McCoy Tyner - Enlightenment (1973 US Milestone Vinyl 2LP Gatefold)

Vinyl: VG+/VG+
Sleeve: VG+

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McCoy Tyner - Enlightenment | Vinyl 2LP Gatefold - 1973 US Milestone Original (M-55001)

The set opens with Pierre Lattès introducing the quartet, and from the first bars of "Genesis" the energy level is already higher than most studio dates reach at their peak. Tyner's left hand drives the rhythm in those rolling, block-chord patterns that defined his post-Coltrane period, while his right hand works the upper register in long, cascading runs. The Enlightenment Suite covers three sections across the first two sides: "Genesis" and "Inner Glimpse" are full-band workouts where Mouzon's drumming pushes hard against Booth's bass, and "The Offering" sits between them as a solo piano passage that gives the audience (and the other musicians) a moment to breathe. After the suite, "Presence" and "Nebula" keep the pressure up, with Lawrence's soprano and tenor carrying the melody lines while Tyner comps underneath in dense, modal clusters. Then "Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit" takes the entire fourth side and doesn't let go. It's nearly 19 minutes of the quartet at its most relentless, building in waves that keep cresting without breaking.

This was Tyner's working band in 1973, and they sound like a unit that had been playing these pieces night after night. Lawrence was still in his early twenties, but he holds his ground in a setting where the sheer force of Tyner's piano could swallow a less committed saxophonist. Mouzon brings the power from the drum stool without losing finesse, and Booth anchors the bottom end with a fat, resonant tone that cuts through even when Tyner is at his loudest. Orrin Keepnews produced the album for Milestone and oversaw the remix at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley with Jim Stern and Tyner. All compositions are Tyner's own. This is the 1973 US original pressing on M-55001 in a gatefold sleeve. Note that it is auto-coupled: sides A and D are on disc one, sides B and C are on disc two, designed for record changers. Check the labels before dropping the needle.