Best known as a member of the John Coltrane Quartet in the '60s, Tyner also recorded more than 70 leadership albums starting with Inception. Recorded in January 1962, Inception featured Tyner backed by bassist Art Davis and drummer Elvin Jones. Four of the six songs recorded were written by Tyner: Inception, Blues for Gwen, Sunset and Effendi. The remaining two are standards: There Is No Greater Love and Speak Low.
According to the album's liner notes, Blues for Gwen was named for Tyner's sister, while Sunset was a title suggested by Tyner's wife, Aisha, because the piece brought to her mind an impression of nature, and because it's a reflective ballad. Sunset seemed the logical title."
The music on this album is extraordinary from start to finish. It's robust, beautiful, tender, assertive, lush, penetrating and determined. His technique of using modal chords and scales to get his point across is framed smartly by Jones on drums. On many of Tyner's albums, there's nothing mannered about him or cliched. His soul is always exposed and his sound is distinctly original. I have all of his solo albums and they are exquisite. I'll be posting about other favorites in the future, but for those unfamiliar, the best place to start with Tyner is at the beginning.
JazzWax clips: Here's the full album...
This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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