COMPOSERS: Various
LABELS: Impulse!
WORKS: Infinity
PERFORMER: McCoy Tyner (p); Michael Brecker (ts); Avery Sharp (bass); Aaron Scott (d); Valantino Anastacio (perc)
CATALOGUE NO: 11712 (distr. New Note)
Pianist McCoy Tyner is one of those musicians whose own achievements will forever be overshadowed by an association with a legend – in his case, Coltrane. Thirty years on, Tyner continues to make passionate, coherent music, in a variety of settings. Here he’s putting fire under a very flammable quartet which features Michael Brecker blazing away up front, Sharp and Scott sparking around him. Tyner, who is a big man, combines percussive force with nimble, melodic invention, to exchange beautifully boisterous choruses with the tenorist. A ‘must’ for fans of either Brecker or Tyner, Infinity is an example of how compelling small group modern jazz can be. Garry Booth