Civilization (Tony Williams album)

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Civilization
Civilization (Tony Williams album).jpg
Studio album by
Tony Williams
Released1987
RecordedNovember 1986
Genre Jazz
Label Blue Note
Tony Williams chronology
Foreign Intrigue
(1985)		Civilization
(1987)		 Angel Street
(1988)

Civilization is an album by the American musician Tony Williams, released in 1987. [1] [2] He supported it with a North American tour. [3] The album peaked in the top five on Billboard's Jazz Albums chart. [4]

Contents

Production

Civilization was recorded in November 1986, after a five-month tour. [5] [6] Williams wrote of all its songs. [7] He was backed by Billy Pierce on saxophone, Mulgrew Miller on piano, Wallace Roney on trumpet, and Charnett Moffett on bass. [8] It was important to Williams to play in a hard-hitting style (with particular attention paid to the bass drum), despite a return to a more traditional jazz. [9] [10] He also used a drum machine on some of the tracks. [11]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
All Music Guide to Jazz Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [12]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music Star full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [13]
MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [14]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [15]
The Windsor Star A− [16]

The Washington Post noted that "there isn't a tune ... that doesn't call attention to Williams's masterful touch, whether it's the way he prods the horns through the briskly descending chord changes on 'The Stump' or uses his cymbals to create glinting textures whenever the mood turns pensive." [17] The St. Petersburg Times said that the album "swings hard; the compositions are dark-hued and sophisticated, the improvisation intense." [18] The Windsor Star stated, "The group moves at a punchy pace, unleashes its message directly, focused, no loose ends, swinging though at times it just misses breaking loose." [16]

The News and Observer opined that the album was Williams's best "straight-ahead jazz" release since the 1960s. [19] The Star-Ledger called the songs "so good they herald the drummer as a premier composer of hard bop and modal-derived themes." [20] In May 1987, The Commercial Appeal declared that Civilization was so far the best jazz album of 1987. [21] The Lincoln Journal Star , The Buffalo News , and LA Weekly selected it as one of the best jazz albums of the year. [22] [23] [10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Geo Rose" 
2."Warrior" 
3."Ancient Eyes" 
4."Soweto Nights" 
5."The Slump" 
6."Civilization" 
7."Mutants on the Beach" 
8."Citadel" 

References

  1. ↑ Mattingly, Rick (December 1987). "On Track". Modern Drummer. Vol. 11, no. 98. p. 77.
  2. ↑ Whitfield, Paul (May 10, 1987). "Tony Williams: Big-leaguer from the start". South Bend Tribune. p. C6.
  3. ↑ Watson Jr., Walter Ray (April 11, 1987). "The Tony Williams Quintet Follows a Different Drummer". New Pittsburgh Courier. p. C1.
  4. ↑ Appel, Ted (May 16, 1987). "Gordon spends 12th week atop jazz chart". The Herald. Dubois County. p. 19.
  5. ↑ Feather, Leonard (November 28, 1986). "Williams Widens His Appeal". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 2.
  6. ↑ "On the Record". Pharos-Tribune. May 11, 1987. p. 9.
  7. ↑ Raether, Keith (October 14, 1987). "Tony Williams Quintet delivers bristling, volume-packed jazz". The News Tribune. p. D7.
  8. ↑ Smith, Will (May 24, 1987). "New Tony Williams Recording Has Power, Grace". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 1.
  9. ↑ Nicholson, Stuart (1990). Jazz: The Modern Resurgence. Simon & Schuster. p. 217.
  10. 1 2 "Music". LA Weekly. January 7, 1988. p. 107.
  11. ↑ Talmont, Tek (June 4, 1987). "Drummers show skill as composers". Courier News. p. B3.
  12. ↑ All Music Guide to Jazz (3rd ed.). Miller Freeman Books. 1998. p. 1181.
  13. ↑ Larkin, Colin (1998). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Vol. VIII. MUZE. p. 5859.
  14. ↑ MusicHound Jazz: The Essential Album Guide. Schirmer Trade Books. 1998. p. 1205.
  15. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 772.
  16. 1 2 Stevens, Peter (August 6, 1988). "Jazz". The Windsor Star. p. C2.
  17. ↑ Joyce, Mike (April 3, 1987). "Williams: He Leads; You Listen". Weekend. The Washington Post. p. 15.
  18. ↑ Snider, Eric (May 3, 1987). "A look back offers jazz that's a blast". St. Petersburg Times. p. 2E.
  19. ↑ Cordle, Owen (April 5, 1987). "Pieces of past join music of mainstream in jazz LP". The News and Observer. p. 7E.
  20. ↑ Kanzler, George (April 12, 1987). "3 quintets explode with robust energy". The Star-Ledger. p. 4.18.
  21. ↑ Koeppel, Frederic (May 1, 1987). "Records". The Commercial Appeal. p. D23.
  22. ↑ Ineck, Tom (December 31, 1987). "Reviewer picks jazz favorites". Lincoln Journal Star. p. 9.
  23. ↑ Simon, Jeff (December 31, 1987). "Records: Year's Best". Gusto. The Buffalo News. p. 24.
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