Ego

by The Tony Williams Lifetime, Tony Williams

Overview

Easily the weirdest record the Tony Williams Lifetime ever released, 1971's Ego is an experimental blend of post-hard bop jazz and the spacier end of psychedelic rock. Larry Young's wafting organ parts and Ted Dunbar's rockist guitar (as opposed to the more traditional jazz bent of the guy he replaced, John McLaughin) combine to make parts of the album sound like Atom Heart Mother-era Pink Floyd, particularly on "There Comes a Time" and "Lonesome Wells (Gwendy Trio)." Unfortunately, both of those tracks are bogged down by Williams' own earnest and not terribly inspired verses. The best tracks are those that dispense with the lyrical claptrap -- the liner notes are also a terribly dated hoot -- and get down to the creation of some roiling atmospheres and powerful group improvisation. In that regard, things really pick up at the end, with the ghostly "Mom and Dad" and the cacophonous closer "Urchins of Shermese," on which Williams splits the narcoleptic mood of the introduction with some of his most fractured and arrhythmic fills ever, while simultaneously maintaining a groove that's typically snaky and propulsive. Drum geeks will particularly adore the two brief solo pieces, "Clap City" and "Some Hip Drum Shit," which are both technically impressive and short enough not to get dull. Solid jazz-rock, from the days before fusion got painfully dull. ~ Stewart Mason

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/2023
Label:	Universal
UPC:	4988031565063
Rank:	64830

Album Credits

Performance Credits

The Tony Williams Lifetime   Primary Artist
Tony Williams   Primary Artist,Drums,Vocals
Ted Dunbar   Guest Artist,Guitar
Jack Bruce   Guest Artist
Ron Carter   Guest Artist,Cello,Bass
Larry Young   Guest Artist,Organ
Todd Williams   Drums,Vocals
Warren Smith   Percussion
Don Alias   Drums,Percussion
Tommy Dunbar   Guitar
Khalid Yasin   Organ
Sung Lee   Serp

Technical Credits

Jerry Rappaport   Reissue Supervisor
Tom Greenwood   Production Assistant
Michael Gross   Paintings
Bryan Koniarz   Reissue Supervisor
Tony Williams   Composer,Producer
Terri Tierney   Production Coordination
Todd Williams   Producer
Deborah Hay   Editing
Carlos Kase   Production Assistant
Jack Lewis   Producer
Suzanne White   Design Coordinator
Ben Young   Research,Restoration
Ray Hall   Engineer
Sung Lee   Design