Tony Williams, The Joy of Flying (1979)
I love Tony Williams – one of the best and most influential drummers around, right? Every drummer and most musicians know the name. I knew a little of his work as a leader, but mostly it’s his sideman stuff – hearing him drive the beat for others, and those explosive fills. This album was something I read about, only recently actually, and marveled at the ludicrous and glorious cover. Then, a few weeks later I’m on holiday in the States and BOOM: There it is! And not only that it was $2. So now it’s part of the collection – and I dig it. A lot. Typical late 70s funk/fusion stuff crammed with session legends. George Benson gets a good outing – which of course is an added treat. Some of this stuff is cheesy-as-fuck and in this case (as with Cobham) it can suddenly get a bit too explosive a bit too quickly but it’s good. I dig it. And Tony is a legendary player.

Sample Track: Hip Skip

The Vinyl Countdown is a document of every LP I listen to, brand new discoveries and old-old favourites; extremely pre-loved, previously abandoned or with the shrink-wrap having just been removed it’s all here at The Vinyl Countdown