Tony Williams Quintet Tony Williams/CA,USA 1988 & more

Tony Williams’ 1988 & 1990 quintet live performances, both coupling with soundboard recordings from FM on-air master. Disc 1 is a 47-minute recording of a gig at Yoshi’s Jazz House in Oakland on October 6th from the 1988 North American tour. The members are the same as those from the three albums after moving to the new Blue Note at the time, Wallace Roney, Billy Pierce, Mulgrew Miller, and bassist Bob Hurst in the early quintet lineup. The performance is full of persuasiveness unique to a group led by a drummer who has literally struggled at the very forefront of his career spanning a quarter century, and the performance of the members who have been almost the same lineup since the late 1980s is also a must-listen. Disc 2 is a roughly hour-long recording of the band’s appearance at the annual Antibes Jazz Festival held in France on July 27th, 1990. The lineup is the same except for the new bassist, and Tony, who once switched to jazz rock and pop, returns to his roots in jazz here, and just like the 1992 Tokyo performance on that Blue Note album, his spectacular drumming is indescribably wonderful, rivaling even the historic live recordings of V.S.O.P. or G.J.T. Additionally, the playing of trumpeter Wallace Roney, who is said to have been taught directly by Miles, is reminiscent of the Lost Quintet, so this is also a must-listen. DISC 1 : 1. ANGEL STREET 2. GEO ROSE 3. CIVILIZATION 4. MUTANTS ON THE BEACH at Yoshi’s Jazz House, Oakland, CA, USA October 6th 1988 : Soundboard Recording DISC 2 : 1. WARRIORS 2. EXTREME MEASURES 3. CITY OF LIGHTS 4. GEO ROSE 5. ANCIENT EYES 6. LIVE OF THE PARTY 7. CRYSTAL PALACE 8. BYRDLIKE at Jazz a Juan, Juan les Pins, Antibes, France, July 27th 1990 : Soundboard Recording Tony Williams – drums / Wallace Roney – trumpet / Billy Pierce – tenor saxophone / Mulgrew Miller – piano / Bob Hurst – bass (1988) / Ira Coleman – bass (1990)