Tony Williams’ life and career were cut short, but his discography lives on and represents a quality and volume of work that would’ve taken others two lifetimes to achieve.

Anthony Tillmon Williams was born Dec. 12, 1945, in Chicago, but he grew up in Boston. The lad began studying the drums with Alan Dawson at an early age, and was a pro by the time he was 13, backing saxophonist Sam Rivers. Jackie McLean, another sax player, hired Williams three years later, and the youngster made an even bigger jump in stature by joining the legendary Miles Davis’ “Second Great Quintet” when Williams was just 17 years of age.

Williams was young, but his talent was prodigious and his style groundbreaking. He redefined the role of the jazz rhythm section with his use of metric modulation and polyrythms. His work made the jazz drummer not just the man who accompanied the band and helped the others keep time, but an equal performer who could display artistry and improvisation just as could the others.

While still playing with Miles Davis, Williams recorded the 1964 album “Life Time,” his first as a bandleader. (Later, he would form a band dubbed “Lifetime.”)

In 1969, Williams formed a trio known as The Tony Williams Lifetime, with John McLaughlin on guitar and Larry Young on organ. Jack Bruce, best known perhaps for his role in the rock super group Cream, was later added as a bassist. The group pioneered the fusion style of combining rock music, R&B and jazz. Their album “Emergency!” is regarded by many aficionados as a fusion classic.

McLaughlin eventually left the group and Lifetime disbanded. But in 1975, Williams put together an all-new quartet, The New Tony Williams Lifetime. It featured bassist Tony Newton, Alan Pasqua on piano, and British guitarist Allan Holdsworth (who would later find plenty of Top 40 game as a member of Level 42). This group recorded two albums for Columbia Records, “Believe It” and “Million Dollar Legs.”

The next year would see Williams reunite with a number of former Miles Davis bandmates. He and keyboardist Herbie Hancock, bassist Ron Carter and tenor sax player Wayne Shorter recorded an album later released as “V.S.O.P.,” or “Very Special Onetime Performance.” Davis was to be part of the reunion, but backed out at the 11^th hour and had to be replaced by Freddie Hubbard. This group would go on to tour and record for several years, with a series of live albums issued as “V.S.O.P” or “The V.S.O.P. Quintet.” Today, however, most of the records are available on CD under Hancock’s name, though the original V.S.O.P. disc is no longer available at all.

A long and winding array of collaborations over the next two decades saw Williams release albums and tour with a variety of musicians. Among the most offbeat, perhaps, was his work in 1986 with a group called Public Image Limited, which was fronted by former Sex Pistols vocalist John Lydon. Williams was the drummer on their album of that year, which was plainly (and alternatively, depending on which format you purchased) entitled “Album,” “Cassette” or “Compact Disc.” Williams appeared on three tracks, and the rest of the drum parts were recorded by the legendary Ginger Baker.

Williams lived and taught percussion for many years in the San Francisco Bay area. In a shock to the music world, he died on Feb. 23, 1997, from a heart attack after routine gall bladder surgery. He was only 51, but had played drums professional for 38 years, appearing on countless recordings, including 17 albums as a bandleader and another 15 during his days with Miles Davis.

A track on Miles Davis’ boxed set – the song entitled “Dual Mr. Anthony Tillmon Wililams Process” – is, as the name clearly implies, named in honor of the late drummer.