McCoy Tyner is Gone

[gjmalcyon]

One of the giants of jazz piano, McCoy Tyner, passed away yesterday at his home in New Jersey - he was 81. His style was instantly recognizable, with a mighty left hand driving the melody forward. His work with fellow Philly native John Coltrane in the early '60's was some of the most important put on record.

Saw him in the late '70's as part of the Milestone Jazz Stars Tour (with Ron Carter, Al Foster, Sonny Rollins) and I remember every minute of that electrifying concert.

One of my favorite pieces of his from the mid-70's: "Fly With the Wind": Tyner, Hubie Laws, Ron Carter, and Billy Cobham.

 

[jp]

Wow! He's one of the last great ones who was left. He's leaving an amazing legacy and body recordings. The list of heavyweight people he played with is impressive, let alone his own recordings. He played on all most of the major Coltrane records, as well as with Art Blakey, Donald Byrd, John Coltrane, Lou Donaldson, Grant Green, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson, Hank Mobley, Lee Morgan, Sonny Rollins, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, and more.

I never had the chance to see him, unfortunately.

 

[Bernie]

It makes me sad to see many of these great people we loved go away ; but I suppose it's the way it has to be...He may be more happy now than he has ever been...
But still, to get to know it's one more great musician I will never see live. :disturbed: :culpability:
Ahmad Jamal is one guy from that same generation that still plays live, and he is great still : makes me think that if the opportunity comes along, I should not miss it. One of the few still active, he plays big festivals regularly in Europe still, at least he did so very recently : enjoyed his music more than most many newcomers or even confirmed artists...

I had not heard of Mc Coy Tyner for a long time : I might even have believed he had gone already...81 years is not bad for a musician I'd say (John Coltrane died so many years ago), but still: sad song...(On est peu de choses)...

 

[adorshki]

It makes me sad to see many of these great people we loved go away ; but I suppose it's the way it has to be...He may be more happy now than he has ever been...
But still, to get to know it's one more great musician I will never see live. :disturbed: :culpability:
Ahmad Jamal is one guy from that same generation that still plays live, and he is great still : makes me think that if the opportunity comes along, I should not miss it. One of the few still active, he plays big festivals regularly in Europe still, at least he did so very recently : enjoyed his music more than most many newcomers or even confirmed artists...

I had not heard of Mc Coy Tyner for a long time : I might even have believed he had gone already...81 years is not bad for a musician I'd say (John Coltrane died so many years ago), but still: sad song...(On est peu de choses)...

Yeah my favorite keyboardist, heard a tribute show on the local jazz station Saturday and knew it must have happened.
First exposure was A Love Supreme thanks to a buddy in the early '80's, his #1 for me status was cemented when I got a VHS tape of Ralph Gleason's Jazz Casual TV show from the early '60's featuring the John Coltrane Quartet.
Ever heard anybody make a piano drone?!?!? Before or since?:

Note Elvin Jones went on to make his mark as a world class drummer too, Ginger Baker acknowledged him as a major influence.
And Jimmy Garrison never gets enough credit as a bassist.
Last McCoy album I picked up was Guitars:

 

[adorshki]

Perfect example of what loved I about his style, "dense chords":

That was the kind of stuff that kept him a staple on SF Bay Area jazz stations in the '70's and '80's.
It didn't hurt that he used to do an annual residency at the landmark Yoshi's even up until just a couple of years ago, but no, I never got to see him live either....
And while searching for pic of Guitars album credits came across this little instructional video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axo1aF4wcuw

 

[JF-30]

A Love Supreme is amazing. Yes it was a Trane album but he is on the keys.