Tyrone Washington: Do Right

The same way choice ingredients don't always guarantee a tasty stew, talented musicians and good intentions do not always make a great recording. Such is the case with Tyrone Washington's long-lost record Do Right. Tyrone Washington is known as a tenor saxophonist whose debut on wax was on Horace Silver's 1966 Blue Note recording The Jody Grind and who later recorded a single Blue Note album of his own, the excellent Natural Essence (1968). Recently, however, two other albums of his have surfaced, and P Vine has reissued this one (originally recorded in 1974 and issued on Blue Labor) on CD.

The sound on this reissue is pristine and clean, and the artwork and design are very pleasing to the eye. I cannot comment on the liner notes, since they are mostly in Japanese. The musicians are extremely talented, masters of their respective instruments. The material, intended to be a unification of different musical influences, however, fails to deliver.

The vocal pieces are reminiscent of Sly and Family Stone, except that without the latter's catchy melodies, they all sound very dated. The instrumental pieces are a mixed bag, too. The most creative of them is "Brother Man," especially near the end, when the three reeds engage in a conversation. "Land of Eternity" and "Be for Real" sound very dated, a cross between '70s B movie soundtracks and, dare I say, smooth jazz. The last track, "Universal Spiritual Revolt," starts off very fresh, creative and promising. The beginning chords are reminiscent of Pharaoh Sanders' avant-garde spiritual music—but at eight minutes, it is, alas, three minutes too long.

The music is intended to be a creative expression of many different influences. However, it sounds dated, and despite the virtuosity of all involved and the excellent digital remastering, it delivers far less than it promises—especially for those who have heard Washington's great first album.