Tony Williams is the name of more than one artist.
1. American jazz drum… Read Full Bio ↴Tony Williams is the name of more than one artist.
1. American jazz drummer.
2. American singer who was the lead vocalist of the Platters from 1953 to 1960.
3. British video game music composer

1) Tony Williams (December 12, 1945 – February 23, 1997) was an American jazz drummer.

Born in Chicago and growing up in Boston, Williams began studies with master drummer Alan Dawson at an early age and began playing professionally at the age of 13 with saxophonist Sam Rivers. Jackie McLean hired Williams at 16. Then at 17, Williams found considerable fame with Miles Davis, joining a group that was later dubbed Davis's "Second Great Quintet."

Williams was a vital element of the group, called by Davis in his autobiography "the center of the group's sound". His inventive playing helped redefine the role of jazz rhythm section through the use of polyrhythms and metric modulation (transitioning between mathematically related tempos and/or time signatures). But perhaps his overarching achievement was in demonstrating, through his playing, that the drummer need not be relegated to timekeeping and accompaniment in a jazz ensemble; that the drummer may be free to contribute to the performance as an equal partner in the improvisation.

In 1969, he formed a trio, The Tony Williams Lifetime (with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ). It was a pioneering band of the fusion movement, a combination of rock, R&B, and jazz. Their first album, Emergency!, is considered a classic.

Unfortunately, the band was not a commercial success, and after McLaughlin's departure, and several more albums, the group disbanded. In 1975, Williams put together a band he called 'The New Tony Williams Lifetime', featuring bassist Tony Newton, pianist Alan Pasqua, and English guitarist Allan Holdsworth, which recorded two albums for Columbia Records ("Believe It" and "Million Dollar Legs"). In mid 1976, Williams was a part of a reunion of sorts with his old Miles Davis band compatriots, pianist/keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter. Miles backed out of the reunion at the last minute and was replaced by Freddie Hubbard. The record was later released as V.S.O.P. (which stood for a "Very Special OneTime Performance") and was highly instrumental in bringing back acoustical jazz.

In 1985, Williams recorded an album for Blue Note Records entitled Foreign Intrigue, which featured the playing of pianist Mulgrew Miller and trumpeter Wallace Roney. Later that year, he formed a quintet with Miller and Roney, which also featured tenor and soprano saxophonist Bill Pierce and bassist Charnett Moffett (later Ira Coleman). This band played Williams' compositions almost exclusively (the Lennon/McCartney song "Blackbird", the standard "Poinciana", and the Freddie Hubbard blues "Birdlike" being the exceptions) and toured and recorded throughout the remainder of the '80s, into the early '90s. This rhythm section also recorded as a trio. In the early '90s Williams also recorded the terrific album with bass prodigy Jonas Hellborg entitiled "The Word" for Bill Laswell's label.

Williams lived and taught in the San Francisco Bay Area until his death from a heart attack following routine gall bladder surgery. One of his final recordings was Arcana, a release organized by prolific bass guitarist Bill Laswell.

Blackbird
Tony Williams Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Black bird singing in the dead of night
Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
All your life

You were only waiting for this moment to be free

Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Into the light of the dark black night.

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
Take these broken wings and learn to fly
All your life
You were only waiting for this moment to arise,

You were only waiting for this moment to arise,
You were only waiting for this moment to arise

Overall Meaning

In the song "Blackbird", Tony Williams paints a picture of a blackbird singing in the dead of night. The blackbird is seen as broken, with broken wings and sunken eyes. It's a poignant portrayal of the struggle to overcome adversity and rise above difficult circumstances. The blackbird is encouraged to take its brokenness and use it to learn to fly and to see. These lyrics convey a sense of hope and optimism that, despite the challenges we face, we can learn from them and find the strength to soar.

The repetition of the phrase "all your life, you were only waiting for this moment to arise" reinforces the idea that everything that has come before has led to this moment of opportunity. It's a message that encourages the listener to seize the moment and rise to the challenge. The song's refrain, "blackbird fly, blackbird fly, into the light of the dark black night", emphasizes the idea of moving forward, of taking flight and facing the unknown with courage and determination.

Line by Line Meaning

Blackbird singing in the dead of night
The blackbird is singing at night when everything is dark and there is no light.

Take these broken wings and learn to fly
If you have broken wings, you can use them to fly and learn to soar in the sky.

All your life
Throughout your entire existence

You were only waiting for this moment to arise
Your whole life was leading up to this and now you can embrace it.

Take these sunken eyes and learn to see
If your eyes are sunken or tired, you can still learn to see and perceive everything life has to offer.

You were only waiting for this moment to be free
Throughout life, you were waiting for the chance to be unrestricted and unbound.

Blackbird fly, blackbird fly
Fly away, little blackbird.

Into the light of the dark black night.
Fly into the rays of the light in the pitch-darkness of the night.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Tratore
Written by: John Lennon, Paul McCartney

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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