The Story of Neptune
The Story of Neptune | ||||
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Studio album by Tony Williams | ||||
Released | 1992 | |||
Genre | Jazz | |||
Label | Blue Note | |||
Producer | Tony Williams | |||
Tony Williams chronology | ||||
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The Story of Neptune is an album by the American musician Tony Williams.[1][2] It was released in 1992 through Blue Note Records, his fifth album for the label.[3][4] Williams supported the album by touring with the Benny Green Trio.[5] The Story of Neptune peaked at No. 6 on Billboard's Top Jazz Albums chart.[6]
Production
The album's songs were written or arranged by Williams.[7] "Neptune" is a three-part composition.[8] "Blackbird" is a cover of the Beatles song.[9] "Birdlike" was written by Freddie Hubbard.[10] Wallace Roney played trumpet on the album; Mulgrew Miller played piano.[11][12] It was the last album by Williams’s long-standing quintet.
Critical reception
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Rolling Stone Album Guide | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
The Washington Post wrote that, "whether vigorously emphatic or impeccably subdued, [Williams's] touch is felt everywhere, propelling some tunes with tumultuous rhythms and underpinning others with a gently swinging pulse."[14] The Baltimore Sun determined that, "from the giddy extrapolations of 'Neptune: Fear Not' to the carefully arranged ensemble work of 'Blackbird', the playing here is never less than excellent."[15]
The Times opined that Wallace Roney's "diamond-cut lines are the perfect foil to [Williams's] only splintery percussion, but the leader has also learned to play more melodically, exchanging some of the fiery press-rolls he derived from Art Blakey for the quieter and more measured approach of the other great bop master, Max Roach."[16] The Guardian concluded that "pianist Mulgrew Miller builds from his central hammer-fisted role on the opening track to give probably his strongest performance with the group."[7]
Track listing
No. | Title | Length |
---|---|---|
1. | "Neptune: Overture" | |
2. | "Neptune: Fear Not" | |
3. | "Neptune: Creatures of Conscience" | |
4. | "Blackbird" | |
5. | "Crime Scene" | |
6. | "Poinciana" | |
7. | "Birdlike" |
Personnel
- Bill Pierce- tenor & soprano saxophone
- Wallace Roney- trumpet
- Mulgrew Miller- piano
- Ira Coleman- acoustic bass
- Tony Williams- drums & percussion
References
- ^ "Discs". Boston Herald. 15 May 1992. p. S23.
- ^ Smith, Will (21 June 1992). "Drummer's Work Forceful, Forward-Looking". Entertainment. Omaha World-Herald. p. 9.
- ^ Norment, Lynn (Aug 1992). "Sounding Off". Ebony. Vol. 47, no. 10. p. 27.
- ^ Milkowski, Bill (1998). Rockers, Jazzbos & Visionaries. Billboard Books. p. 144.
- ^ Gettelman, Parry (15 May 1992). "Tony Williams: A Life Among Legends". Calendar. Orlando Sentinel. p. 33.
- ^ "Top Jazz Albums". Billboard. Vol. 104, no. 25. Jun 20, 1992. p. 35.
- ^ a b Atkins, Ronald (24 Sep 1992). "Tony Williams: The Story of Neptune". Features. The Guardian.
- ^ a b "The Story of Neptune Review by Scott Yanow". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ Chapman, Geoff (18 May 1992). "Williams, who won his drumming spurs with Miles Davis...". Toronto Star. p. C6.
- ^ "Tony Williams Biography by Thom Jurek". AllMusic. Retrieved 27 August 2023.
- ^ Stewart, Zan (16 Aug 1992). "10 Years of Roney on Record". Calendar. Los Angeles Times. p. 80.
- ^ Chapman, Geoff (22 May 1992). "Tony Williams quintet thunders into the Onion". Toronto Star. p. C14.
- ^ The Rolling Stone Album Guide. Random House. 1992. p. 772.
- ^ "Williams, Green Taking the Lead". The Washington Post. 1 May 1992. p. N14.
- ^ Considine, J.D. (22 May 1992). "The Story of Neptune Tony Williams". Features. The Baltimore Sun. p. 2.
- ^ "Out of the Blue". Features. The Times. 2 Aug 1992.
- v
- t
- e
or co-leader
- Life Time (1965)
- Spring (1966)
- Emergency! (1969)
- Turn It Over (1970)
- Ego (1971)
- Believe It (1975)
- Million Dollar Legs (1976)
- The Joy of Flying (1978)
- Native Heart (1989)
- The Story of Neptune (1992)
- A Tribute to Miles (1994)
Trio albums
(with Hank Jones
and Ron Carter)
- I'm Old Fashioned (album) (with Sadao Watanabe, 1976)
- Love for Sale (1976)
- The Great Jazz Trio at the Village Vanguard (1977)
- The Great Jazz Trio at the Village Vanguard Vol. 2 (1977)
- Kindness Joy Love & Happiness (1977)
- Milestones (1978)
- New Wine in Old Bottles (with Jackie McLean, 1978)
- Direct from L.A. (1978)
- The Great Jazz Trio at the Village Vanguard Again (2000, recorded in 1977)
(with Bill Laswell
and Derek Bailey)
- The Last Wave (1996)
- Arc of the Testimony (1997)