Revered jazz bassist Buster Williams is entering his eighties with a new album that celebrates his decades-long commitment to personal growth.
Unalome is named after a Buddhist symbol representing individual transcendence and the path to enlightenment over the course of one’s life.
For Williams, a long-practising Buddhist himself, it has been a guiding concept throughout his life and career.
“It seemed to express perfectly the mood or the collective spirit of the music on this particular project,” Williams explains. “I believe that your life should be a succession of steps, and that those steps should be along an ascending path.
The ensemble that Williams assembled for Unalome features vocalist Jean Baylor, saxophonist Bruce Williams, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, pianist George Colligan and drummer Lenny White.
The album includes three original works that Williams’ wrote specifically for the session — “Stairways,” “In the Middle of a Rainbow” and “The Wisdom of Silence” — along with one from his back catalogue (“Tayamisha”) and several jazz standards.
One of the most revered bassists of the last half century, the Grammy-winning Williams has played, recorded and collaborated with such jazz giants as Art Blakey, Chet Baker, Chick Corea, Dexter Gordon, Jimmy Heath, Larry Coryell, Wynton and Branford Marsalis, Sonny Rollins, Count Basie, Errol Garner, Freddie Hubbard and countless others. He was a charter member of Herbie Hancock’s groundbreaking Mwandishi band and the all-star Thelonious Monk tribute ensemble Sphere.
Known for a playing style that’s as tasteful and nuanced as it is bold and adventurous, he’s also been the accompanist of choice for vocal greats like Nancy Wilson, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae and Sarah Vaughan.
Here’s the track listing:
- Stairways
- Estate
- Tayamisha
- In the Middle of a Rainbow
- The Wisdom of Silence
- 42nd Street
- I’ve Got the World on a String
- Here’s to Life
Buster Williams’ Unalome is out Feb. 24, 2023, via Smoke Sessions.
