Three Voices, One Conversation
Williams, Newborn, and Chambers trade ideas with the ease of musicians who understand each other completely.
By 1959, Buster Williams was still finding his voice on the bass, working steadily through the New York jazz scene but not yet the commanding presence he would become. We Three (1959) arrives early in his arc—a trio date where he shares equal footing with Phineas Newborn on piano and Paul Chambers on drums. It's the kind of album that matters less for what it announces about Williams' future than for what it reveals about him in the moment: a musician learning by playing alongside peers, not leading yet, just listening and responding.
The record works because all three players know how to inhabit a space without crowding it. Newborn's touch on piano is elegant and clean, favoring suggestion over display. Chambers, one of the most reliable drummers in jazz, holds everything together with precision and taste. Williams walks when the tune calls for it, sits back when it doesn't. There's no grand concept here, no statement of purpose—just three musicians playing standards and originals with the kind of straightforward swing that feels effortless once you realize how much discipline it takes.
This isn't Williams' peak, and it wasn't the album that defined him. But it's a solid session that captures a working bassist doing his job well, alongside two players of real stature. If you're following Williams' development across his career, this is worth hearing. If you're coming to him fresh, start with something later when his voice had fully formed.
