“I believe that your life should be a succession of steps and that those steps should be along an ascending path.”
Buster Williams shows no sign of slowing his climb along that ascending path. The legendary bassist/composer celebrates 80 years (and counting) along a path to musical enlightenment on his stunning new album, Unalome. The lotus flower-topped symbol that graces the album cover, “Unalome” is a Buddhist symbol representing individual transcendence and the path to enlightenment over the course of one’s life, a guiding concept that Williams, a long-practicing Buddhist himself, has been exploring throughout his life and career.
And Unalome is the latest step along what has certainly been a storied path. One of the most revered bassists of the last half century, the Grammy-winning Williams collaborated with vocalist Jean Baylor, saxophonist Bruce Williams, vibraphonist Stefon Harris, pianist George Colligan, and drummer Lenny White.
Unalome brilliantly reflects how far Williams has come while looking eagerly ahead to future chapters. “As I get older, I discover that there’s more over the horizon than you think,” declared Williams. “The horizon may look like the end, but the closer you get the more you realize that you’ll never reach it. What you can see from where you are, seems to be limited, but with each step, you see more and more.”
Unalome was released February 24, 2023 on Smoke Session Records.
