''Young at Heart'' is an album by the Tony Williams Trio, led by drummer Tony Williams, and featuring pianist Mulgrew Miller and double bassist Ira Coleman. Consisting primarily of jazz standards, it was recorded on September 24 and 25, 1996, at CBS/Sony Studios in Shinano-Machi, Tokyo, Japan, and was initially released in 1996 by

Sony Japan , often abbreviated as SMEJ or simply SME, and also known as Sony Music Japan for short (stylized as ''SonyMusic''), is a Japanese music arm for Sony. Founded in 1968 as CBS/Sony, SMEJ is directly owned by Sony Group Corporation and is opera ...

, after which it was issued in the United States by

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...

in 1998. The recording would prove to be Williams's last, as he died roughly six months after the session.

Reception

In a review for AllMusic, Michael G. Nastos wrote: "Although this might not be viewed by fans as typical of Tony Williams, it is a logical conclusion to a brilliant career in jazz, and holds up high the lofty improvisational values he kept close to his vest, but near to our hearts. Recommended." The authors of '' The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings'' awarded the album a full 4 stars, and stated: "It is not Williams's greatest record, but it is ample reminder that he was first and foremost a jazz man and one of the very greatest of the last 30 years... Williams hadn't been known as much of a standards player, but he caresses these as if they were second skin." A writer for ''

CMJ New Music Report CMJ Holdings Corp. is a music events and online media company, originally founded in 1978, which ran a website, hosted an annual festival in New York City, and published two magazines, ''CMJ New Music Monthly'' and ''CMJ New Music Report''. Th ...

'' commented: "Williams goes directly to the heart of the jazz repertoire, drumming with extraordinary sympathy, taste and eloquence. One doesn't often think of the drums as elegant, but in Williams's hands, one is inclined to think differently." Bill Holland of ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' listed the album in the #1 position in his contribution to the 1998 "Year in Music" critics' poll, calling it "a lovely goodbye."

Track listing

# "Promethean" (Mulgrew Miller) – 4:07 # " Young at Heart" ( Johnny Richards,

Carolyn Leigh Carolyn Leigh (August 21, 1926 – November 19, 1983) was an American lyricist for Broadway, film, and popular songs. She is best known as the writer with partner Cy Coleman of the pop standards "Witchcraft" and "The Best Is Yet to Come". With ...

) – 5:48 # " On Green Dolphin Street" ( Bronisław Kaper, Ned Washington) – 8:53 # "Farewell to Dogma" (Mulgrew Miller) – 5:52 # "How My Heart Sings" (

Earl Zindars Earl Zindars (September 25, 1927 – August 15, 2005) was an American composer of jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with i ...

) – 6:14 # " The Fool on the Hill" ( Lennon–McCartney) – 6:21 # "Neptune: Fear Not" (Tony Williams) – 6:11 # "

You and the Night and the Music "You and the Night and the Music" is a popular song composed by Arthur Schwartz with lyrics by Howard Dietz. The song was debuted in the Broadway show ''Revenge with Music''. The show originally opened on November 28, 1934, ran for 22 performanc ...

" ( Arthur Schwartz,

Howard Dietz Howard Dietz (September 8, 1896 – July 30, 1983) was an American publicist, lyricist, and librettist, best remembered for his songwriting collaboration with Arthur Schwartz. Biography Dietz was born in New York City. He attended Columbia Colle ...

) – 6:45 # " Body and Soul" (

Johnny Green John Waldo Green (October 10, 1908 – May 15, 1989) was an American songwriter, composer, musical arranger, conductor and pianist. He was given the nickname "Beulah" by colleague Conrad Salinger. His most famous song was one of his earli ...

, Edward Heyman) – 6:39 # "This Here" ( Bobby Timmons, Jon Hendricks) – 7:33 # "Summer Me, Winter Me" (

Alan and Marilyn Bergman Alan Bergman (born September 11, 1925) and Marilyn Keith Bergman (November 10, 1928 – January 8, 2022) were an American songwriting duo. Married from 1958 until Marilyn's death, together they wrote music and lyrics for numerous celebrated telev ...

, Michel Legrand) – 4:50

Personnel

* Tony Williams – drums * Mulgrew Miller – piano * Ira Coleman – double bass

References

{{Reflist 1996 albums Tony Williams (drummer) albums Sony Music Entertainment Japan albums Columbia Records albums