McCoy Tyner is one of the most influential pianist in Jazz to emerge post 1959. He developed a unique voice on the instrument developing a new vocabulary for pianist with his use of pentatonic scales and chord voicings based on fourth intervals. Between 1962 and 2000, he made a record 33 out of those 39 years, totaling at least 68 total albums. At least 5 have been recorded in the 21st century. And that’s with him as a leader! McCoy is on over a hundred other albums with some of the most famous names in jazz. He is one of the most successful and influential jazz musicians to emerge after 1959.
McCoy’s birthday was a few days ago, he turned 76. A rather important recording which featured McCoy on piano also had a 50th anniversary this week.
McCoy Tyner, among his many other accomplishments, also happened to have been John Coltrane’s pianist for several years. A Love Supreme is 50 years old this past week.
Please enter through the orange squiggle and join me for some serious sh*t…
Killer Joe
Greetings and welcome to my Sunday night Jazz bloggings. I try to publish a diary on Jazz and related genres every Sunday around 10pm EST. Its been quite a week in Jazz history. “A Love Supreme” was recorded 50 years ago on December 9th. Today, the 14th, is Phineas Newborn Jr.’s birthday. Friday was the birthday of Tony Williams and Frank Sinatra. I’m not opposed to doing a Sinatra diary, but last week I did Christmas songs and the week before was Billie Holliday. I wanted to hear some more intense music today. And McCoy Tyner turned 76 on Thursday.
McCoy Tyner, born December 11, 1938, in Philadelphia. Official website. When he was 17 he met a young John Coltrane while John was in Miles' band. This would be 1956. For the next four years, John would often come and do local gigs in Philly when he was “off” from Miles or Monk or recording in NYC. McCoy's earliest recordings are with The Jazztet as well as with Curtis Fulller and Roy Haynes.
The first recording of Benny Golson and Art Farmer's Jazztet featured McCoy on paino and provided the “hit” I posted above, Killer Joe. Here’s “I’ll Remember Clifford”….for which I think this is perhaps the 6th different version I’ve posted over the last 10 months.
John left Miles in 1960 and put together his own band. This group includes both McCoy and Elvin Jones.
But in the 60s, McCoy also records with some of the best known names in jazz.
He records with Freddie Hubbard
1960 I Wish I Knew. You can hear the McCoy style in its early form on the intro especially
1961’s Birdlike
But of course in 1961 and 62, McCoy is busy with Coltrane!
Aisha, written by McCoy and named for his wife. I know very little about McCoy’s personal life, except for an interesting bit I’ll reveal at the end.
Softly as in a Morning Sunrise
“Softly” is a modal classic….even though it was not written as a modal tune. In the 80s and 90s I saw McCoy perform often. A friend described what it was like watching him play “Softly”: “Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy shit! Holy Shit! Bridge! Holy Shit! Holy Shit!” McCoy’s playing is not the soft subtlety of Bill Evans or Keith Jarett. It is not quite as cerebral as Herbie Hancock. McCoy is power. McCoy takes up space and fills a room.
In 1962 begins to record a series of albums for the Impulse label, which is also Coltrane’s label.
There is no Greater Love, from 1962’s Inception
1963’s “Reaching Forth”-- Old devil moon
1965’s McCoy plays Ellington. Duke’s Place (which sounds conspicuously like “C Jam Blues”)
McCoy records as a sideman for Blue Note during this time. On some classic recordings by Joe Henderson and on the front cover he is listed as “etc.” in order to comply with his Impulse contract.
Recorda Me – From Page One 1963
Isotope from Inner Urge 1964
He records with Freddie some more, Wayne Shorter.
From Juju—Deluge
He makes five albums with Stanley Turrentine.
Sunny
And he makes a really excellent record with Art Blakey and Sonny Stitt in 1964
Summertime
All the while making things like this….
Impressions
And even this...
Om (recorded 1965 released in 68)….careful, this one is not for the close minded. It might frighten you, it might annoy you, it might make you angry, or it might cause you to sit still and listen intently for the next half hour in a cosmic transcendental euphoric state of wonder and excitement. These are professionals, you should not try this at home.
I know that one is far more about Coltrane than McCoy. But when Trane comes to this place, McCoy moves down a different path. Well, perhaps we could say that when John Coltrane makes statements like this, the world began down a different path. But that is a discussion for another day.
However, the African and Eastern musical influence we hear on these recordings by Coltrane stay with McCoy. He ends his musical relationship with John Coltrane at the end of 1965. So did his record deal Impulse. He continues to record as a sideman for blue note in the later 60s, appearing on recordings by Lee Morgan, Hank Mobley, Lou Donaldson, Bobby Hutcherson and others. And in 1967 he releases the first of seven records he made as a leader for Blue Note. The Real McCoy.
Passion Dance—Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones
The solo is very indicative of McCoy’s style. McCoy plays with two hands (meaning his technique involves doing more with two hands than just playing chords with the left to support what he is doing with the right). McCoy can play loud. That comes from spending 9 years backing up John Coltrane and being onstage with Elvin Jones. But McCoy’s style can compete with the volume of guitars and electric basses and modern drums.
The piano solo is so classic…..here’s the transcript to read along while you listen….
McCoy makes a few other recordings for Blue Note as the 60s end, but I don’t believe they sell well. They are, however, all very good.
1967’s Tender Moments—Mode for John
1968’s Time for Tyner—African Village
1968’s Expansions—Song of Happiness
McCoy’s relationship with Bluenote ends in 1970. The only record to come out in 1971 with him on it was a Coltrane release, Son Ship, recorded in 65. But in 1972, when most jazz is now fusion and hard bop’s commercial viability was at an all-time low, McCoy begins to record for Milestone records and releases two albums nearly every year through 1979. And he never once records with a Rhodes or a Minimoog.
Sahara is the first one and is often said to be McCoy’s best. McCoy plays koto and flute on the recording and he uses many different Eastern elements in the music.
Valley of Life
Ebony Queen
1973’s (recorded live in 72) Echoes of a Friend. Dedicated to John. Naima
Live 1973
1975’s Live album, Atlantis
Makin Out
1974 live "In a Sentimental Mood"
1975’s Trident. This is really his first trio album since the mid 60s. It also features McCoy playing celeste and harpsichord. It sold 100,000 copies and was nominated for two Grammy awards.
Celestial Chant
Ruby My Dear
Dig this clip…..1975 Downbeat Poll winners playing “Work Song” in memory of Cannonball Adderley, who died that year.
From 1977’s “Supertrios”—I Mean You
From 1978’s “The Greeting”--Fly with the wind
In the late 70s, McCoy tours with Sonny Rollins in a “Milestones All Stars” tour.
McCoy continues to explore not just percussion and larger ensembles, but adds strings to some recordings and voices to others. I don’t know these records but I have listened to some. I would have made different choices in the production and mix and many felt the voices were unnecessary. But McCoy continued to try and explore things without ever “plugging in” or playing music directly influenced by rock or funk.
Actually I see that there are some people playing synths on some of his last 70s records (and sometimes the bass is electric once we get into the 70s and this continues into the 21st century). The music is also “So-so”. In 1981 McCoy begins to record for several record labels, doing things for Columbia, Blue Note, Telarc, more with Milestone, and others. Some of these recordings in the early 80s (and late 70s) do not rank with his best work. The record he made with Jackie McClean for Bluenote during the label’s mid-1980s resurgence is not nearly as good as you would hope it would be. But the man who played piano on “My Favorite Things” can’t be held down.
In the 80s McCoy Tyner formed his long standing trio with Avery Sharpe and Aaron Scott. Louis Hayes played drums in this trio for a few years before Scott. Technically this group is still together, though I believe Charnette Moffet is the current official bass player. I had the privilege to see this trio perform several times in Manhattan in the 80s. I think every time was at the now defunct “Sweet Basil’s” in Greenwich Village.
I can’t find any youtube clips of the trio at sweet basils in the 80s nor from their later 80s "live at sweet basil’s" release (there is another from about 1991). But here they are in the studio with Satin Doll circa 1987.
And here they are live in Germany in 86
In 1987, 20 years after his passing, McCoy Makes a record with Pharaoh Sanders, David Murray, Cecil McBee and Roy Haynes dedicated to the memory of John Coltrane. It received a Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance in 1988.
Surprisingly, I can’t find many clips from this album on youtube. This one is called “Last of the Hipmen”
McCoy also explores running his own big band in the 80s and 90s.
Live at Sweet Basils 1991 release--Don’t get around much anymore
Live in 1991 in Warsaw playing solo piano on Trane’s “Giant Steps”
McCoy has continued to perform and record music in a similar vein for the last 23 years. And he often will give nods back to Coltrane.
Released 2001 of 1997 performances, Trane’s “After the Rain”.
Recorded mostly in 1998, McCoy makes a full blown Latin Jazz recording. Afroblue….
2005’s “illuminations” won the 2005 Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance. (er…..your illustrious diarist was on a CD nominated for a Grammy in 2005 in the Latin Jazz category called “Bebop Timba” by my good friend Raphael Cruz. We lost to Charlie Haden.)
Live in 2011
Live with Ravi Coltrane, John’s son
And here is the most recent live clip I could find (and be confident of the year). 2013.
At 76, McCoy is going strong. As far as living legends go, maybe he isn’t as famous as Sonny Rollins or Ornette Coleman. He never played with the Stones or Jerry Garcia either. But of course his career trumps almost all others, if only because of his time with Coltrane. If you know jazz, you know who McCoy Tyner is.
Also it’s worth noting the confluence of African-American intellectual activity around McCoy. Aside from the fact that his music, and Coltrane’s, is highly advanced and both rich in musical technicality and emotionality…heck some of it is among the greatest and most advanced recorded music of the post-World War II period…there are a few other connections.
McCoy’s brother Jarvis is currently the Executive Vice President of the Communist Party in the United States. Jarvis was the vice presidential candidate for the Communist Party in the 72 and 76 elections. I’ve never met Jarvis, but I’ve met his former wife. In fact much of my academic perspective has been shaped by her, Professor Leith Mullings. Dr. Mullings is one of the most significant living Urban Anthropologist and, as a graduate student at the CUNY Graduate Center, I had the opportunity to take courses with her. Through Professor Mullings I have had the opportunity to meet Michael Eric Dyson(twice!) and her late 2nd husband, Historian/Columbia University Professor Manning Marable. I think this is important to note as it shows some of the fluidity and interconnections between art and social theory and politics….and in this case all among African-Americans.
Black lives do f*cking matter a lot. And when we ignore the history of Jazz and the intelligence, creativity, and success of the musicians...I fear we are also denying other aspects of the intellectual history of African-Americans in the United States and their contributions to scholarly and popular thought. We make a big deal in academia when we find connections between the Bourdieu's and Foulcault's and Habermas's and their contemporaries in the (European) art and architectural world. Well, the folks involved in producing "A Love Supreme" connect to other high level thinkers and social theorists too.
Thanks for listening everyone. Please be sure to support your local jazz musicians and all local live music and art. See ya next week!
Happy birthday Mr. Tyner. And rest in peace John.