Archive for the ‘McCoy Tyner’ Category
Joe Henderson: Page One (1963 – APO)
This 1963 session was Henderson’s debut as a leader, and it introduced a strikingly individualistic tenor saxophonist, with a distinctively muscular sound and approach, as well as a talent for finding a personal route through the dominant tenor styles of Sonny Rollins and John Coltrane. At the time of the session, Henderson worked regularly in a quintet with the veteran trumpeter Kenny Dorham, and the two enjoyed a special chemistry apparent on several Blue Note recordings under their individual names. One unusual facet is the hard-bop take on the then emerging bossa nova, apparent in the first recording of Dorham’s now standard “Blue Bossa,” on which Henderson’s thoughtful construction is apparent, and the saxophonist’s own coiling Latin tune, “Recorda Me.” Pianist McCoy Tyner, bassist Butch Warren, and drummer Pete LaRoca provide more than solid support for a date that’s as often reflective as it is forceful.
Stuart Broomer (Jazz Critic)
Recorded at the Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey on June 3, 1963. Originally released on Blue Note (84140). Includes liner notes by Kenny Dorham and Bob Blumenthal.
Original Release Date: June 3, 1963 – Label: APO
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Michael Brecker: Tales from the Hudson (1996 – Grp Records)
In the crowded field of excellent tenor players, Michael Brecker rises to the top of my list. I think the thing that gives Brecker an edge over the others is the fact that he is a master of so many genres of jazz. Many people are no doubt familiar with the electric, funky side of Michael Brecker as the co-leader of the Brecker Brothers and former member of Steps Ahead. He has done significant pop dates with Paul Simon, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell. One could easily fill a CD collection with albums on which he has performed as a sideman in many jazz contexts.
Yet this is only his fourth CD as a leader. All of them have been in the modern, progressive, straight-ahead jazz vein. This one is, to my ears, his most successful outing yet. I think the difference is that this one is a little less “progressive” or “outside.” The melodies here are a little more accessible and memorable, yet the soloing is just as creative and adventuresome as we have come to expect from Brecker and the other jazz luminaries on this CD. The top-notch team of sidemen here are Pat Metheny on guitar, Jack DeJohnette on drums, Dave Holland on bass, and Joey Calderazzo on piano. Pianist McCoy Tyner and percussionist Don Alias are added on two tunes.
Six of the nine compositions are Brecker’s. They are varied, thoughtful, and provide great vehicles for improvisation. Metheny contributes “Bilbao” from his Travels album, Calderazzo contributes a medium tempo swinger, and “Willie T.” comes from the late pianist Don Grolnick, who produced Brecker’s first two solo albums and performed with Brecker frequently.
I would especially recommend this album to those who have come to jazz through the “new adult comtemporary” door and are ready to take the next step towards discovering what real jazz is all about.
Dave Hughes (All About Jazz)
1. Slings and Arrows
2. Midnight Voyage
3. Song for Bilbao
4. Beau Rivage
5. African Skies
6. Introduction to Naked Soul
7. Naked Soul
8. Willie T.
9. Cabin Fever
Personnel:
Michael Brecker (tenor saxophone)
Joey Calderazzo, McCoy Tyner (piano)
Pat Metheny (guitar)
Dave Holland (bass)
Jack DeJohnette (drums)
Don Alias (percussion)
Original Release Date: September 10, 1996 – Label: Grp Records
Recorded at the Power Station, New York
Mccoy Tyner: Enlightenment (1973 – Milestone)
Enlightenment — a recording of Tyner’s July 7, 1973 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival — can be viewed as a culmination of the heavy, deep style that Tyner had been developing since 1971’s Sahara. The photo of a sweaty, drained-looking Tyner on the cover sums up the content of this album pretty well — it’s an intense 70 minutes without a lot of variation in terms of tempo or mood (though Booth’s sublime bass solo that opens “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit” should not go unmentioned). Listeners without much exposure to Tyner’s music might find the album exhausting to absorb in one sitting, but fans will likely love it. It’s a great album that ranks among Tyner’s best.
With Tyner’s band trimmed down to a quartet, Enlightenment is the first chance that listeners got to hear newcomers Azar Lawrence and Joony Booth in an uncluttered setting — the sax player and bassist had made their recorded debut with Tyner on Song of the New World, which featured large ensembles. Lawrence is unabashed in his Coltrane-derived mannerisms, but the style and weight of the music suit it. Booth’s playing is a bit thicker and funkier than what Calvin Hill had been doing, though more traditional and less independent. Nevertheless, this was a fine band for Tyner, as this excellent live performance demonstrates. There really isn’t anything here that I would call a breakthrough, but I think that all of it qualifies as a top-notch example of Tyner’s music at its early-’70s best. Highlights include Tyner’s virtuosic soloing on “Presence,” the percussion on “Nebula” and the whole of the mammoth “Walk, Spirit, Talk Spirit”
Review by Matt P (Ground & Sky)
1. Presenting The Mccoy Tyner Quartet
2. Enlightenment Suite, Part 1: Genesis
3. Enlightenment Suite, Part 2: The Offering
4. Enlightenment Suite, Part 3: Inner Glimpse
5. Presence
6. Nebula
7. Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit
Personnel:
McCoy Tyner: (piano, percussion)
Alphonse Mouzon: (drums)
Recorded at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Switzerland, on July 7, 1973.
Original Release Date: July 7, 1973 – Label: Milestone
Bobby Hutcherson: Stick-Up! (1966 – Blue Note)
One of Bobby Hutcherson’s best albums, Stick-Up! was also his first official release not to feature drummer Joe Chambers, who was a major part of Hutcherson’s outside leanings. Instead, Stick-Up! stakes out the middle ground between hard bop and the avant-garde, offering a set of structured yet advanced modal pieces indebted particularly to Coltrane. Hutcherson’s originals (five out of six selections) show him at the top of his game as a composer, and the ensemble’s playing is tight and focused throughout, but what really lifts Stick-Up! to the top tier of Hutcherson’s discography is its crackling energy. It’s quite possibly the hardest-swinging album he ever cut, and part of the credit has to go to the stellar rhythm section of McCoy Tyner on piano, Herbie Lewis on bass, and Billy Higgins on drums, who lay down a driving, pulsating foundation that really pushes Hutcherson and tenorist Joe Henderson. Tyner in particular is a standout, charging relentlessly forward on the intricate “8/4 Beat” and “Black Circle” and lending a Coltrane-ish flavor to the spiritually searching “Verse.” The lone non-Hutcherson piece, Ornette Coleman’s sometimes overlooked “Una Muy Bonita,” is given a fantastic, rollicking treatment as catchy as it is progressive, proving that the piece is a classic regardless of whether it’s interpreted freely or with a steady groove and tonal center. Hutcherson’s originals are uniformly strong and memorable enough to sit very well next to it, and that — coupled with the energetic performances — ranks Stick-Up! with Dialogue and Components as the finest work of Hutcherson’s tenure at Blue Note.
Steve Huey, All Music Guide
2. 8/4 Beat
3. Summer Nights
4. Black Circle
5. Verse
6. Blues Mind Matte
Bobby Hutcherson (Vibraphone & Marimba)
Joe Henderson (Tenor Sax )
Billy Higgins (Drums)
Across Rhythm 