by rick grant rickgrant01@comcast.net
McCoy Tyner is to jazz what Picasso was to art, in that Tyner paints abstract musical structures which are related to the motif, (theme). He forms all dimensions of the work, taking his intelligently developed spontaneous compositions into cosmic realms of unexplored ideas. Indeed, at 69, Tyner is the master of piano jazz, having played with John Coltrane at the peak of his creative genius. With Coltrane, Tyner laid down a vast variety of driving chordal structures on which Trane could improvise on tenor saxophone, taking the music into a new journey of discovery.
At Tyner’s Florida Theater performance, with Gerald Cannon on bass and Eric Kamau Gravatt on drums, I allowed Tyner’s improvisations to take me on a trip into a higher consciousness. I was mesmerized by his playing, which has never wavered from his early years. He is still the most exciting piano jazz artist on the planet.
Whether Tyner is caressing the melody of the Beatles’ ‘She’s Leaving Home’ or going way outside on ‘Passion Dance,’ he invents incredible ways to transition into higher figures without losing track of the melody. In some cases, there maybe only one or two notes left of the theme, but he has constructed an abstract towering musical edifice that could be compared to the most modern architecture, if viewed in three dimensions.
Amazingly, Tyner can play with wild abandon then with great restraint on songs like ‘What the World Needs Now’–always building new musical structures from the theme’s foundation. The song will move from the pop melody to the shuffle time be-bop rhythm, then on to surprisingly new rhythmic ideas.
Going back in time, at 17, Tyner began a life-changing relationship with Miles Davis and John Coltrane. Tyner joined Coltrane for his classic album My Favorite Things in 1960, along with Elvin Jones on bass and Jimmy Garrison on drums. Tyner stayed with Trane through his most productive years and Trane’s most famous recording, A Love Supreme.
After over five years with Coltrane, in 1965, Tyner left the group to explore music as a composer and bandleader. Tyner’s coming out project is still a classic album The Real McCoy on which he was joined by Joe Henderson on saxophone, Ron Carter on bass, Elvin Jones on drums.
Interestingly, Tyner’s 1972 Grammy nominated album Sahara set new standards for Tyner’s ascension as a respected composer and incomparable improviser. In the late 1980s, Tyner toured with his trio featuring Avery Sharpe on bass and Aarron Scott on drums. In 1996, Tyner recorded a special album with the music of Burt Bacharach. By 1998, Tyner changed labels again, recording Latin music featuring Stanley Clarke on Telarc.
As Tyner moves forward with his music, he is always absorbing new musical ideas and writing creative compositions. Today, after recording 80 albums, earning four Grammys and being enshrined as Jazz Master from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002, Tyner is an American treasure.
Over the years, I’ve witnessed McCoy Tyner play in NYC at the Village Vanguard and the Bitter End back in the early 1970s. It was a real honor for me to again be taken on Tyner’s magical mystery ride to exciting musical places that only Tyner can visit. He is a spaceship from which one can touch the stars.
Frankly, Tyner’s Florida Theater show was over too quickly. He played for over an hour but it seemed to fly by, like being caught in a dust devil of swirling musical creativity and then, suddenly, its gone. Yes, for me, Tyner’s show was a peak experience. He is the Man.
|
