Charles Tyler was one of the most important jazz baritonists. He had a big tone and played with great fire in almost all settings. Tyler studied piano in Indianapolis as a child and then switched to clarinet, alto and finally baritone. Tyler met Albert Ayler when he was 14 years old. He moved to Cleveland in 1960 and had many opportunities to jam with Ayler. In fact, Tyler moved to New York in 1965 to play with Ayler. He was soon part of Ayler’s group recording Bells and Spirits rejoice and he also led two sessions for ESP (1966-1967). Tyler studied under David Baker at Indiana University (1967-1968), before he spent four years teaching and playing with Los Angeles’s most adventurous musicians, such as Bobby Bradford, Arthur Blythe and David Murray. In 1973, he returned to New York, working as a freelancer with Cecil Taylor and Dewey Redman (1981-1982). Despite his talent, Charles Tyler did not become a big name. However, he did produce albums that were highly acclaimed for Ak-Ba (1974), Nessa and Adelphi, Sonet (Storyville) and Silkheart. Allmusic
