I saw this band perform in Norfolk, Va at a Holiday Inn. I was sitting next to Tony during his brakes. he just sat and smoked a cigar and stared at his drums. He did not say one word. I got my nerve up to say hi to him. I had been drumming around the area for years at the time. He was one of the most gracious, humble , and kind persons I ever met. I had a chance to speak with him for about one hour. When I shook his hand I noticed there were absolutely no calluses from hold the sticks and playing the way he did. He knew how to gage himself wer, each set sounded 100% better then the one before. After 4 hours of this it was ecstasy. Public Radio showed up to record him. Tony told them he was there to play for the people and to stop it. I remember driving to a gig in the white Mountain area of New Hampshire, U.S. when I heard he died. I pulled the car over a cried. He was a friend and I still miss him. I hope he will find peace with God.

Saw this lineup at the jazz showcase in Chicago in 88 or 89 in high school. I sat with my feet on the drum riser and was literally within arms reach the whole show. I was a metal drummer with hair down to my waist, and was only there because my teacher told me the absolute best drummer in the world was in town and I better go see him, and get there a few hours early to get a good seat. Never heard of him before that. He watched me and showed out for me all set once he figured out I was studying him, winked at me before a few flurries, and before a long solo told me "watch this, kid". I even got invited to sit in the booth with the band after the set and talk with Tony and Mulgrew and Wallace. He even gave me practice and technique advice, I was there probably an hour. What an amazing experience, they didn't have to do that. 30 years later I have a nice career teaching and playing music and allot of it is thanks to guys like these, who even when they are among the best musicians in the world would take time out for a long haired kid who looked like he belonged in line for Ozzy tickets instead of at a jazz concert. I think everyone should know what great guys these are, on top of amazing musicians.

This is still the most addictive jazz video on the internet.

I was touring with Lucky Peterson in support of his Triple Play album which I was on. They called me one take Willie because all of my tracks where one take. We did the Montreal Jazz Fest. Been on the road for weeks. Showed up, loaded in our gear. Like all festivals it's load in, do the hit, load out & move on. We had to play after Tony Williams band on his current 1989 tour. Can you imagine what it was like for me to have to performe after Tony Williams as a drummer? Thank God it was a blues gig basically shuffles, 8th note R& B grooves etc... I just played the gig but totally intimidated because of who Tony Williams was. The band was increadable , they struck the stage & I loaded in. Never got a chance to say anything to him but I will never forget that Night. I also opened for Billy Cobham Back in 1978. I have a history of this I guess. Wouldn't change it for the world. Thanks for the memories.

He created an atmosphere with the drums. His cymbal work is like different kinds of light.

Mr Williams absolutely undoubtedly played in his own dimension. I've listened to him w a lot of other top caliber musicians,and he is different but just as powerful every gd time. I'm completely baffled by him. Pastorius,Trane, Hendrix that feeling when you hear it ,your convinced they mean exactly ,what they mean to do. Fuckn priceless,and thank you thankyou

I've been a jazz trumpeter for almost 50 years. Wallace Roney was one of the most phenomenal players that I ever heard live, and with this group. I saw this lineup in Seattle in 1990. Unbelievable!

This is the most addictive Jazz video I've ever heard! Headphones please !

I love KZfaq, most likely would never have experienced this greatness without it.

The cleanest most dynamic drummer I've ever heard. I started to listen to jazz in the 50's and along came Tony and set the bar. After hearing Tony I started to take my single and double strokes seriously. Worked hard on my right foot. Thank you Tony.

Wallace Roney and Mulgrew Miller were stellar musicians.

I saw Mr Williams live only one time at the Vandgard and I sat right in front of that big yellow kit...I was ready to get my ears blown out ...but it wasnt loud...it was POWERFUL...big difference. Props to the great Alan Dawson for giving him a great foundation to develop his genius. Will never be another like him. Gone way too soon.

One of the greatest drummers in all fields ever without doubt

As it has been expressed,G.O.A.T. and that is a natural fact!!!!

the first piano solo is NUTS.

I love how he plays Jazz on huge sized drums made for Rock and Metal. And it sounds strong and beefy and totally right for the music.

Tony Williams is the most musical of all the great drummers.

I was lucky to have a friend that knew him so we went to see him play in NY, and between shows, he hung out with us at our table. Watching him dance across the drums was magical. He played fast and his sticks would create patterns in the air. There were a lot of famous drummers in the audience. One told me he was there for his lesson.

The sound of the Zildjian "K" is superb. Tony , great Drummer.

Man, Wallace Roney always knocks me out with his heavy dose of chromaticsm....and what a tone!

This was an absolute master class of a performance. Doesn't get better than this. I'm so impressed with the quality of sound for a live performance. So we'll balanced it feels like an album recording. Hope someone bought that audio engineer a beer.

One of the true greats. Tony Williams.

Wow!, such talented musicans. Incredible complexity, subtle ,powerful. Beautiful music.

Holy Toledo! How did this one get past me? There was NO ONE like Tony Williams. His drumming perfectly straddles the line between rock and jazz. Just an unbelievable talent! RIP Tony.

this band is really tight. it's like they've been playing together since they were kids.

Yes Tony’s drumming was always a kind of happy type of drumming. When he was playing he was smiling and his happiness came through in his drumming. Mulgrew miller was a fantastic jazz pianist and he and Tony kept close eye contact with each other...Both left us much too soon.Tony is one of my favorite drummers.

Tony Williams is my favorite drummer of all time. Thankful to have seen this group play live in 1991. One of the best concerts I've seen.

The great Tony Williams with his own color of jazz 😁👍👍👍

I Never Get Tired Of This Performance!!!🎻🎺🎹🎷🎤🎛

If your drumming style is metal, jazz, rock, classical, if you wish to experience the epitome of music coolness and power, well .... just hit replay. Peace from Detroit MI. PLEASE check out Tony Williams Lifetime it is life changing!

What a beautifully played blue trumpet

So amazing. Not enough Tony - lost way too young. And that there are 160 dislikes - no words. This is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing.

Tony Williams drumming always makes me smile.

Had the pleasure of knowing Tony when he was a skinny 16 year-old playing with the awesome Sam Rivers at Club 47 in Cambridge, MA. He was a great drummer even then and grew to what he was, a deservedly recognized talent. Too bad he passed so soon.

Tony is in Top 3 Drummers of all time, any genre. No joke.

Amazing. Always was and will be my inspiration.

Brilliant drum work!

9:35 all day every day. Still gives me goosebumps to this day.

amazing drumming..Tony Williams hand speed is amazing..

Bold, brassy, ballsy...nobody like Tony...then and now. Really miss you man!

Tony and those yellow Gretsches - unsurpassable. Constantly mixing it up and restlessly creative. Brilliant and sadly missed. Rimclick on the second tune sounds like a metronome. Fabulous.

Later for the junk-Jazz or phony Jazz with their programmed rhythm tracks. These guys of the late great Tony Williams Quintet are a great gift to music. This another example of many on how Jazz should be played, WOW! To Wallace Roney on trumpet, Bill Pierce on saxophone, Ira Coleman on bass, Mulgrew Miller, on piano and Tony Williams on drums all the best. This 30 year old concert of Jazz is just classic. I have always loved Tony Williams' style of playing -controlled cadences to reckless abandon runs to spontaneous attacks, he had it all. RIP Tony Williams. This 1989 concert never gets old, and today, in 2019, it still sounds great..... A mark of a true classic

Tony reigns supreme in the kingdom of drumset.

Tony is the best drummer ever in history so far

KZfaq has around 8 million jazz videos.....Anything with Tony Williams is Number One. Miss you Mr. Williams.

Tony was a big influence for so many of us! This quintet is fantastic!

They sound sensational! Tony Williams was absolutely brilliant with whatever he did musically! RIP! ☆☆☆☆☆

the kind of music that gives one hope for the future of mankind

Tony said "the Ride cymbal is the center of the universe" - Yeah man!

I just love Tony Williams. He left us enough to listen to and enjoy. Gone too soon. ❤️

Tony was with Miles at 16. He was a great player even then. He only got better with time. I love his driving cymbal work with explosive crashes. What great expression and style. Like in the opening solo on the second cut of this video. He is so sorely missed. He would still be playing today. Truly a pioneer of Jazz and total command of the Drum kit. Terrible tragedy for his untimely death. This was a GREAT gig with outstanding players.

I love how Tony - I mean - Mr. Williams switches so seamlessly from matched to traditional grip! RIP Tony Williams

I can never get too much of this performance! Truly a pinnacle of music creation! Some people don't believe in such things as ESP, but if musicianship like this doesn't convince even the most skeptical I don't know know what will. It is obvious that they are working from an entirely different layer of reality that isn't easy to understand unless you've banked many thousands hours into playing a musical instrument. Tony was a time machine!

I recently heard Wallace Roney play at Birdland NYC and he still plays exactly the same. Still walks off stage sometimes, still wipes his lips before he goes for high notes sometimes and still plays very chromatically. What a wonderful player and what an awesome quintet

The greatest!

I try not to watch this too often, there is just too much to absorb. The man can play loud with incredibly dynamics and soft with unbelievable power, and seamlessly switches inside of a 16th note between the two. He's beyond technique, into the realm of pure creation and mastery. I think hardly anyone tries to play like Tony, because it's just not possible. You can't paint like Jackson Pollack, you can't Physics likes Einstein, and you can't play drums like Tony Williams.

Tony's love for Rock drumming and his study of composition helped to give a bunch of definition to his style, beginning with his work with the Davis quintet as a teenager you could hear how very special this guy was. He evolved a bunch by the time he was taken from us. RIP Tony Williams!....you had a huge voice!

My beautiful Tony.. So good..

This performance was so amazing... I watch this vid all the time! I sure am glad that there are a lot of jazz afficionadoes that also get turned on by this kind of nearly super-human music! Make sure to catch the Part 2 cus it is equally amazing!

Tony style is instantly recognizable and totally different from any other drummer. I've seen this video several times Parts one and two and realize that he's got some absolutely top-notch musicians in his band but I can't help keeping my eyes glued on Tony and his amazing playing whether he's backing up a soloist, playing with the ensemble, or playing a solo. Absolutely amazing. Definitely one of my favorites.

Tony is the greatest. I only saw him once with the Herbie Hancock Quartet in the early 80s with Ron Carter and an unknown Wynton. I was really into Four & More, Smiles, Emergency, etc and he surpassed my lofty expectations. Basically made me realize I was never ever going be that good even if I practiced 10 hours a day. A funny thing I recall was the power and dynamics of his bass drum. He could do a single stroke roll with one foot. And he had to keep pulling his bass drum back to him because it kept sliding away due to the sheer power. His dynamics were incredible. He is my all-time fave. Gone but NEVER forgotten. There will never be another Tony. RIP.

So bloody tight. Tony Williams. Grateful for the recordings. Would have loved to be at this performance. The Quintet is unbelievable. They breathe together. 🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️🌬️

No one plays like Tony Williams.

I was lucky enough to see this set / line up at Yoshi's Oakland, I'll never forget it but it's nice to watch again... RIP maestro!

Tony's technique is incredible.

Absolutely SUPERMEN!God bless them!

Tony is INCREDIBLE & his band is fantastic!

Wallace Roney!!! I'd never Bill Pierce before! Totally Cool. Beautiful playing. What a Band!! Amazing Artists

I love these sounds and this atmosphere. Music that closes your eyes and gives inner peace ...

Tony Williams was simply unique. And then the amazing Wallace Rooney... what more do we need :)

If i would've known back in '89 what i know about Tony Williams now, I would've been there, Heck i lived in the Bronx too.

No sweat, brutha! Make sure that the first thing you do after watching this is to hop on the drums and make some magic of your own! Cheers!

Great music! The melodies and compositions sound and feel great to me. Tony Williams plays with such musical drive, so inside the music, melodic, cohesive with the other musicians. His drumming blends and drives with true passion. To me, he is a true consummate genius. Love the music and the drumming! I feel like playing now after listening to him and his band playing together.

The second tune is Geo Rose. I was a DJ at KKGO in LA in the late 80s and we used to play the hell out of it. What a great number for late night cruising or just laying back. How great was this group? Every member of the band came out with their own solo albums right after the Civilization LP, from which some of these tunes are taken. In fact, original bass player Charnett Moffett had already left the band to go solo by the time of this gig. Thanks for uploading this. One of my favorite groups of the 80s. KZfaq is just amazing. Never would have believed there was a video of this great TW group.

Can't believe Tony and Mulgrew are gone, sooo bad ass they were!! R.I.P. brothers..

Just astonishing all round. All fantastic players. I will keep coming back to this for the rest of my life.

we must never forget how great tony Williams was and the rest of the band

'Geo Rose', 'Warrior' and 'There comes a time' are my top 3 favourite songs by the legendary Tony Williams May he rest in power 🙏🏽💛

This guy Mr Williams is sweet smooth and a very fine musician (drummer)I'm impressed with his ability at playing the drums

Just Amazing! GOD HAS ALL OF THE BEST DRUMMERS!!! RIP TONY!!!

tenho uma enorme admiração por tony wiliams um dos maiores bateristas que já existiu com seu forte e marcante estilo; inconfundível.

There is something satisfying in his powerful style. Just makes you feel an emotion that's hard to define but fulfilling.

Me and a friend of mine was hangin that night, we was sitting next to the GREAT HERBIE HANCOCK🎹🎹🎹, I still have his autograph!!! Swingin ass night!! #Memories🎶🎵🎼🔥🔥🔥

this is what i would describe as"SUPER HUMAN PERFECTION"!!!!! i love the way tony williams complements the other band members so their own individual skills could stand out besides tony willaims own brilliant drumming!!!!!

Explosive creativity. And tons of technique.Amazing

La légende du drum n'est pas morte... elle vivra pour toujours à travers ces merveilleuses archives. RIP Maestro Tony Williams, probablement mon drummer favori de tous les temps. Can't forget this awesome musician!

Ho man! Mulgrew! Slamming and making Tony smile! This was magic!

He was a fucking monster. I always appreciate and personally think that playing so smooth with dynamics is more difficult than playing really fast. There is just so much to tell about this man.

This is incredible talent here. Underrated. Shout out to the Pianist very unique blend of styles....of course Roney and Tony driving swingin' Thirty years ago? And I just found this? How did I miss this one? Better late than never.

God bless you Tony,you changed the way the world played drums........

Saw Tony with Return To Forever in 70's 80's, & other choice lineups; phenomenal.

Easy, Tony. You’re crushing ‘em.

Instantly recognizable. Tony was and always will be the most enjoyable drummer I have ever heard.

Profound artistry and masterful musical expression...what a drumming legacy he left in his wake...and Tony is still leading the way...RIP!

Absolutely happy to find this here. Tony was incredible: From 100.000 drummers you recognise him immediately ! What a groove !

Favorite drummer of all time! The absolute best!

Fine group of jazz musicians playing such an elegant piece of music. The syncopated rhythms flow into some awesome structural flow of latin jazz creativity by the pianist and the other cats, making beautiful music.

Thanks for posting.I saw this quintet live.Thumbs up. Mulgrew Miller quote from Wikipedia: I worked hard to maintain a certain mental and emotional equilibrium. It's mostly due to my faith in the Creator. I don't put all my eggs in that basket of being a rich and famous jazz guy. That allows me a certain amount of freedom, because I don't have to play music for money. I play music because I love it

I have this on VHS, but alas, no VCR, so thank you for this! I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Williams about 9 months before he passed away. He signed a poster, a CD jacket, and let me take a picture with him. I miss him so much and can't imagine what he'd be doing with the drums if he were still here. RIP to the greatest to ever pick up a pair of sticks.

RIP Wallace. Hope you´re jamming with Miles and Trane somewhere