Tony Williams
Drums Solo on
Luminous Monolith

About

Tony Williams's drum solo is the third and final solo on "Luminous Monolith" from Sam Rivers's 1964 album Fuchsia Swing Song, following Rivers's tenor saxophone and Jaki Byard's piano. Playing at approximately 298 BPM in D in this freely structured piece, Williams brings his explosive polyrhythmic vocabulary to the open-ended format. At just 18 to 19 years old, his drumming is already remarkably mature and adventurous, his solo demonstrating the creative audacity that was simultaneously revolutionizing the Miles Davis Quintet. If you know the form of this tune and how many bars it is, please tell us in the comments below!

Tony Williams was 18 to 19 years old at the time.