“Bud Powell and Thelonious Monk were my two major influences, but I never made it a point to try to copy somebody,” jazz pianist McCoy Tyner advised this author in 2008. “I had some ideas of my own that I wanted to explore.” Starting his profession in 1960, Tyner underwent an exhilarating musical journey that noticed him begin out with the late, nice John Coltrane, enjoying on a few of the saxophonist’s most well-known albums, together with the enduring A Love Supreme. “I learned so much from John just listening and being supportive,” remembered Tyner, who died on March 6, 2020. “He would go some places harmonically, and then I would say, OK, now I’ve got to play something that works against a sequence of things he was doing. And I think because he liked to experiment it helped me a lot.” Experiences like this infused the most effective McCoy Tyner albums, because the pianist explored his personal inventive paths.
After Coltrane’s dying, in 1967, Tyner’s solo profession gathered larger momentum. Recording first for Blue Observe earlier than switching to Milestone Data within the 70s, the place he spent an extended and fruitful interval, Tyner cast an attacking, virtually percussive model distinguished by his use of chords with outstanding fourths.
Although considered an influential exponent of modal and non secular jazz, Tyner by no means forgot jazz’s earthier facet and blues roots. “Music is just a reflection of you and whatever you are,” he as soon as mentioned. “It comes out in your music.”
Reflecting the pianist’s work as a sideman and bandleader in his personal proper, these are the 20 greatest McCoy Tyner albums. Assume we’ve missed any? Tell us within the feedback part, beneath.
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20: Reside At Newport (Impulse!, 1964)
Although not as cathartically intense because the pianist’s potent 70s dwell albums, Enlightenment and Atlantis, this onstage snapshot of Tyner and his band, captured on the Newport Jazz Competition on July 5, 1973, affords an in-concert summation of his early solo years. “Newport Romp,” specifically written for the competition, is a jaunty, joyous piece of exhausting bop that includes saxophonist Charlie Mariano and trumpeter Clark Terry. Notable, too, is “Monk’s Blues,” a swinging tribute to jazz iconoclast Thelonious Monk.
Important monitor: “Monk’s Blues”
19: The Turning Level (Verve/Birdology, 1992)
In November 1991, Tyner, then 52, assembled a 15-piece large band, which supplied dynamic reworkings of three of his signature songs (“Passion Dance,” “High Priest,” and “Fly With The Wind”) alongside three tastefully-executed jazz requirements. The preparations are deft and ingenious, and Tyner, attacking his piano with venom, greater than holds his personal towards the horns and woodwind. Of the requirements, a fragile rendition of “Angel Eyes” stands out.
Important monitor: “Passion Dance”
18: Echoes Of A Good friend (Milestone, 1973)
Recorded in Tokyo and launched through the Victor firm in Japan earlier than being issued by Milestone within the US, Echoes Of A Good friend is a set of unaccompanied Coltrane-inspired piano music. An intimate solo recording, the album consists of ornate, closely embroidered variations of Coltrane’s “Naima,” “The Promise” and “My Favorite Things.” The report’s again cowl confirmed an image of Tyner and Coltrane collectively, accompanied by the phrases: “This is a dedication to a man, a friend, and a teacher – John Coltrane. Many are called, but few are chosen.”
Important monitor: “Naima”
17: Right this moment & Tomorrow (Impulse!, 1964)
Tyner’s fourth outing for Impulse! put him within the studio with fellow Coltrane quartet members, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, together with a three-horn frontline (John Gilmore, Frank Strozier, and Thad Jones). A strong assortment of exhausting bop and modal jazz, Tyner was solely 24 when he recorded the album, however he was already displaying a maturity and sense of imaginative and prescient past his years.
Important monitor: “Contemporary Focus”
16: Reaching Fourth (Impulse!, 1963)
This album, the second of Tyner’s profession, launched when he was 24 years previous, is a rewarding trio session that includes bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Roy Haynes. The three musicians gel telepathically on two unique tunes and three requirements; standouts embody the turbo-charged title music, the swinging “Old Devil Moon” and “Blues Back,” which begins as an after-hours ballad earlier than evolving right into a driving piece peppered with pungent piano solos.
Important monitor: “Blues Back”
15: Fly With The Wind (Milestone, 1976)
Tyner used a bigger compositional canvas for this formidable challenge, on which he organized 4 unique tunes in addition to one commonplace (“You Stepped Out Of A Dream”) for an orchestra carried out by William Fischer. Flautist Hubert Legal guidelines additionally company, including ornamental touches to Tyner’s materials, which ranges from cinematic tone poems (the title monitor) to Latin music extravaganzas (“Salvadore De Samba”), delicate ballads (“Beyond The Sun”), and frenetic uptempo items (“Rolem”). Drummer Billy Cobham and bassist Ron Carter supply sterling assist all through.
Important monitor: “Fly With The Wind”
14: Sahara (Milestone, 1972)
Tyner’s first album for producer Orrin Keepnews’ Milestone label was this barnstormer, a quartet session that additionally discovered the pianist dabbling with the flute, koto (a Japanese stringed instrument), and percussion. The opener, “Ebony Queen” is a searing modal tone poem that includes incendiary sax work by Sonny Fortune, whereas “A Prayer For My Family,” with its cascading piano runs, reveals Tyner’s dazzling keyboard pyrotechnics.
Important monitor: “Ebony Queen”
13: Horizon (Milestone, 1980)
Tyner led a seven-piece band on this album, which included violinist John Blake, whose distinctive sound graced 4 of Horizon’s 5 tracks. Blake additionally contributed two tracks, the achingly lovely ballad “Woman Of Tomorrow” and the extra explorative modal piece “Motherland,” however the album’s cornerstone is Tyner’s self-written title monitor, a Latin-inflected 12-minute piece boasting a memorable important theme and beautiful improv by Tyner, Blake and soprano saxophonist Joe Ford.
Important monitor: “Horizon”
12: Extensions (Blue Observe, 1973)
Recorded in 1970 however shelved till 1973, by which period Tyner had left Blue Observe for Milestone, Extensions finds Tyner in stellar firm mining a deep non secular jazz vibe. Alice Coltrane company on harp on three of the album’s 4 modal-flavored songs, augmented by a quintet that features jazz luminaries Wayne Shorter, Gary Bartz, Ron Carter, and Elvin Jones. Tyner’s penchant for the blues is mirrored by the astringent “Survival Blues,” which highlights the pianist’s knack for percussive textures.
Important monitor: “Message From The Nile”
11: Trident (Milestone, 1976)
Although accompanied solely by bassist Ron Carter and drummer Elvin Jones, Trident isn’t a traditional trio album. That’s as a result of Tyner performs harpsichord and celesta on some tracks, imbuing the report with distinctive sonic properties. He pays homage to Coltrane by together with a flamable model of the saxophonist’s “Impressions”; Thelonious Monk’s genius is acknowledged with a pleasant rendition of “Ruby, My Dear”; Tyner’s dynamic drummer impressed the music “Elvin (Sir) Jones.”
Important monitor: “Celestial Chant”
10: Infinity (Impulse!, 1995)
Tyner rejoined a rejuvenated Impulse! label in 1995 for this beautiful album, on which tenor saxophonist Michael Brecker joins him and his then highway trio (bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Aaron Scott). Infinity’s centerpiece is a blistering 11-minute model of Coltrane’s “Impressions,” which finds Brecker blowing his instrument with ferocity. He impresses, too, on the mellow opener, “Flying High,” and the uplifting and anthemic “Changes.” One in all Tyner’s greatest late-phase albums.
Important monitor: “Impressions”
9: My Favourite Issues (with John Coltrane; Atlantic, 1961)
The best way Coltrane remodeled a quantity from the Broadway musical The Sound Of Music right into a waltz-time manifesto for modal jazz was notable for its use of the then not often heard soprano saxophone. McCoy Tyner’s piano additionally made a major contribution to the tone and elegance of the piece, from his syncopated vamp chords, constructed on fourth intervals, to his lengthy glowing solo passage, which blends delicacy with irresistible propulsion.
Important monitor: “My Favorite Things”
8: Time For Tyner (Blue Observe, 1968)
The presence of vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson introduced completely different tonal colours to this, Tyner’s third Blue Observe outing, with one half dedicated to unique tunes and the opposite half specializing in requirements. Bassist Herbie Lewis and drummer Freddie Waits present a simpatico, well-oiled rhythm part over which Tyner and Hutchinson mix superbly. The fiercely energetic opener, “African Village,” is an archetypal slice of late 60s modal jazz, whereas the closing solo piano piece, “I’ve Grown Accustomed To Her Face,” illustrates Tyner’s virtuosity with its flamboyant, rhapsodic prospers.
Important monitor: “African Village”
7: Sama Layuca (Milestone, 1974)
One in all Tyner’s greatest 70s albums is that this one, a five-track report on which he surrounded himself with eight different top-flight musicians, amongst whom have been vibraphone maestro Bobby Hutcherson, saxophonists Gary Bartz and Azar Lawrence, and percussionist James Mtume. Although the music flows with a bristling, uncooked depth (particularly on the Latin groove “La Cubana”), Tyner continues to be in a position to conjure moments of burnished lyricism, as exemplified by “Above The Rainbow,” a beguiling duet with Hutcherson.
Important monitor: “La Cubana”
6: A Love Supreme (with John Coltrane; Impulse!, 1965)
As a member of Coltrane’s quartet between 1961 and 1965, McCoy Tyner appeared on many notable albums by the saxophonist. None have been as vital, nonetheless, as this one, a four-part hymn to the creator, which gave start to the notion of non secular jazz. Tyner’s piano, assured however by no means intrusive, affords a secure however fluid platform for Coltrane’s earnest saxophone meditations. Tyner was the apostle to Coltrane’s Jesus.
Important monitor: “Acknowledgement”
5: Atlantis (Milestone, 1975)
Recorded at Todd Barkan’s Keystone Nook venue in San Francisco through the late summer season of 1974, this album affirmed each Tyner’s dynamism and charisma as a dwell performer. Main a quintet (Azar Lawrence, Joony Sales space, and Wilby Fletcher, augmented by percussionist Guilherme Franco), Tyner serves up an epic modal groove within the form of the title monitor, which affords a compelling instance of his forthright, muscular model. Although famous for the ability and depth of his music, the usual “My One And Only Love” reveals that Tyner might play with a quiet sensitivity when he selected to.
Important monitor: “Atlantis”
4: Enlightenment (Milestone, 1973)
This dwell double-album, Tyner’s fifth outing for Orrin Keepnews’ Milestone imprint, captures the ability, depth and sheer majesty of the pianist firing on all cylinders in an in-concert setting. Recorded on the 1973 Montreux Jazz Competition, it finds Tyner accompanied by saxophonist Azar Lawrence, bassist Joony Sales space and ex-Climate Report drummer Alphonse Mouzon, who create a maelstrom of sound beneath the pianist’s passionate outpourings.
Important monitor: “Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit”
3: Expansions (Blue Observe, 1968)
On his fourth and sometimes neglected album for Blue Observe, Expansions, Tyner broadened his sonic horizons by fronting a septet. It included tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, altoist Gary Bartz, rising Newark trumpet maven Woody Shaw and Miles Davis Quintet bassist Ron Carter. The music is more difficult than on Tyner’s earlier releases, in locations veering from superior exhausting bop to an avant-garde model. An eerie Jap really feel pervades “Song Of Happiness,” on which Shorter performs clarinet and Bartz blows a wood flute.
Important monitor: “Smitty’s Place”
2: Tender Moments (Blue Observe, 1967)
Recorded in December 1967, 5 months after John Coltrane’s dying, this, Tyner’s second Blue Observe album, featured a nine-piece ensemble on 5 of its six self-written tracks. Contributing are six horn gamers, together with Blue Observe’s star trumpeter, Lee Morgan, plus saxophonists James Spalding and Bennie Maupin. The brisk opener, “Mode For John,” marks Coltrane’s passing, characterised by an infectious, interwoven horn theme. Spalding performs the flute on the charming, African-flavored “Man From Tanganyika.” The album additionally comprises certainly one of Tyner’s greatest ballads, the superbly orchestrated “All Our Yesterdays.”
Important monitor: “Man From Tanganyika”
1: The Actual McCoy (Blue Observe, 1967)
Topping our record of the most effective McCoy Tyner albums is that this, his first album recorded after leaving the John Coltrane Quartet. Additionally his debut for Blue Observe, The Actual McCoy discovered the pianist hooking up with fellow Coltrane alumnus drummer Elvin Jones, along with saxophonist Joe Henderson and bassist Ron Carter. The set’s 5 tracks, all unique compositions, vary from the full-on modalism of the propulsive “Passion Flower” to the softly meditative “Search For Peace” and down-home strut of “Blues On The Corner.”
Important monitor: “Blues On The Corner”
Searching for extra? Uncover the most effective John Coltrane albums.
