This release is a bit of a mystery, because this sole date as a leader by
Tyrone Washington seems to mark his final appearance on record (following two sessions as a sideman, including
Stanley Cowell's
Brillant Circles and
Horace Silver's
The Jody Grind); his name doesn't show up in
jazz encyclopedias, so one wonders if he died prematurely or quit music for some other reason. Only 23 at the time of the recording, the tenor saxophonist composed six originals and is joined by other promising young lions who went onto great careers (pianist
Kenny Barron and trumpeter
Woody Shaw), along with alto saxophonist
James Spaulding, bassist
Reggie Workman, and drummer
Joe Chambers.
Washington shows the influence of
John Coltrane during his rapid-fire runs, while his playing during his more straight-ahead works proves to be more memorable. The opener,
"Natural Essence," is an interesting alchemy of
blues,
funk, and
hard bop.
"Yearning for Love" is an emotional piece with spirited interaction between the three horns in places. The remaining tracks don't make as strong an impression, so it is possible that the inclusion of some standards or pieces by either
Shaw or
Barron might have added to the appeal of the date. Long out of print since its appearance on LP, it has been reissued on CD by
Toshiba-EMI of Japan; fans of
hard bop who are willing to spend a little extra for this import reissue may want to investigate the only CD by this mysterious tenor saxophonist. ~ Ken Dryden
