Mccoy Tyner: Enlightenment (1973 – Milestone)

Enlightenment — a recording of Tyner’s July 7, 1973 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival — can be viewed as a culmination of the heavy, deep style that Tyner had been developing since 1971’s Sahara. The photo of a sweaty, drained-looking Tyner on the cover sums up the content of this album pretty well — it’s an intense 70 minutes without a lot of variation in terms of tempo or mood (though Booth’s sublime bass solo that opens “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit” should not go unmentioned). Listeners without much exposure to Tyner’s music might find the album exhausting to absorb in one sitting, but fans will likely love it. It’s a great album that ranks among Tyner’s best.
With Tyner’s band trimmed down to a quartet, Enlightenment is the first chance that listeners got to hear newcomers Azar Lawrence and Joony Booth in an uncluttered setting — the sax player and bassist had made their recorded debut with Tyner on Song of the New World, which featured large ensembles. Lawrence is unabashed in his Coltrane-derived mannerisms, but the style and weight of the music suit it. Booth’s playing is a bit thicker and funkier than what Calvin Hill had been doing, though more traditional and less independent. Nevertheless, this was a fine band for Tyner, as this excellent live performance demonstrates. There really isn’t anything here that I would call a breakthrough, but I think that all of it qualifies as a top-notch example of Tyner’s music at its early-’70s best. Highlights include Tyner’s virtuosic soloing on “Presence,” the percussion on “Nebula” and the whole of the mammoth “Walk, Spirit, Talk Spirit”
Review by Matt P (Ground & Sky)

Track List:
1. Presenting The Mccoy Tyner Quartet
2. Enlightenment Suite, Part 1: Genesis
3. Enlightenment Suite, Part 2: The Offering
4. Enlightenment Suite, Part 3: Inner Glimpse
5. Presence
6. Nebula
7. Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit

Personnel:
McCoy Tyner: (piano, percussion)

Azar Lawrence: (soprano & tenor saxophone)

Joony Booth: (bass)
Alphonse Mouzon: (drums)

Recorded at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, on July 7, 1973.
Original Release Date: July 7, 1973  –  Label: Milestone

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Part 2  Part 2