Customer Reviews

Arc of the Testimony

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Wow! This was Tony Williams' last recorded album. He's drumming straight-8th fusion style all over this recording. The supporting cast(actually everyone contributes equally), Bill Laswell, Pharoah Sanders, Byard Lancaster, Graham Haynes, Nicky Skopelitis, and Buckethead, are all incredible musicians in their own right.

But, just because you assemble some great, respective and creative musical artists together, doesn't mean they're going to deliver. This time, however, you can only wonder, "what would've been"?Tony WIlliams died before this was released, so any fan of his would be proud to own this as a final "swansong" recording.

I am proud to have it because it is an interesting creative fusion recording. It used to be that Jazz-Rock was a genre full of promise--until the moneyhounds and Record companies got a hold of it and turned it into generic Fuzac. I was wary of purchasing what could very well be a regurgitated carbon-copy of funky-sounding sleepy Elevator music. If you're wanting something interesting and creative, and respect only ONE of the names on this disc, I would suggest that purchasing this might be a sure-thing for ya. Buckethead's guitar is incredible, so is Tony's drumming, and Laswell, well, his name on anything as producer and bassists insured a rubber-stamp of quality and creativity unlike anyone else for the past 25 years!

I was really into Tony Williams music during the Miles years and some of his fusion is pretty good. But as a drummer he has had to rely on the supporting cast to step up and meet the quality of his drumming. These guys did it in a fresh way. Plus this is a gateway into Buckethead, Laswell, Pharoah Sanders, and the others. I plan on going through that door, with eager anticipation.

first of all let me say this is the most expensive single CD i've ever purchased (i paid around $22-25 for it), but undoubtably one of the best i've ever heard.

This is prog/jazz/fusion at its best with an all-star cast that actually comes to play (unlike other all-star Laswell related discs such as Material: third power which, despite the cast, have let me down). Pharoah is still a tremendous talent and lends his own freakout sax stylings on a couple of trakcs. Buckethead fans won't be disappointed either, as he plays a major role in the few tracks that he actually appears on. Finally, Tony Williams is amazing...you won't believe that this is his last outing before his death as his chops are as fine tuned as ever.

Its often times difficult for me to relate to my friends what this disc sounds like, as simply labeling it prog-jazz or fusion seems to be an inept definition. I came up with the term "psychedelic masterpieces" to describe the feel of the tunes on this CD to one of my friends and in a way its the best description i have given yet. Each track is its own world, often times dark and dramatic, yet with much beauty and life manifested inside. One can get lost in their own visions while listening to this album, creating vivid imagery of the history of life in ones own head while experiencing the peaks and plateuas of this amazing album.

Basically all i can say is that if you have read anything about this album and the idea of bringing all of these legends together in one disc intrigues you, don't cop out of buying it due to the price. it is worth every penny.

This is jazz-fusion of the highest order. No fooling around, no chick vocalists or fluffy synths, no out-of-tune soprano saxophone solos meandering around the room, no slickness, no concession to pop radio or any of that nonsense. This is blazing, hard, rhythm-based improvisational music. The late Tony Williams attacks the drums with a power rarely heard outside of death-metal, various guitarists add thick furious layers of skronk to the mix, and greats like Pharaoh Sanders return to glory with cathartic free-jazz solos. And above it all (or perhaps below it all) lurks Bill Laswell on bass and keyboards. Next time somebody dismisses jazz-fusion out of hand (and they do have the right), offer this as supporting evidence along with "Jack Johnson".

This is the last recording by Tony Williams and stands strong with his work in the 60's with Miles Davis. Ambient soundscapes lie alongside blasts of mutant free jazz. The genius that is Buckethead plays demented yet melodic guitar lines which complement the musical mayhem contained on this disc. Fans of Praxis and Surrender to the Air will not be dissapointed.

This album is one of my favorites. On this wonderful recording we have jazz greats like Graham Haynes, Byard Lancaster, Pharoah Sanders, and of course the amazing Tony Williams, with studio wizard Bill Laswell (who also plays bass on this) and fusion guitarists Buckethead and Nicky Skopelitis. This is the sort of recording that you can just sit back and listen to these incredible musicians go off into their own world... Take Williams' off-time jazzy rhythms, with Laswell's tasty and well fitted bass lines, with Sanders' astonishing improvised sax soloing, add Buckethead's mind-boggling virtuoso playing and you have quite an eclectic mix. A must have for fans of Jazz Fusion. Stand-out tracks: "Returnin" and "Circles Of Hell".

Tragity is such an overused word, but the death of Tony Williams truely was. His drumming reminded me of Paul McCartney's bass work. He never did the predictable thing, or even the thing that anyone else would conceive of, but you could never argue with the choice. Williams had musical insticts that changed the way people think about the instrument.

Arcanna was, again tragically, his last major work. This is modern free-jazz, with thick modern bass, lilting playing by the sax, and of course, William's completely origonal and complex polyrhytms.

Williams never sold out: all his post Miles work, from 1969 to his 1997 death, shows this still young master expeimenting. When jazz often seemed to be a choice between Kenny G and Be-bop rehashes, this superhero always provided a fresh, edgey alternative that most in jazz would not even have dreamted up.

This jazz is electronic, and polished, at least in terms of its 1990s production. It is defiantly not the free-jazz of the 1960s, but a rock injected form, which i am sure Coltrane or Ayler would have been quite interested in helping define had they lived to play in the rock dominted world us Xrs grew up in.

Fantastic music from a young, expansive and vibrent musician who just happend to leave us far far too soon

This is a stunning example of beautifully focused, sometimes dark hard-rock/jazz improvisation, on the order of some of the fusion work of Miles and Herbie - but with a sharp driving edge. Everybody plays brilliantly. Bill Laswell dedicates the work to drummer Tony Williams whose untimely death occurred before this was complete. Arc of the Testimony deserves way more than five stars.

This album is one of my favorites. On this wonderful recording we have jazz greats like Graham Haynes, Byard Lancaster, Pharoah Sanders, and of course the amazing Tony Williams, with studio wizard Bill Laswell (who also plays bass on this) and fusion guitarists Buckethead and Nicky Skopelitis. This is the sort of recording that you can just sit back and listen to these incredible musicians go off into their own world... Take Williams' off-time jazzy rhythms, with Laswell's tasty and well fitted bass lines, with Sanders' astonishing improvised sax soloing, add Buckethead's mind-boggling virtuoso playing and you have quite an eclectic mix. A must have for fans of Jazz Fusion. Stand-out tracks: "Returnin" and "Circles Of Hell".

This wondeful album, full of guitar, hearkens back to the days of electric Miles Davis: Agharta and Jack Johnson. For some history of this style, try the compilation: Jazz Satellites, Electrification. If you want more Pharoah, try Message From Home.

Do you happen to be a fan of the late, great Tony Williams? Here, he pulls no punches. Laswell and Buckethead, having worked together before and since on many projects, seem to be an unlikely fit for Williams' style of drumming, but it's beyond good. If you're looking for melody and songwriting, look elsewhere. If you're looking for sonic molestation performed in your ears, this CD is for you. RIP.