Time For Tyner

Those familiar with the dense, percussive style that pianist McCoy Tyner has cultivated since the 1970s onwards may be surprised by what they hear on Inception. Like Reaching Fourth and Nights of Ballads and Blues, this album gives listeners the chance to hear what a very young Tyner sounded like outside the confines of the classic John Coltrane quartet of the early '60s; it reveals a lyrical approach to jazz piano that seems a far cry from Tyner's mature style. The choice of material is fairly evenly split between modal pieces like "Inception" and more harmonically involved tunes like "Speak Low," and the pianist's treatment of both demonstrates the extent to which his early work was rooted in bebop…

Those familiar with the dense, percussive style that pianist McCoy Tyner has cultivated since the 1970s onwards may be surprised by what they hear on Inception. Like Reaching Fourth and Nights of Ballads and Blues, this album gives listeners the chance to hear what a very young Tyner sounded like outside the confines of the classic John Coltrane quartet of the early '60s; it reveals a lyrical approach to jazz piano that seems a far cry from Tyner's mature style. The choice of material is fairly evenly split between modal pieces like "Inception" and more harmonically involved tunes like "Speak Low," and the pianist's treatment of both demonstrates the extent to which his early work was rooted in bebop…

This live, solo outing by Mccoy Tyner was recorded at the Warsaw Jazz Festival (aka Warsaw Jazz Jamboree) on October 27, 1991. Tyner branched out on his own in the late 1960's, leaving Coltrane to foray further into his extended free jazz explorations with wife Alice replacing Tyner at piano. However, although his prodigious style is well suited to it, Tyner wouldn't record a solo album until the famous and excellent Coltrane tribute, Echoes of Friend, released in 1972. Throughout the 70's, Tyner typically fronted larger bands, not returning to solo concerts until a string of Blue Note records from 1989 and 1990 (Revelations, Things Ain't What They Used to Be (also containing some duets), and Soliloquy).

McCoy Tyner - Solo, Live From San Francisco (2009) {Half Note HN4541}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC (tracks)+CUE+LOG -> 236 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 121 Mb
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© 2009 McCoy Tyner Music / Half Note Records | HN4541
Jazz / Post Bop / Solo Piano

McCoy Tyner has rarely been reliant on others, although his legendary co-dependency with John Coltrane yielded obvious spectacular and unforgettable results. The great pianist has been very favorably heard in a variety of settings, but it's been quite some time since he's released a solo album – the Blue Note label releases Reevaluations from 1988, Soliloquy done in 1991, or the 1991 Who's Who in Jazz set Live in Warsaw were all quite memorable. From the SF Jazz Festival's Spring Series in May of 2007, Tyner tackles the solo spotlight once again, as his talent rises, soars, and takes off while the program continues for some 50 minutes.

McCoy Tyner recorded five albums for Telarc, beginning with 1999's McCoy Tyner & the Latin All-Stars and ending with 2004's Illuminations. While no one would ever argue that these were the high points of a career that reaches back half-a-century and includes a legendary stint with John Coltrane, the Telarc recordings were all solid affairs and Tyner's genius was still quite evident throughout. Afro Blue is an eight-song compendium that draws material from all five of those releases, providing a neat summation of Tyner's output for the label. Never one to rest on his laurels, Tyner continued to push forward at a time in his life when he could easily have coasted…