McCoy Tyner

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Looked around and there was not a thread on McCoy Tyner and his own career past Coltrane.

I've had a couple of Tyner's records on vinyl for a long time and thought they were pretty good "Trident" and "Echoes of a Friend", but hadn't listened to them in a few years since my old turntable died. I have also had one of his early records "Today and Tomorrow" for a few years and thought it was pretty advanced bop, it is a collaporation with Thad Jones, John Gilmore (rare visit outside of the Arkestra) and Elvin Jones.

Anyway...ran into used copy of "Enlightenment" last weekend. "Enlightenment" is a jam. "Enlightenment" recorded live at the Montreux Jazz Festival in '73 has some awesome drumming by Alphonse Mouzon, who plays with both some funk and force. Azar Lawrence plays soprano and tenor and a guy named Joony Booth plays bass on the record. Tyner plays out of sight and defnitely attains that rising sound that was prevalent on those mid60s Coltrane records, except it seems that his chording is even a bit more complex. There are some stretches that McCoy does these modulating repeating figures over and over that remind me of Steve Reich playing a jazz solo. I'm a bit suprised that this record is not more well known, it is great.

Any one have any suggestions on other records by Tyner?

I've already put in an order to get "Expansions" and his collaboration with Wayne Shorter and "The Real McCoy".

earlnash, Wednesday, 21 July 2004 15:53 (nineteen years ago) link

I know you said you've already ordered it, but I have Expansions, which I almost like*, and which I keep for "Peresina" which I do like. Anyway, it has a good reputation, as you know, and employs somewhat unusual instrumentation.


*which coming from me in a jazz context is not so negative.

Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 21 July 2004 16:00 (nineteen years ago) link

I'd kind of be interested in hearing the one with John Gilmore.

Rockist Scientist, Wednesday, 21 July 2004 16:01 (nineteen years ago) link

Oh yeah, I heard Enlightenment in a class once and it blew my head off. I've been meaning to buy it ever since. Saraha is great too.

Jordan (Jordan), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 16:11 (nineteen years ago) link

You generally can't go wrong with Wayne Shorter from the 70s on back.

Gilmore sounds a bit like Trane on that date, as it is much more early 60s bop than Arkestra. It might be that Trane sounds a bit like Gilmore as I guess they practiced together and was an influence around that same time. They both have a big tenor tone. If you like some of Coltrane's records on Atlantic like "Coltrane's Sound", it is a similar timeperiod and sound, but "Today and Tomorrow" doesn't have a tune as good and memorable as Equinox.

earlnash, Wednesday, 21 July 2004 16:16 (nineteen years ago) link

extensions (gary bartz, alice coltrane, wayne short) and asante (andrew white, buster williams, jabali billy hart) -both blue note. funky in a 60s way, not a 70s way.

elhaz, Wednesday, 21 July 2004 16:22 (nineteen years ago) link

*Enlightenment* is one of my favorite records, and it almost never gets mentioned. It's every bit as forceful and complex as you say, but also incredibly hummable ("Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit.") I've never heard any other solo Tyner I like anywhere near as much. Although *Echoes of a Friend**Sahara* and *Atlantis* are all good.

Not That Chuck, Wednesday, 21 July 2004 16:28 (nineteen years ago) link

check him out on hank mobley's "caddy for daddy"!

serge, Wednesday, 21 July 2004 18:54 (nineteen years ago) link

4*4 is good

juniorbonner (juniorbonner), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 21:28 (nineteen years ago) link

The Real McCoy, Extensions ("Message from the Nile" with Alice Coltrane's hard...ahhh), Sahara ("Ebony Queen" is entirely acoustic, yet rocks harder than 99.9% of most electric I've heard...mindblowing stuff) are all excellent and worth tracking down...

Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 23:10 (nineteen years ago) link

Trident and Song for My Lady are also okay, though I think a rung below the above. I've always thought Fly with the Wind was a bit schmaltzy...

Joe (Joe), Wednesday, 21 July 2004 23:11 (nineteen years ago) link

two years pass...
I was listening to Trane's Meditations last night thinking "who the fuck IS that on piano?" Just ordered Sahara and Enlightenment based on this thread. Fingers crossed.

Hoosteen (Hoosteen), Sunday, 28 January 2007 17:24 (seventeen years ago) link

check him out on hank mobley's "caddy for daddy"!

yeah he breathes cosmic fire into this hot hard-bop date. he's also great on Joe Henderson's slighty spacier Inner Urge.

m coleman (lovebug starski), Sunday, 28 January 2007 17:31 (seventeen years ago) link

for me "Trident" is the best--he plays, what, harpsichord on that one? and does "Once I Loved" by Jobim. and "Ruby, My Dear," right? that's a great one, with Elvin Jones and Ron Carter. one of the very very best jazz records ever.

edd s hurt (ddduncan), Sunday, 28 January 2007 17:42 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm surprised I don't see "Inception" getting more love around here - one of the great jazz piano trio recordings for sure.

A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Sunday, 28 January 2007 17:43 (seventeen years ago) link

Also search the Blue Note Wayne Shorter records he played on - I love his pseudo-oriental comping on "Mahjong"

A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Sunday, 28 January 2007 17:45 (seventeen years ago) link

Joe Henderson's Inner Urge is the best of that whole batch he did for Blue Note - you can hear David S. Ware's whole sound in Joe's playing on "El Barrio."

pdf (Phil Freeman), Sunday, 28 January 2007 18:03 (seventeen years ago) link

np: a cut from Sama Layuca. I like this, like the bells and rattles and vaguely eastern modal goingson.

R_S (RSLaRue), Sunday, 28 January 2007 19:10 (seventeen years ago) link

The first track on Real McCoy has always been a favorite of mine - so fucking exuberant.

A-ron Hubbard (Hurting), Sunday, 28 January 2007 19:12 (seventeen years ago) link

OK, big fan here...

definitely go for extensions, expansions, whatever. CLASSIC!!!!

The sleeper in the bunch is 1978's "Together" album. Highly recommended. I have had a lot of success in telling people about this album. Always very positive reactions. Hope you like it.

Saxby D. Elder (Saxby D. Elder), Monday, 29 January 2007 04:36 (seventeen years ago) link

"Joe Henderson's Inner Urge is the best of that whole batch he did for Blue Note - you can hear David S. Ware's whole sound in Joe's playing on "El Barrio.""

Oh, fuck yes. This was the first Henderson I heard, and it kinda ruined him for me. I've enjoyed other stuff, but he rarely hits like he does on this one.
As for Tyner, I've been loving Sama Layuca lately. Round, anthemic, good.

js (honestengine), Monday, 29 January 2007 06:15 (seventeen years ago) link

Basra by Pete La Roca, recently reissued on Blue Note, also has some v. fierce playing from Henderson, a real good'un

Ward Fowler (Ward Fowler), Monday, 29 January 2007 10:35 (seventeen years ago) link

couple more fine Blue Note sessions w/McCoy Tyner:

Lee Morgan Tom Cat
Bobby Hutcherson Stick-Up!

m coleman (lovebug starski), Monday, 29 January 2007 14:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Kinda surprised that anyone could fall for Tyner based on his playing on such a late Coltrane date as Meditations - I always found him nearly inaudible once Pharoah et al joined that band!

Anyways, Sahara was a revelation. And yeah, Extensions (with the faux-"National Geographic" cover) is a good'un too.

M. Agony Von Bontee (M. Agony Von Bontee), Monday, 29 January 2007 18:46 (seventeen years ago) link

one year passes...

Finally listening to Enlightenment now and...............................................wow.

HOOS HOOS HOOS on the autosteen (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 3 November 2008 02:02 (fifteen years ago) link

just fucking DESTRUCTIVE

HOOS HOOS HOOS on the autosteen (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 3 November 2008 02:03 (fifteen years ago) link

tell me they will play this on the ship when we flee the apocalypse and go into -SPACE-

HOOS HOOS HOOS on the autosteen (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 3 November 2008 02:03 (fifteen years ago) link

i have "inception", got a super duper clean 80s fantasy vinyl reissue...anyway it is rad as fuk

M@tt He1ges0n, Monday, 3 November 2008 03:42 (fifteen years ago) link

i've been looking for enlightment for years after hearing a couple cuts.

Jordan, Monday, 3 November 2008 15:57 (fifteen years ago) link

shhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

0rangeandblackspines.w0rdpress.com

with o's instead of 0's

HOOS HOOS HOOS on the autosteen (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 3 November 2008 16:03 (fifteen years ago) link

why didn't i think of that

Jordan, Monday, 3 November 2008 16:04 (fifteen years ago) link

oh wait, i did look for that when i found that site and it wasn't there.

Jordan, Monday, 3 November 2008 16:05 (fifteen years ago) link

apparently enlightment wasn't on impulse.

Jordan, Monday, 3 November 2008 16:06 (fifteen years ago) link

wtf i thought that was where i found it last night

HOOS HOOS HOOS on the autosteen (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 3 November 2008 16:11 (fifteen years ago) link

will check my history when i get home and link u proper

HOOS HOOS HOOS on the autosteen (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 3 November 2008 16:11 (fifteen years ago) link

oh here it is for all mccoy tyner stans everywhere

http://jazz20.bloringa.net/post-1088868.html

HOOS HOOS HOOS on the autosteen (BIG HOOS aka the steendriver), Monday, 3 November 2008 16:11 (fifteen years ago) link

thanks bro

Jordan, Monday, 3 November 2008 16:16 (fifteen years ago) link

i remember alphonse mouzon being sick on this

Jordan, Monday, 3 November 2008 16:17 (fifteen years ago) link

more mainstream-y by definition, but i really like McCoy's Ellington album. Nice light touch, swinging feel. If I'm not mistaken, the album was recorded same day (or maybe week?) as Love Supreme, which is just ridiculous. Haven't heard a lot of his earlier Impulse records ... Or his 70s stuff, actually. Need to get on that!

tylerw, Monday, 3 November 2008 17:36 (fifteen years ago) link

and of course, it has to be said that the guy's solo on "my favorite things" is like top ten best moments in music ever.

tylerw, Monday, 3 November 2008 20:35 (fifteen years ago) link

assumed this'd been revived for the new one, 'guitars', with tyner's trio and Derek Trucks, Bela Fleck, Bill Frisell, John Scofield, Marc Ribot. (Although not, sadly, all at the same time.) Trailer for it: fairly cool.

thomp, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:02 (fifteen years ago) link

Would quite like to have a full CD of McCoy and Marc playing free — the two minutes of it on the site trailer are really pretty and affecting, and you have to wonder where else they could take it. The first track on the album is a minute and a half long improvisation with the two of them; then there's a full band thing with Ribot again which does fall into the presumable trap of just not sounding quite comfortable, but not uncomfortable in an interesting way ...

thomp, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:16 (fifteen years ago) link

(Like, Marc's free playing with McCoy has e-bow and muted scrapy noises — playing in a taking-turns-playing-solos context he can't do so much of that stuff — but still plays with a rock-band sounding level of distortion etc., but less productively.

DeJohnette is drumming WAY loud.)

thomp, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:19 (fifteen years ago) link

PLEASE DON'T USE THE WAH PEDAL, MARC

thomp, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:21 (fifteen years ago) link

I can't really stomach any of those guys except Ribot

Tyrone Quattlebaum (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:28 (fifteen years ago) link

I really can't supply an informed opinion on any of them, tbh

The first Fleck track (technically not involving guitar) is really great — droney banjo that sounds vaguely like something I have heard before — possibly serpent power?

Scofield on 'Mr P.C.' is fairly okay.

thomp, Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:37 (fifteen years ago) link

I also haven't liked anything new from Tyner in a long time.

Tyrone Quattlebaum (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:38 (fifteen years ago) link

Erm, I mean I guess I haven't liked anything new from Tyner since I've been listening to jazz. I wasn't even born when his best records came out.

Tyrone Quattlebaum (Hurting 2), Tuesday, 4 November 2008 20:38 (fifteen years ago) link

four years pass...

picked up 'Trident' on vinyl for cheap over the weekend, such a great record. the first track sounds like a vamp for a pop song but still totally works with their style.

still don't have a copy of 'Enlightment'. :/

have a sandwich or ice cream sandwich (Jordan), Sunday, 18 November 2012 22:44 (eleven years ago) link

three years pass...

excited because there is a cheap-ish copy of enlightenment near work (i think) and i checked this thread to see if it was worth getting and i am totally picking it up after work (if that is the album i saw in the racks) (and if it is still there)

got inner voices for £4 the other day at flashback and am really liking it, even if its an unusual record for him. reminds me a bit of alice coltrane's om supreme, with all the vocals and harmonies, which is my favourite alice track of all

beer say hi to me (stevie), Thursday, 18 August 2016 13:02 (seven years ago) link

good god do not scare me with this revive like that

Seriously.

And yeah, Tender Moments is amazing. Rarely has an album so totally failed to live up to its title. That thing smokes.

grawlix (unperson), Thursday, 8 November 2018 00:28 (five years ago) link

saw this revive and felt sick to my stomach

will check the benito

budo jeru, Thursday, 8 November 2018 01:05 (five years ago) link

Basically whenever I'm in a record shop I check if they have any McCoy Tyner, and if I don't have it I buy it, and I'm never disappointed

Jacob Lohl (stevie), Thursday, 8 November 2018 10:33 (five years ago) link

Not to mention he’s usually light on the wallet

Scam jam, thank you ma’am (Sparkle Motion), Saturday, 10 November 2018 02:30 (five years ago) link

one year passes...

RIP to the great one. What a career, what music.

justice 4 CCR (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 6 March 2020 19:07 (four years ago) link

Ugh. RIP

Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette Alone) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 6 March 2020 19:15 (four years ago) link

oh man no. RIP

Oor Neechy, Friday, 6 March 2020 19:27 (four years ago) link

damn

frederik b. godt (jim in vancouver), Friday, 6 March 2020 19:28 (four years ago) link

Whenever I dip back into 70s prog and fusion, I hope it will sound this elegant and catchy, but it's too high a bar

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZIXDTH-sLA

Julius Caesar Memento Hoodie (bendy), Friday, 6 March 2020 19:31 (four years ago) link

man there was no one on earth like this guy

mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Friday, 6 March 2020 19:35 (four years ago) link

Guy in WKCR just switched over in the middle of Elvin Live at the Lighthouse to a McCoy-led project featuring Elvin and Alice Coltrane.

Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette Alone) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 6 March 2020 20:10 (four years ago) link

After thirty seconds of silence of course

Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette Alone) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 6 March 2020 20:13 (four years ago) link

Just got into his catalogue not too long and now he's gone. Damn damn damn. RIP

ascai, Friday, 6 March 2020 20:14 (four years ago) link

Stack those fourths til you get all the way up to heaven

ascai, Friday, 6 March 2020 20:20 (four years ago) link

Extensions

Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette Alone) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Friday, 6 March 2020 20:24 (four years ago) link

Love this footage of Tyner with Roland Kirk:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tiI2ZHmxPPo

Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Friday, 6 March 2020 20:29 (four years ago) link

Check the rollneck!

Vanishing Point (Chinaski), Friday, 6 March 2020 20:30 (four years ago) link

First there is his melodic inventiveness and along with that the clarity of his ideas. He also gets a very personal sound from his instrument. In addition, McCoy has an exceptionally well developed sense of form, both as a soloist and accompanist. Invariably, in our group, he will take a tune and build his own structure for it. He is always looking for the most personal way of expressing himself. And finally, McCoy has taste. He can take anything, no matter how weird, and make it sound beautiful.

Coltrane from the notes on his Inception lp.

calzino, Friday, 6 March 2020 20:51 (four years ago) link

Inception is the only one I own, bought at random. one of those record I'm always in the mood to listen to

Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 6 March 2020 20:53 (four years ago) link

I have this 3CD Mosaic box from 2007 that gathers up Expansions, Extensions (the one with Alice Coltrane), Asante and Cosmos. And then I have digital copies a bunch more. I interviewed him once, in 2008 or so, when he made the album Guitars; it was a very awkward encounter, because he really didn't like talking about his work. I went out of my way to not go the "so tell me about John Coltrane!" route, but he just wasn't into it.

but also fuck you (unperson), Friday, 6 March 2020 20:56 (four years ago) link

RIP

I love the front cover of Sahara, and the track Rebirth is as fire as anything he ever recorded:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oDoGMQMl77A&list=PL5A83E4A2F654F95B&index=5&t=0s

Ward Fowler, Friday, 6 March 2020 20:58 (four years ago) link

I love both his 60's and 70's period, not familiar with his 80's + beyond period, apart that rather lovely duo he did with Stephane Grappelli in '90.

calzino, Friday, 6 March 2020 21:01 (four years ago) link

oh boy

ymo sumac (NickB), Friday, 6 March 2020 21:02 (four years ago) link

Song of the New World as well, what an album.

calzino, Friday, 6 March 2020 21:06 (four years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWYWgda5f0I

seeing this performance of 'my favourite things' was such a mind-opener when i first encountered it - not just mccoy obv, but those rumbling clouds of sound were completely soul-stirring for me and the thing i think about most when i hear him play

ymo sumac (NickB), Friday, 6 March 2020 21:07 (four years ago) link

I found the story I wrote on him in 2009, based on the interview I mentioned above; here's a link for anyone interested.

but also fuck you (unperson), Friday, 6 March 2020 21:37 (four years ago) link

Damn, knew it was coming eventually. A force of nature, it's almost wild to think of him and Elvin in the same rhythm section, I wonder who pushed who further.

I went back through his records a few months ago now that they're all on Spotify (and used to be SO hard to find), so many underrated gems.

change display name (Jordan), Friday, 6 March 2020 21:40 (four years ago) link

Legend. You listen to a bit of jazz piano and McCoy Tyner definitely had a singular sound. That Coltrane quartet had such a sympathetic nature, there are moments where John leads and there were parts when Elvin pushed but how Tyner would react to Trane in how he placed those chords sometimes in accompaniment was literally the bit that seemed to take the intensity over the top and raise the hairs on the back of the neck for listeners on those sax solos. I suppose some of it is similar to those extended intervals that Bill Evans and other would use, but Tyner would have such a unique way of rhythmically playing those chords. I'd say how how soloed with chords is a big part of that unique sound.

I've not heard but a sliver of Tyner's total recorded output, but I got to figure anything he ever played upon is worth hearing.

earlnash, Friday, 6 March 2020 21:51 (four years ago) link

fucking Trident slays me every single time
Rip

valet doberman (Jon not Jon), Friday, 6 March 2020 21:55 (four years ago) link

Sama Layuca was another top album as well.

calzino, Friday, 6 March 2020 22:18 (four years ago) link

blasting Sama now!

I love his whole Milestone run, and so did Orrin Keepnews, who recorded MT more than anyone else. What a body of work.

justice 4 CCR (Sparkle Motion), Friday, 6 March 2020 22:38 (four years ago) link

farewell to the master, RIP

Brad C., Friday, 6 March 2020 23:01 (four years ago) link

the greatest — The Real McCoy is one of those front-to-back classic albums.

tylerw, Friday, 6 March 2020 23:15 (four years ago) link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqDhFyXAvlg
RIP

Bstep, Friday, 6 March 2020 23:27 (four years ago) link

Ah man, RIP. This version was my go-to McCoy jam when I first heard him in my twenties, kind of still is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xey_OHwO8s0

Worth noting from the comments:

Rayy‘s Musikladen
5 years ago
Most energetic version ever, featuring The Real McCoy with an epic piano solo and Alphonse's drum 'carpet' in best Elvin Jones tradition. What a pity that the latter switched to mediocre fusion music later on.

Alphonse Mouzon
4 years ago
+octopus34 Thanks so much - but I wouldn't call my 2011 Top Ten all-star straight-ahead jazz CD "ANGEL FACE" mediocre fusion http://www.tenaciousrecords.comAngel_Face.html or my classic jazz-fusion album/CD "MIND TRANSPLANT".

panic-buying the upmarket pasta (Matt #2), Friday, 6 March 2020 23:37 (four years ago) link

:(

RIP

romanesque architect (pomenitul), Saturday, 7 March 2020 10:28 (four years ago) link

Rest in peace. You gave us such beauty.

SQUIRREL MEAT!! (Capitaine Jay Vee), Sunday, 8 March 2020 00:48 (four years ago) link

alphonse is right, Mind Transplant is a ripper

justice 4 CCR (Sparkle Motion), Sunday, 8 March 2020 15:44 (four years ago) link

listening to enlightenment this morning and feeling like i'm at the center of an infinite spiral

mellon collie and the infinite bradness (BradNelson), Sunday, 8 March 2020 17:22 (four years ago) link

^This version particularly good. Nate Chinen embedded it in his obit here: https://www.npr.org/2020/03/06/812940062/mccoy-tyner-groundbreaking-pianist-of-20th-century-jazz-dies-at-81

Lipstick Traces (on a Cigarette Alone) (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 9 March 2020 03:50 (four years ago) link

Such beautiful music. 'Extensions' and 'Sahara' are probably my favourites, but I'd never listened to 'Enlightenment' till this morning so what do I know.

cooldix, Monday, 9 March 2020 08:40 (four years ago) link

one year passes...

Been digging into Tyner some lately and have spent some time with Atlantis — straight fire, like a damn freight train.

Was listening to Alice Coltrane's Huntington Ashram tonight, and some of the piano later on the album really reminded me of McCoy. Did they ever collaborate?

anecdotal certainly but not nothing (stevie), Sunday, 28 March 2021 19:45 (three years ago) link

Yeah; she's on his album Extensions.

but also fuck you (unperson), Sunday, 28 March 2021 21:03 (three years ago) link

Ah! I only have mp3s of that one [and thus no sleevenotes] but it's one of my favourites of his

anecdotal certainly but not nothing (stevie), Sunday, 28 March 2021 22:15 (three years ago) link

Love this set, for the music, but also for the audience shots of blissed out mid-70s Europeans.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrZkbSeyF6M

Citole Country (bendy), Friday, 2 April 2021 17:13 (three years ago) link

Amazing - thanks for sharing

anecdotal certainly but not nothing (stevie), Friday, 2 April 2021 17:55 (three years ago) link

three months pass...

RIP Juini Booth.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1P7mPNvwMYM

Planck Generation (James Redd and the Blecchs), Monday, 12 July 2021 18:46 (two years ago) link

RIP, but also yes, I love this particular band and it's great to see what Alphonse Mouzon is actually doing. Those 90' cymbals and perfectly flat drums!

change display name (Jordan), Monday, 12 July 2021 21:55 (two years ago) link


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