McCoy Tyner

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McCoy Tyner
McCoy Tyner in 1973 Background information Birth name McCoy Tyner Born December 11th, 1938Origin Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Genre(s)Hard bop
Modern Creative
Afro-Cuban jazz
Modal jazz
Mainstream jazz
Post bopOccupation(s) Musician, Soloist, Composer, Band Leader Instrument(s)PianoYears active 46 Label(s)Telarc, Impulse!, Blue NoteAssociated acts John ColtraneWebsite http://mccoytyner.com/bio.shtml

Alfred McCoy Tyner (born 11 December 1938) is a jazz pianist from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for his work with the John Coltrane Quartet and a long solo career.[1]

1 Biography
2 Personal life
3 Discography
- 3.1 As leader
- 3.2 As a sideman
4 References
5 External links

Biography

Early life

Tyner was born in Philadelphia as the oldest of three children. He was encouraged to study piano by his mother. He finally began studying the piano at age 13 and within two years, music had become the focal point in his life. His early influences included Bud Powell, a Philadelphia neighbor. Among many other things, Tyner's playing can be distinguished by a low bass left hand, in which he tends to raise his arm relatively high above the keyboard for an emphatic attack, creating at times a veritable tsunami of sound. Tyner's unique right hand soloing is recognizable for a detached, or staccato quality, and descending arpeggios, both of a triadic shape and in other patterns. His unique approach to chord voicing (most characteristically by fourths) has influenced a wide array of contemporary jazz pianists.

Early career

Tyner's first main exposure came with Benny Golson being the first pianist in Golson's and Art Farmer's legendary Jazztet (1960). After departing the Jazztet, Tyner joined Coltrane's group in 1960. (Coltrane had known Tyner for a while, and featured one of the pianist's compositions, "The Believer", as early as 1958.) He appeared on the saxophonist's popular recording of "My Favorite Things" for Atlantic Records. The Coltrane Quartet, which consisted of Coltrane on tenor sax, Tyner, Jimmy Garrison on bass, and Elvin Jones on drums, toured almost non-stop between 1961 and 1965 and recorded a number of classic albums, including Live at the Village Vanguard, Ballads, Live at Birdland, Crescent, A Love Supreme, and The John Coltrane Quartet Plays ..., on the Impulse! label.

Tyner has recorded a number of highly influential albums in his own right. While in Coltrane's group, he recorded a series of important albums (primarily in the piano trio format) for Impulse! Records, starting with the fleet-fingered Inception (1962), which showcases Tyner's work as a composer.

The pianist also appeared as a sideman in many of the highly acclaimed Blue Note Records albums of the 1960s.

Post-Coltrane

After leaving Coltrane's group, Tyner began a series of post-bop albums released on Blue Note Records, in the 1967–1970 time frame (The Real McCoy, 1967; Tender Moments, 1967; Expansions, 1968; Extensions, 1970). Soon thereafter he moved to the Milestone label and recorded many influential albums, including Sahara (1972), Enlightenment (1973), and Fly With The Wind (1976), which featured flautist Hubert Laws, drummer Billy Cobham, and a string orchestra. His music for Blue Note and Milestone often took the Coltrane quartet's music as a point of departure and also incorporated African and East Asian musical elements. On Sahara, for instance, Tyner plays koto, in addition to piano, flute, and percussion. These albums are often cited as examples of vital, innovative jazz from the 1970s that was neither fusion nor free jazz. Trident (1975) is notable for featuring Tyner on harpsichord (rarely heard in jazz) and celeste, in addition to his primary instrument, piano. Often cited as a major influence on younger jazz musicians, Tyner still records and tours regularly and played from the 1980s through '90s with a trio that included Avery Sharpe on bass and Aaron Scott on drums. He made a trio of mature yet vibrant solo recordings for Blue Note, starting with Revelations (1988) and culminating with Soliloquy (1991). Today Tyner records for the Telarc label and has been playing with different trios, the most recent of which includes Charnett Moffett on bass and Eric Harland on drums.

Personal life

Tyner was a Sunni Muslim for a period of time beginning at the age of eighteen. His Muslim name was Sulaimon Saud. Today Tyner does not practice a specific religion.[citation needed]

McCoy Tyner was also married at one time and has three sons. His brother, Jarvis Tyner, is a high official in the leadership of the American Communist Party. McCoy, however, is not a pronounced advocate of any political ideology.[citation needed]

Discography

As leader

Inception - 1962 - Impulse!
Great Moments with Mccoy Tyner - 1962 - Impulse!
Nights of Ballads and Blues - 1963 - Impulse!
Today and Tomorrow - 1963 - Impulse!
Live at Newport - 1963 - Impulse!
Reaching Fourth - 1963 - Impulse!
McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington - 1964 - Impulse!
The Real McCoy - 1967 - Blue Note
Tender Moments - 1967 - Blue Note
Time for Tyner - 1968 - Blue Note
Expansions - 1968 - Blue Note
Cosmos - 1969 - Blue Note
Extensions - 1970 - Blue Note
Asante - 1970 - Blue Note
Sahara - 1972 - Milestone/OJC
Song for My Lady - 1972 - Milestone/OJC
Echoes of a Friend - 1972 - Milestone/OJC
Song of the New World - 1973 - Milestone/OJC
Enlightenment - 1973 - Milestone/OJC
Sama Layuca - 1974 - Milestone/OJC
Atlantis - 1974 - Milestone/OJC
Trident - 1975 - Milestone/OJC
Fly with the Wind - 1976 - Milestone/OJC
Focal Point - 1976 - Milestone
Four Times Four - 1976 - Milestone
Supertrios - 1977 - Milestone
Inner Voices - 1977 - Milestone
The Greeting - 1978 - Milestone
Passion Dance - 1978 - Milestone
Together - 1978 - Milestone
Horizon - 1979 - Milestone
4 X 4 - 1980 - Milestone
13th House - 1981 - Milestone
La Leyenda de La Hora - 1982 - Columbia
Looking Out - 1982 - Columbia
Dimensions - 1984 - Elektra
It's About Time - 1985 - Blue Note
Double Trios - 1986 - Denon
Bon Voyage - 1987 - Timeless
Tribute to John Coltrane - 1987 - Impulse!
Live at the Musicians Exchange Cafe - 1987 - Who's Who In Jazz
What's New? - 1987 - WestWind
Revelations - 1988 - Blue Note
Uptown/Downtown - 1988 - Milestone
Live at Sweet Basil, Vol. 1 - 1989 - KING Records
Live at Sweet Basil, Vol. 2 - 1989 - KING Records
Things Ain't What They Used to Be - 1989 - Blue Note
Soliloquy - 1991 - Blue Note
Remembering John - 1991 - Enja
New York Reunion - 1991 - Chesky
44th Street Suite - 1991 - Red Baron
Key of Soul - 1991 - Sweet Basil
The Turning Point - 1991 - Verve
Just Feelin' - 1991 - Palo Alto
Hot Licks: Giant Steps - 1993 - Sound Solutions
Journey - 1993 - Verve
Manhattan Moods - 1993 - Blue Note
Solar: McCoy Tyner Trio Live at Sweet Basil - 1993 - Compose
Prelude and Sonata - 1994 - Milestone
Infinity - 1995 - Impulse!
Live in Warsaw - 1995 - Who's Who In Jazz
Autumn Mood - 1997 - Delta
What the World Needs Now: The Music of Burt Bacharach - 1997 - GRP
McCoy Tyner & the Latin All-Stars - 1999 - Telarc
McCoy Tyner with Stanley Clarke & Al Foster - 2000 - Telarc
Immortal Concerts: Beautiful Love - 2000 - Giants of Jazz
At the Warsaw Jamboree - 2000 - Starburst
Jazz Roots: McCoy Tyner Honors Jazz Piano Legends of the 20th Century - 2000 - Telarc
McCoy Tyner Plays John Coltrane: Live at the Village Vanguard - 2001 - Impulse!
Live in Warsaw: Lady From Caracas - 2001 - TIM
Port au Blues - 2002 - Past Perfect
Suddenly - 2002 - Past Perfect
Land of Giants - 2003 - Telarc
Hip Toe: Live at the Musicians Exchange Cafe 1987 - 2004 - Universe
Modern Jazz Archive [live] - 2004 - Membran International
Illuminations - 2004 - Telarc
Counterpoints: Live in Tokyo - 2004 - Milestone
Warsaw Concert 1991 - 2004 - Fresh Sounds
Sahara - 2006 - Mobile Fidelity (SACD reissue)
Quartet - 2007 - McCoy Tyner Music
Afro Blue - 13 November, 2007 - Telarc