Dave Young Trio: Inner Urge

This is the third project in a recent series of Coryell recordings engineered by the venerable Rudy Van Gelder. With the quality of sound virtually guaranteed by virtue of Van Gelder’s presence, all Coryell and company (pianist John Hicks, bassist Santi Debriano, drummer Yoron Israel and trumpeter Don Sickler) have to do is play well, which is exactly what happens over the course of Inner Urge’s nine selections.

The session commences with a swinging rendition of Harold Land’s “Compulsion,” on which Coryell comes out playing with articulate fluidity (also check out the grooving trumpet solo). For Ray Bryant’s “Tonk,” a combination of soul and sophistication, Coryell deftly wields a steel-string acoustic, enhancing the tune’s rootsy vibe. Herbie Hancock’s postbop “Dolphin Dance” provides a nice contrast and sports especially tasty solos by Hicks and Coryell, who uses the melody as a springboard for a floating, melodic excursion. And in yet a different vein, there’s “Turkish Coffee,” a creative, wide-ranging original guitar solo that starts off with a relatively abstract harmonics episode, gets into a jazzy groove, and periodically refers to things Middle Eastern.

Overall, Inner Urge is a mighty fine work from a guitarist with a knack for tying together a broad array of elements and influences.

Originally Published July 1, 2001