Emergency: The Singular Genius of Tony Williams

Nate Appelbaum and Luke Brittson ’28

Tony William’s Emergency is one of the most searing, intense albums ever made by three of the most inventive and powerful men ever to touch their instruments. Considered by many to be the first true jazz fusion record ever–the first album that really blended jazz and rock in a powerful way– it is everything from violent to beautiful to ugly to heart-racing. 

One of the many remarkable things about this album is that it is made by a trio, but sounds like an entire orchestra. On drums is the incomparable Tony Williams, a genius of the kit who was absolutely inimitable and influential to so many. Bursting onto the scene at 17 with Miles Davis’s second great quintet along with Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Wayne Shorter, he is notable for his ability to blend completely distinct styles together on one track, as well as for his unique intensity and fire in his playing. On the opening track, “Emergency,” he covers everything from rock/blues shuffle to slow, Ellington-esque swing to almost indescribable cymbal madness that pushes his bandmates forward almost to the point where they can no longer keep up with him. On guitar is John Mclaughlin, a one-of-a-kind guitar god. Having personally played the guitar for 5 years, I have never come close to figuring out some of the lines that he plays, showing his incredible creativity and uniqueness. Getting his start with Miles Davis during his fusion years, McLaughlin later formed the Mashavishnu Orchestra, one of the most prolific and influential fusion bands of all time. Larry Young on organ is also one-of-a-kind for his approach to the instrument. While contemporaries like Jimmy Smith or Richard “Groove” Holmes played easy, bluesy tunes, Larry Young pushed relentlessly into new musical directions with challenging originals like the ones found on the album Unity, his 1966 masterpiece.

Luke- The album itself is an hour and 10 minutes (a little long, but ok), but there are only 8 songs. This leads to around 9-10 minutes being devoted to the songs. I did listen to all of them (despite countless protests from my partner) and wanted to speak about the seventh track ‘Sangria For Three’. The thirteen minute track opens up with almost a ‘surf rock’ guitar, with high distortion, the rhythm itself is very upbeat and there is a nicer, softer, organ in the background. This opening continues before switching to a more jazzy approach on the drums, yet the lead guitar still ties back to the associations of the first section. William’s rampage on the ride and crash cymbals slow down by the 3:20 mark, leaning into more rock sounding drums before completely dropping out at the 4 minute mark for an eerie, high distortion guitar. I really enjoyed this part of the song as it took a more minimalist approach (comparatively) but still maintained aspects of tension throughout this section- especially when it switches back to a slowed reprise of the opening melody, it makes you feel like you deserved it. By the 7:40 mark, which most people would've stopped listening, you can really see Tony William’s mastery on the drums— although it seems like 4/4 timing, he performs snare rolls in 5/4 and 6/4 and just heavily pronounces the hits that land on 4/4 timing. The song dies back down in the ambient guitar. This song was my second favorite on the album, but I felt that it had the most musically impacting changes (rhythm, genre, etc), I totally understand the point of view that the long songs aren’t worth fully listening to, which is expected from high schoolers, but something that I’ve realized is ‘Sangria for Three’ is really only 3 sections (intention or not by the name) and that every iteration of the section serves you the base dish, with different toppings. My advice is this- taste the base and see if it’s something you want more of, I guarantee Tony Williams can satisfy it. 

I chose to review the song Vashkar, which was written by the supremely underrated Carla Bley. A prominent free jazz composer, her compositions are incredibly unique and energetic, and are interpreted brilliantly by Williams, McLaughlin, and Young here. William’s drumming has all of its signature energy and excitement, and the contrast between Mclaughlin's fiery solo and Young’s understated melody is very interesting. Williams propels his band forward with incessant, powerful beats on the tom and snare. By the second time the band comes back to the melody, it sounds completely different, with more percussive organ fills and a more-rock oriented drum beat, but with all of the same energy. Young’s organ solo is much less melodic than McLaughlin’s solo, and he does well to pick up on the rhythms Williams is pounding out, so much so that his organ solo starts sounding a lot more like a drum solo. When McLaughlin comes back in, all 3 members are essentially soloing before a jubilant and intense re-statement of the melody. This track is fantastic, brimming with power and genius, and as listeners, we’re lucky to be taken along for the ride.

In conclusion, the trio displayed in this album displays almost unparalleled levels of intensity, virtuosity, and strikes the almost impossible balance between unashamed individualism and telepathic connection between band members. None of it would have been possible without the singular genius of Tony Williams, one of the greatest to ever touch the kit.