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McCoy Tyner (1938-2020)

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McCoy Tyner, whose hypnotically churning and thunderous piano behind John Coltrane's saxophone in the 1960s, starting with My Favorite Things in 1961, altered the evolution of the jazz keyboard, died on March 6. He was 81.

Tyner's stampede-like approach and vast use of modal scales created a new approach on the jazz piano, breaking with the modernists of the post-war period. Tyner's attack was exhibited several dozen leadership albums that were recorded well into the 2000s.

Tyner remained with Coltrane until 1965, when the saxophonist's freewheeling expressionism and incorporation of horns became overbearing for the pianist. Following his departure from Coltrane's quartet, Tyner was in strong demand as a leader and as a sideman on tours and in the recording studio. In the 1960s, Tyner's distinct keyboard approach was quickly adapted by other gifted pianists, notably Herbie Hancock, Keith Jarrett and Chick Corea as well as fusion players in the 1970s.

Growing up, Tyner studied at West Philadelphia Music School and later at the Granoff School of Music. Early on, he recorded with Curtis Fuller (Imagination and Images of Curtis Fuller), Art Farmer (Meet the Jazztet), Freddie Hubbard (Ready for Freddie), Joe Henderson (Page One), Art Blakey (A Jazz Message) and Elvin Jones (Illumination), among others. But his most powerful work remains his adventurous recordings as a leader that embraced African motifs, an spiritual approach that was influenced by his conversion to Islam at age 17 through the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

Here are 10 tracks by Tyner that illustrate his critical importance to the development of the jazz piano...

Here's Tyner on John Coltrane's cover of My Favorite Things released in 1961...



Here's Wayne Shorter's House of Jade released on Juju in 1965...



Here's Tyner's Reaching Fourth from the album of same name, released in 1963...



Here's Passion Dance from Tyner's The Real McCoy, released in 1967...



Here's Ebony Queen from Sahara, released in 1972...



Here's Presence from Enlightenment, released in 1973...



Here's The Greeting from Supertrios, released in 1977...



Here's Uptown from Inner Voices, released in 1977...



Here's Latino Suite from Double Trios, released in 1986...



And here's Trane-Like from With Stanley Clarke and Al Foster, released in 1999...

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This story appears courtesy of JazzWax by Marc Myers.
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