The Story of Neptune

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The Story of Neptune
The Story of Neptune.jpg
Studio album by
Tony Williams
Released1992
Genre Jazz
Label Blue Note
Producer Tony Williams
Tony Williams chronology
Native Heart
(1990)		The Story of Neptune
(1992)		Tokyo Live
(1993)

The Story of Neptune is an album by the American musician Tony Williams. [1] [2] It was released in 1992 through Blue Note Records, his fifth album for the label. [3] [4] Williams supported the album by touring with the Benny Green Trio. [5] The Story of Neptune peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart. [6]

Contents

Production

The album's songs were written or arranged by Williams. [7] "Neptune" is a three-part composition. [8] "Blackbird" is a cover of the Beatles song. [9] "Birdlike" was written by Freddie Hubbard. [10] Wallace Roney played trumpet on the album; Mulgrew Miller played piano. [11] [12] It was the last album by Williams’s long-standing quintet.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svg [8]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [13]

The Washington Post wrote that, "whether vigorously emphatic or impeccably subdued, [Williams's] touch is felt everywhere, propelling some tunes with tumultuous rhythms and underpinning others with a gently swinging pulse." [14] The Baltimore Sun determined that, "from the giddy extrapolations of 'Neptune: Fear Not' to the carefully arranged ensemble work of 'Blackbird', the playing here is never less than excellent." [15]

The Times opined that Wallace Roney's "diamond-cut lines are the perfect foil to [Williams's] only splintery percussion, but the leader has also learned to play more melodically, exchanging some of the fiery press-rolls he derived from Art Blakey for the quieter and more measured approach of the other great bop master, Max Roach." [16] The Guardian concluded that "pianist Mulgrew Miller builds from his central hammer-fisted role on the opening track to give probably his strongest performance with the group." [7]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."Neptune: Overture" 
2."Neptune: Fear Not" 
3."Neptune: Creatures of Conscience" 
4."Blackbird" 
5."Crime Scene" 
6."Poinciana" 
7."Birdlike" 

Personnel

References

  1. ↑ "Discs". Boston Herald. May 15, 1992. p. S23.
  2. ↑ Smith, Will (June 21, 1992). "Drummer's Work Forceful, Forward-Looking". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 9.
  3. ↑ Norment, Lynn (August 1992). "Sounding Off". Ebony. Vol. 47, no. 10. p. 27.
  4. ↑ Milkowski, Bill (1998). Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries. Billboard Books. p. 144.
  5. ↑ Gettelman, Parry (May 15, 1992). "Tony Williams: A Life Among Legends". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 33.
  6. ↑ "Top Jazz Albums". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 25. June 20, 1992. p. 35.
  7. 1 2 Atkins, Ronald (September 24, 1992). "Tony Williams: The Story of Neptune". Features. The Guardian.
  8. 1 2 "The Story of Neptune Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  9. ↑ Chapman, Geoff (May 18, 1992). "Williams, who won his drumming spurs with Miles Davis...". Toronto Star. p. C6.
  10. ↑ "Tony Williams Biography by Thom Jurek". AllMusic. Retrieved August 27, 2023.
  11. ↑ Stewart, Zan (August 16, 1992). "10 Years of Roney on Record". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 80.
  12. ↑ Chapman, Geoff (May 22, 1992). "Tony Williams quintet thunders into the Onion". Toronto Star. p. C14.
  13. ↑ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 772.
  14. ↑ "Williams, Green Taking the Lead". The Washington Post. May 1, 1992. p. N14.
  15. ↑ Considine, J.D. (May 22, 1992). "The Story of Neptune Tony Williams". Features. The Baltimore Sun. p. 2.
  16. ↑ "Out of the Blue". Features. The Times. August 2, 1992.
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