 1964's Life Time (not to be confused with the name of his band "Lifetime," which he formed several years later) was recorded during his tenure with Davis. Williams was a vital element of the group, called by Davis in his autobiography "the center of the group's sound". [citation needed] His inventive playing helped redefine the role of jazz rhythm section through the use of polyrhythms and metric modulation (transitioning between mathematically related tempos and/or time signatures). But perhaps his overarching achievement was in demonstrating, through his playing, that the drummer need not be relegated to timekeeping and accompaniment in a jazz ensemble; that the drummer may be free to contribute to the performance as an equal partner in the improvisation. In 1969, he formed a trio, "The Tony Williams Lifetime," with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ
Legendary jazz drummer, bandleader and composer Eric McPherson
by Doug Hall
On this show we chat with legendary jazz drummer, band leader, and composer Eric McPherson. Mr. McPherson would be introduced to music and jazz at a very young age. Richard Davis, his godfather and an icon among jazz bassists, was a neighborhood friend of the family, and his mother, a superb dancer-choreographer, deep into the jazz ...
Cindy Blackman Santana Band at Miner Auditorium
by Steven Roby
Cindy Blackman Santana BandMiner AuditoriumSFJAZZ CenterSan Franciso, CASeptember 14, 2025 On the second of two sold-out nights at Miner Auditorium, Cindy Blackman Santana opened with a brief welcome--"Blue Whale"--and nothing more. The band turned toward the center, eyes on her for the first cue, as if to agree that rhythm would set the terms. ...
Craig Taborn / Nels Cline / Marcus Gilmore: Trio Of Bloom
by Jack Kenny
The concept of a musical “supergroup" is hardly new. It could be argued that Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie's assembly at Massey Hall in 1953 was an early example. This legendary bebop concert, despite the undeniable talent on stage, famously showcased clashing egos, particularly with a less-than-healthy Bud Powell. Charles Mingus even had to re-record his ...
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen: The Poetic Vibrations of Drumming
by Dean Nardi
Michala Østergaard-Nielsen is a jazz drummer from Denmark, a country with a rich tradition of women playing drums. Once during a lesson with Gerald Cleaver, she was told you could either play drums upon sound or upon a pattern. “That really opened the doors for me to not think just the technical things, but listen to ...
George Coleman: George Coleman with Strings
by Dan McClenaghan
Tenor saxophonist George Coleman decided to leave the orbit of trumpeter Miles Davis in 1964. Or he got an elbow to the ribs and a hip check to leave the quintet, to be replaced by Wayne Shorter in the saxophone slot. Three top-notch live albums came out of the group that featured Coleman: In Europe: Live ...
Phil Haynes: Electricity Incarnate!
by Doug Collette
In the annals of jazz both short-term and long, the influence of drummer-led initiatives is immeasurable. There is Art Blakey and his Jazz Messengers, of course, plus Tony Williams' Lifetime and, in addition, numerous single-minded efforts like these two coincidental releases of Phil Haynes. Each is a largely freewheeling exercise in revisitation gestated during COVID lockdowns: ...
Nick Brignola: Between A Rock And The Jazz Place, Part 2
by Rob Rosenblum
Part 1 | Part 2 This interview was originally published in 1969 in an Albany, New York area arts publication called Transition. It documents a time when saxophonist Nick Brignola was in the process of trying to break out of the confines of bebop and incorporate some of the elements of fusion that was ...
The Sun Rises Again on Strata-East Records
by Joshua Weiner
Fans of classic post-bop, avant-garde, and spiritual jazz rejoiced at the news of Mack Avenue Music Group's partnership with Strata-East Records, a pioneering independent label founded in 1971 by trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell. Many Strata-East releases are being reissued on CDs, deluxe all-analogue vinyl LP packages, and digitally through streaming services, many for ...
Steve Hirsh: Root Causes
by Mark Corroto
Although Steve Hirsh's name appears on the masthead of Root Causes, you might not immediately recognize it as a drummer-led recording. Unlike the unmistakable leadership of Art Blakey, Elvin Jones, and Tony Williams, Hirsh leads with subtlety, functioning more as a selfless, responsive collaborator than a dominant force. The album features a classic piano ...
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