As jazz bass celebrities go, Buster Williams may not be a household name on the level of Charles Mingus, Stanley Clarke, Ron Carter, or Victor Wooten. But scan the liner notes of albums by Gene Ammons, Herbie Hancock, McCoy Tyner, Melvin Sparks, and countless others, and his name shows up with striking regularity.
Buster Williams’ debut solo album, Pinnacle, was originally released in 1975 on the now-obscure but highly respected Muse Records. It returns for Record Store Day 2026 as part of Zev Feldman and Craft Recordings‘ new Time Traveler series.
Muse Records was a curious label which I suspect had limited resources and likely pressed their releases in likewise limited quantities. I wouldn’t be surprised if they had challenges with distribution as well. Back in the 1970s and ’80s, when I was still living in the New York area I’d certainly see Muse LPs in stores, but in short bursts. To that, looking for original pressings of Pinnacle today reflects that scarcity. For a handy point of reference, at the time of this writing there was just one domestic United States copy on music marketplace Discogs (dot com) selling for $200 in just VG/VG+ condition (I found zero copies on eBay!).
No doubt, a quality reissue was long overdue for such a fine album and this new Time Traveler series edition of Pinnacle is one of my favorites thus far among Record Store Day releases. An all analog (AAA) remastering, the new edition was cut from original tapes by Matthew Lutthans at The Mastering Lab. The perfectly centered, dead quiet 180-gram black vinyl was pressed at highly regarded Optimal Media.
The album cover is crafted by Stoughton Printing using the classic “tip-on” jacket style popular from the 1950s through the 1970s. Having seen plenty of original Muse Records pressings, this reissue likely surpasses them in fit and finish, especially as it is laminated much like a Blue Note Tone Poet Series or Verve Acoustic Sounds Series release.
The music on Pinnacle is exemplary with a band including Sonny Fortune on soprano saxophone and Woody Shaw on trumpet. The five tracks on Pinnacle feel immediately classic. This music could have easily have been released by ECM Records — its that kind of lush recording capturing acoustic and electric instruments in a glorious manner at Blue Rock Studios in New York (a SoHo recording space designed by the same team that created Jimi Hendrix’s legendary Electric Lady Studios).
Expect to hear, of course, lovely bass sounds locking in with super distinctive percussion and tasteful keyboards including Moog and ARP synthesizer flavors It is hard to pick favorites at this stage but the 14-minute “Batuki” and funky album 11-minute opener “The Hump” are both downright transportive.
Buster Williams’ Pinnacle is a must get release for Record Store Day for fans of timeless modern jazz. Only 1500 copies are being distributed on Record Store Day so if you strike out, a CD version is coming, available for pre-order at $19.98 at Amazon.
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
Related Reading:
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