McCoy Tyner Inception ( Francis Wolff photo ) ( 180g vinyl LP )

Release date 22-05-2019 (Originally released in 1962)

2019 reissue 180g vinyl LP - Inception remains important as a jazz giant's debut and an iconic example of 1960s piano jazz, shines with early promise and that lightning-fast finger work on the opener is remarkable.

Tracks:
A1 Inception
A2 There Is No Greater Love
A3 Blues For Gwen
B1 Sunset
B2 Speak Low
B3 Speak Low

Personnel:
McCoy Tyner: piano;
Elvin Jones: drums;
Art Davis: trumpet.

A trio setting with bassis Elvin Jones, Inception is a strong debut, though not necessarily indicative of the monster player Tyner would become. His fleet-fingered, lyrical right hand is in full force but the thundering left hand, which would become something of his trademark, is not really evident here, partly due to the material, which is a bit more subdued when compared to the raucous repertoire that busied Tyner in his regular job at the time: manning the piano bench for Coltrane. That said, ballads and slower blues, like many of those on Inception, have remained an important part of Tyner's songbook throughout his career. 

The program does pick up intensity as it progresses, with "Effendi" and the pianist's album-closing take on Kurt Weil and Ogden Nash's "Speak Low" highlighting Jones' percolating drum work, Tyner's dexterity and the symbiosis shared between them.