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When Miles Davis' great late sixties quintet broke up, not only did Miles himself pursue new directions, but three other quintet members--Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, and Tony Williams--went on to form their own vital 1970's electric jazz groups. Keyboardist Joe Zawinul and Shorter co-founded Weather Report. Herbie Hancock's new group evolved into his Mwandishi sextet after which came his popular Head Hunters band. At first glance, Tony Williams group may not seem all that innovative. After all, organ-guitar-drum trio records were common in the soul jazz field. However, Tony Williams' trio--he called it "Lifetime"--proved to be one of the outstanding groups in the genre that came to be labeled "fusion jazz." Guitarist John McLaughlin's technique, volume, and fascination with eastern music and religion gave him a much broader appeal among rock audiences than most jazz guitarists had ever achieved. Organist Larry Young's earlier records for Blue Note--featuring such players as Elvin Jones, Sam Rivers, Woody Shaw, and Joe Henderson--had established his credibility in the avant garde jazz field. Additionally, Young had experience playing with both John Coltrane and Jimi Hendrix. Fellow organist Jack McDuff called Young the "Coltrane of the organ." Likewise, a very young Tony himself had recorded two of his own records for Blue Note in addition to a number of noteworthy sideman appearances. Deserving special mention is his role on Eric Dolphy's classic OUT TO LUNCH! In short, Lifetime's potential appeal to both rock-oriented and free jazz fans seemed to guarantee abundant musical energy and a great future. In retrospect, Tony would blame the band's management and his record company [Polydor] for the band's failure to make as big a splash as it should have. This particular trio stayed intact for just two album releases. At one point McLaughlin turned down an invitation to join Miles Davis' band because he wanted to stay with Lifetime. However, after one more Lifetime album John was ready to start his own Mahavishnu Orchestra. In reviewing this album [initially a two-record set], Ira Gitler wrote, "There is jazz and there is rock in this group, but it doesn't quite come out as rock-jazz or jazz-rock . . . . " I'd heard about this music long before I heard it on the radio; but the first time I heard a track from EMERGENCY! I was fairly certain--based upon the record's reputation--that I knew what it was. Gitler goes on to say, "I can't say I like all of Lifetime, but what I do like strikes me as among the freshest and most original sounds being made today." With only two compositions per side on the original four-sided lp release, one might correctly assume that long and meaty solos are the order of the day. These performances are more about improvisation and energy than about carefully-crafted composition. Liner notes for some reissues of this material apologize for the original recorded sound quality. That's never bothered most fans of this album: audiophile quality is not what the record is about. Tony sings on a few songs; no one ever cites his vocals among the highlights of the album. They're an acquired taste. Perhaps that's a reason why bassist-vocalist Jack Bruce appears on the band's next record [TURN IT OVER], turning the original trio into a quartet. Lifetime may have more fans today than it did while it existed. In any event, the word "unique" truly applies to this one-of-a-kind bandRead full review