There's probably no skill more fundamental to playing jazz drums than playing the ride cymbal, and no better practitioner than Tony Williams. Tony was the Paganini of the ride cymbal. The Franz Liszt. While others played in the traditional fashion (and Roy Haynes and Elvin had their own unique takes), Tony deconstructed the ride beat, and got so deep inside it he was able to pull off seemingly Matrix-like feats. And the most signature, the most quintessentially "Tony", was the six-note sequence.
Well, in this era of the Flynn Effect and killers like Justin Brown, Kendrick Scott and Eric Harland, you may find players who nearly equal Tony's facility, but nobody who's surpassed it.
First things first - here's your transcription.
Have you developed any hacks to improve your ride cymbal? What's worked and what hasn't? Leave a comment below!