Tony Williams joined Miles Davis in 1963, setting levels of drum technique, musicality and interaction which are models for drummers today. On Miles’ Four and More, the tightness of the rhythm section seems to give Tony the confidence and the foundation to play incredibly technical figures, vary the texture and still interact musically. His overall style is nothing short of revolutionary, no longer depending on ride cymbal and hi-hat to keep time, but rather using rim shots, varied cymbal sounds, crushed hi-hats, multiple rolls and thundering toms to propel the band. His hi-hat and bass drum chatter as much as many drummers’ snare drums—busily interacting with the soloists and the rhythm section. Williams was particularly fond of cross-rhythms, especially three over two. On “Joshua,” he phrases the cross-rhythms over the bar lines on the 3/4 sections, and on “So What,” he and Herbie Hancock continuously set up cross-rhythms behind the […]

January 1983 Issue