The Joy of Flying
Encyclopedia
The Joy Of Flying is a Jazz fusion
album by Tony Williams. Although it was recorded at the end of the The Tony Williams Lifetime
years, it is considered a solo album. It includes three duets, two with Jan Hammer
and one with Cecil Taylor
, and three different quartets. The first quartet features Jan Hammer again along with George Benson
and
Paul Jackson
on two songs. The second quartet has veterans Herbie Hancock
, Stanley Clarke
and Tom Scott
also for two songs.
The third quartet presents the "Tony Willimas All Stars" for one song, "Open Fire". In July 1978, Tony welcomed rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose
, who had recently finished touring to promote his jazz fusion influenced Open Fire
album. The group was rounded out with Brian Auger
and Mario Cipollina as they toured Japan. The concert at Japan's Denen Coliseum
was recorded and other songs on the set list included "Rocky Road" and "Heads Up" from Open Fire, "Red Alert" and "Wildlife" from Believe It
, "There Comes a Time" from Ego,
"Dragon Song" from Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and "Capricorn" with special guest Billy Cobham.
Additional horns on "Hip Skip"
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
album by Tony Williams. Although it was recorded at the end of the The Tony Williams Lifetime
The Tony Williams Lifetime
The Tony Williams Lifetime was a jazz-rock fusion group led by jazz drummer Tony Williams.-Original line-up:The Tony Williams Lifetime was founded in 1969 as a power trio with John McLaughlin on electric guitar, and Larry Young on organ. The band was possibly named for Williams' debut album as a...
years, it is considered a solo album. It includes three duets, two with Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer
Jan Hammer is a composer, pianist and keyboardist. He first gained his most visible audience while playing keyboards with the Mahavishnu Orchestra in the early 1970s, as well as his film scores for television and film including "Miami Vice Theme" and "Crockett's Theme", from the popular 1980s...
and one with Cecil Taylor
Cecil Taylor
Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...
, and three different quartets. The first quartet features Jan Hammer again along with George Benson
George Benson
George Benson is a ten Grammy Award winning American musician, whose production career began at the age of twenty-one as a jazz guitarist....
and
Paul Jackson
Paul Jackson (bassist)
Paul Jackson is an American jazz bass guitarist and composer. He has played with many of the great jazz artists, most notably playing bass on several of Herbie Hancock's seminal albums, Head Hunters, Thrust, and others. He was born in Oakland, California and began playing bass at the age of nine...
on two songs. The second quartet has veterans Herbie Hancock
Herbie Hancock
Herbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American pianist, bandleader and composer. As part of Miles Davis's "second great quintet," Hancock helped to redefine the role of a jazz rhythm section and was one of the primary architects of the "post-bop" sound...
, Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
and Tom Scott
Tom Scott (musician)
Tom Scott is an American saxophonist, composer, arranger, conductor and bandleader of the west coast jazz/jazz fusion ensemble The L.A. Express.-Biography:Scott was born in Los Angeles, California...
also for two songs.
The third quartet presents the "Tony Willimas All Stars" for one song, "Open Fire". In July 1978, Tony welcomed rock guitarist Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose
Ronnie Montrose, is an Amercian rock guitarist who has headed his own bands as well as performing with a variety of musicians, including Sammy Hagar, Herbie Hancock, Van Morrison, The Beau Brummels, Boz Scaggs, Beaver & Krause, Gary Wright, Tony Williams, The Neville Brothers, Dan Hartman, Edgar...
, who had recently finished touring to promote his jazz fusion influenced Open Fire
Open Fire (Ronnie Montrose album)
Open Fire was the first instrumental album from Ronnie Montrose which explored jazz, rock and acoustic concepts in the vein of Blow by Blow by Jeff Beck. Ronnie dropped hints in previous Montrose albums that he was heading in this direction. Songs like "Whaler" and "One And a Half" from Warner...
album. The group was rounded out with Brian Auger
Brian Auger
Brian Auger is a jazz and rock keyboardist, who has specialized in playing the Hammond organ.A jazz pianist, bandleader, session musician and Hammond B3 player, Auger has played or toured with artists such as Rod Stewart, Tony Williams, Jimi Hendrix, Sonny Boy Williamson, Led Zeppelin, Eric Burdon...
and Mario Cipollina as they toured Japan. The concert at Japan's Denen Coliseum
Denen Coliseum
was an outdoor tennis venue located in Ōta, Tokyo, Japan. It had a capacity of 10,000.-External links:*...
was recorded and other songs on the set list included "Rocky Road" and "Heads Up" from Open Fire, "Red Alert" and "Wildlife" from Believe It
Believe It
Believe It is the first album by The New Tony Williams Lifetime, released in 1975 on Columbia Records.The New Lifetime was a jazz fusion band formed by the drummer Tony Williams with Allan Holdsworth on guitar, Alan Pasqua on keyboards and Tony Newton on bass...
, "There Comes a Time" from Ego,
"Dragon Song" from Brian Auger's Oblivion Express and "Capricorn" with special guest Billy Cobham.
Track listing and Personnel
- "Going Far" (Jan Hammer) - 4:13 Keyboards, Synthesizers - Jan Hammer
- "Hip Skip" (George Benson) - 8:03 GuitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- George Benson, Keyboards, Synthesizers - Hammer, Electric bass - Paul Jackson, SaxophoneSaxophoneThe saxophone is a conical-bore transposing musical instrument that is a member of the woodwind family. Saxophones are usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece similar to that of the clarinet. The saxophone was invented by the Belgian instrument maker Adolphe Sax in 1846...
- Michael BreckerMichael BreckerMichael Leonard Brecker was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. Acknowledged as "a quiet, gentle musician widely regarded as the most influential tenor saxophonist since John Coltrane," he has been awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer and was inducted into Down Beat Jazz...
, Percussion - Ralph MacDonaldRalph MacDonaldRalph MacDonald is an American percussionist and song-writer. He joined Harry Belafonte's band at age 17. He wrote the Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway song "Where is the Love" with songwriting partner William Salter. Probably his best-known composition is the Grover Washington, Jr... - "Hittin' on 6" (Tom Scott) - 6:16 LyriconLyriconThe Lyricon is an electronic wind instrument, the first wind controller to be constructed.Invented by Bill Bernardi , it was manufactured by a company called Computone Inc in Massachusetts...
- Tom Scott, Keyboards, Synthesizers - Herbie Hancock, Electric bass - Stanley Clarke - "Open FireOpen FireOpen Fire is the first live album by American hard rock/heavy metal band Y&T, released in 1985 through A&M Records. It was recorded in the same year....
" (Ronnie Montrose, Edgar Winter) - 6:18 Electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Ronnie Montrose, Keyboards, Synthesizers - Brian Auger, Electric bass - Mario Cipollina - "Tony" (Stanley Clarke) - 6:50 Lyricon - Scott, Keyboards, Synthesizers - Hancock, Electric bass - Clarke
- "Eris" (Hammer) - 3:33 Keyboards, Synthesizers - Hammer
- "Coming Back Home" (Hammer) - 6:06 Guitar - Benson, Keyboards, Synthesizers - Hammer, Electric bass - Jackson
- "Morgan's Motion" (Cecil Taylor) - 8:18 Concert grand pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Cecil Taylor
- DrumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
on all tracks - Tony Williams
Additional horns on "Hip Skip"
- David SanbornDavid SanbornDavid Sanborn is an American alto saxophonist. Though Sanborn has worked in many genres, his solo recordings typically blend jazz with instrumental pop and R&B. He released his first solo album Taking Off in 1975, but has been playing the saxophone since before he was in high school...
- Alto saxophone - Ronnie CuberRonnie CuberRonnie Cuber is a jazz saxophonist. He has also played in Latin, pop, rock and blues sessions. In addition to his primary instrument, baritone sax, he has also played tenor sax, soprano sax and flute, the latter on an album by Eddie Palmieri. As a leader, Cuber is known for hard bop and Latin jazz...
- Baritone saxophone - Barry RogersBarry RogersBarry Rogers was a salsa musician and jazz fusion trombonist.Born Barron W. Rogers in The Bronx, he descended from Polish Jews who came to New York City via London and was raised in Spanish Harlem...
- TromboneTromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate... - Randy BreckerRandy BreckerRandal "Randy" Brecker is an American trumpeter and flugelhornist. He is a highly sought after performer in the genres of jazz, rock, and R&B, and has performed or recorded with Stanley Turrentine, Billy Cobham, Bruce Springsteen, Lou Reed, Sandip Burman, Charles Mingus, Blood, Sweat & Tears,...
- TrumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air... - Jon FaddisJon FaddisJon Faddis is an American jazz trumpet player, conductor, composer, and educator renowned for both his highly virtuosic command of the instrument and for his expertise in the field of music education...
- Trumpet
Production
- Produced by Tony Williams
- Engineered by Jan Hammer (tracks 1,6), Don Puluse (tracks 2,7), Fred Catero (tracks 3,5), Tom Suzuki (track 4), Stanley Tankel (track 8) Jack Malken