Denny Zeitlin – A word found in psychoanalysis an acute amount of psychic energy directed toward a person or thing: Videos

In February 1964, pianist Denny Zeitlin recorded Cathexis, his first leadership album for Columbia. Denny was joined by Cecil McBee on bass and Freddie Waits on drum.

The title track is a word found in psychoanalysis that means an acute amount of psychic energy directed toward a person or thing. At the time of the album’s recording, Denny was studying medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, en route to becoming a psychiatrist.

The song’s spirit bears some resemblance to John Coltrane’s Countdown, with Denny’s fascinating chord voicings and his Bud Powell-like detours. But the song, ultimately, is pure Denny in its zest for adventure and discovery.

Cathexis…