Ego (1971)

"Easily the weirdest record the Tony Williams Lifetime ever released, this is an experimental blend of post-hard bop jazz and spacy psychedelica. Larry Young's wafting organ parts and Ted Dunbar's rockist guitar (as opposed to the more traditional jazz bent of John McLaughin) combine to make parts of the album sound like 1970 Pink Floyd, particularly on "There Comes a Time" and "Lonesome Wells (Gwendy Trio)." The best tracks are those that get down to the creation of some roiling atmospheres and powerful group improvisation. In that regard, things really pick up at the end, with the ghostly "Mom and Dad" and the cacophonous closer "Urchins of Shermese," on which Williams splits the narcoleptic mood of the introduction with some of his most fractured and arrhythmic fills ever, while simultaneously maintaining a groove that's typically snaky and propulsive. Drum geeks will adore the two brief solo pieces, "Clap City" and "Some Hip Drum Shit," which are both technically impressive." (Stewart Mason, Allmusic)

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