American jazz pianist (1938?2020)
McCoy Tyner
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![Tyner in 1973](//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/Mccoy_Tyner_1973_gh.jpg/220px-Mccoy_Tyner_1973_gh.jpg) Tyner in 1973
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Birth name
| Alfred McCoy Tyner
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Born
| (
1938-12-11
)
December 11, 1938
Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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Died
| March 6, 2020
(2020-03-06)
(aged 81)
Bergenfield, New Jersey
, U.S.
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Genres
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Occupation(s)
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Instrument(s)
| Piano
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Years active
| 1960?2020
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Labels
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Formerly of
| The Jazztet
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Spouse(s)
|
Aisha Saud
(divorced)
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Website
| mccoytyner
.com
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Relatives
| Jarvis Tyner
(brother)
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Musical artist
Alfred McCoy Tyner
(December 11, 1938 – March 6, 2020) was an American
jazz pianist
and composer known for his work with the
John Coltrane
Quartet (from 1960 to 1965) and his long solo career afterwards.
[1]
He was an
NEA Jazz Master
and five-time
Grammy
award winner. Unlike many of the jazz keyboardists of his generation, Tyner very rarely incorporated
electric keyboards
or
synthesizers
into his work. Tyner has been widely imitated, and is one of the most recognizable and influential jazz pianists of all time.
[2]
Early life and education
[
edit
]
Tyner was born on December 11, 1938,
[3]
[4]
in
Philadelphia
, Pennsylvania, the eldest of three children of Jarvis and Beatrice (nee Stevenson) Tyner.
[5]
His younger brother
Jarvis Tyner
was the executive vice-chairman of the
Communist Party USA
.
[6]
Tyner was encouraged to study
piano
by his mother, who had installed a piano at her beauty salon.
Tyner began piano lessons at age 13 at
Granoff School of Music
, where he had also studied
music theory
and
harmony
, and music became the focal point of his life within two years.
[7]
[8]
Tyner's decision to study piano was reinforced when he encountered the
bebop
pianist
Bud Powell
, a neighbor of the family's.
[9]
Another major influence on Tyner's playing was
Thelonious Monk
, whose percussive attacks would inform Tyner's signature style.
[4]
During his teens he led his own group, the Houserockers.
[10]
When he was 17, he converted to
Ahmadiyya
and changed his name to Suleiman Saud.
[11]
[12]
Career
[
edit
]
Tyner at
Keystone Korner
in
San Francisco
, in March 1981
Tyner with
Ravi Coltrane
at the
Newport Jazz Festival
in
Newport, Rhode Island
, in August 2005
Tyner with his quartet at Jazz Alley in
Seattle
, in April 2012
Tyner played professionally in
Philadelphia
, becoming part of its modern jazz scene.
[5]
He recorded the pianist's composition "The Believer" on January 10, 1958, which later became the title track of
Prestige Records'
1964 issued
album
under Coltrane’s name.
[13]
[14]
In 1960, Tyner joined
The Jazztet
led by
Benny Golson
and
Art Farmer
. Six months later, he joined the quartet of
John Coltrane
that included drummer
Elvin Jones
, and bassist
Steven Davis
, who were later replaced by
Art Davis
,
Reggie Workman
, and
Jimmy Garrison
.
[9]
[15]
He worked with the band during its extended run at the Jazz Gallery, replacing
Steve Kuhn
. Coltrane had known Tyner for a while growing up in Philadelphia.
[16]
He played on Coltrane's
My Favorite Things
(1961) for
Atlantic Records
.
[17]
The band toured almost non-stop between 1961 and 1965, recording many albums widely considered jazz classics, including
Coltrane "Live" at the Village Vanguard
(1962),
Ballads
(1963),
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
(1963),
Live at Birdland
(1964),
Crescent
(1964),
A Love Supreme
(1964), and
The John Coltrane Quartet Plays
(1965), all for
Impulse! Records
.
[18]
While in Coltrane's group, he recorded albums in a piano trio. In late 1962 and the first half of 1963, Tyner was asked by producer
Bob Thiele
to record more straightforward jazz albums as a leader. These albums included
Reaching Fourth
(1963),
Today and Tomorrow
(1964), and
McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington
(1965). Reviewing the album in 2017,
Marc Myers
of
JazzWax
said, "...the finest of these straightforward piano recordings was
Nights of Ballads & Blues
. Tyner's playing is exciting and exceptional on all of the tracks... On the album, he exhibits a reserved elegance and tenderness that reveals the other side of his personality?a lover of melody and standards. In this regard, there are traces of
Oscar Peterson
in his playing. Perhaps Thiele was using Tyner to take a bite out of Peterson's vast and successful early-'60s share of the jazz market."
[19]
Tyner also appeared as a sideman on many
Blue Note Records
albums of the 1960s, although he was often credited as "etc." on the cover of these albums to respect his contract with Impulse!.
[9]
Tyner's playing style developed in close contact with Coltrane.
[20]
His style of piano is comparable to Coltrane's maximalist style on saxophone.
[9]
Writing in 2019, Sami Linna at the
University of the Arts Helsinki
noted that Coltrane described the two different directions in his playing as: "playing chordally (vertically) or melodically (horizontally)". Linna suggests: "Tyner would eventually find a way of dealing with the two directions simultaneously, in a manner that was supportive and complementary yet original and slightly different from Coltrane's approach." After 1960 Coltrane did not hire anyone at the piano if Tyner was not available; between Tyner joining the group (around the end of May 1960) and leaving (in December 1965), there was nobody else at the piano accompanying Coltrane.
[20]
Tyner's involvement with Coltrane came to an end in 1965. Coltrane's music was becoming much more atonal and free; he had also augmented his quartet with percussion players who threatened to drown out both Tyner and Jones: "I didn't see myself making any contribution to that music... All I could hear was a lot of noise. I didn't have any feeling for the music, and when I don't have feelings, I don't play".
[21]
In 1966, Tyner rehearsed with a new trio and embarked on a career as a bandleader.
[22]
Tyner produced a series of
post-bop
albums released by Blue Note from 1967 to 1970. These included
The Real McCoy
(1967),
Tender Moments
(1967),
Time for Tyner
(1968),
Expansions
(1968) and
Extensions
(1970). He signed with
Milestone Records
and recorded such albums as
Sahara
and
Echoes of a Friend
(1972),
Enlightenment
(1973), and
Fly with the Wind
(1976), which included flautist
Hubert Laws
, drummer
Billy Cobham
, and a string orchestra.
[23]
His music for Blue Note and Milestone often took the music of the Coltrane quartet as a starting point. Tyner also incorporated African and East Asian elements in his music. On
Sahara
he played
koto
in addition to piano, flute, and percussion. These albums have been cited as examples of innovative jazz from the 1970s that was neither
fusion
nor
free jazz
. On
Trident
(1975) Tyner played the
harpsichord
and
celeste
, instruments rarely heard in jazz.
[24]
During the 1980s and 1990s, Tyner performed in a trio that included
Avery Sharpe
on bass
[25]
and
Louis Hayes
,
[26]
then
Aaron Scott
, on drums.
[27]
He also recorded some solo albums for the Blue Note label, beginning with
Revelations
(1988)
[28]
and culminating in
Soliloquy
(1991).
[29]
After signing with
Telarc
, he recorded with several other trios. These included
Charnett Moffett
on bass and
Al Foster
on drums. In 2008, he toured with a quartet of
Gary Bartz
,
Gerald L. Cannon
, and
Eric Gravatt
.
[10]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Tyner married Aisha Saud. They had three sons, and the marriage ended in divorce.
[30]
[31]
Death
[
edit
]
On March 6, 2020, Tyner died at his home, at
Bergenfield, New Jersey
, at the age of 81.
[30]
[2]
A cause of death was not given, but he had been in ill health.
[32]
Influence and playing style
[
edit
]
Tyner is considered to be one of the most influential jazz pianists of the late 20th century, an honor he earned during and after his time with Coltrane.
[33]
Tyner, who was left-handed, played with a low bass left hand and he raised his arm high above the keyboard for an emphatic attack. His right-hand soloing was detached and
staccato
. His melodic vocabulary was rich, ranging from raw
blues
to complex
superimposed
pentatonic scales
; his approach to chord voicing (most characteristically by fourths) influenced contemporary jazz pianists, such as
Chick Corea
.
[34]
Some of his harmonic modal techniques have been connected to
Claude Debussy
's piano repertory.
[35]
Bob Weir
, rhythm guitarist for the
Grateful Dead
, has listed Tyner as an influence on his playing.
[36]
Awards and honors
[
edit
]
Tyner was named a 2002
NEA Jazz Master
by the
National Endowment for the Arts
.
[7]
He won five
Grammy Awards
: for
The Turning Point
(1992) and
Journey
(1993) and best instrumental jazz album for
Illuminations
(2004),
Infinity
(1995), and
Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane
(1987).
[37]
Tyner was awarded an
Honorary Doctorate
of Music from
Berklee College of Music
at the Sala dei Notari during the
Umbria Jazz Festival
.
[38]
Tyner was a judge for the 6th, 10th
[39]
and 11th annual Independent Music Awards.
[40]
Discography
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"McCoy Tyner Biography"
. Mccoytyner.com. September 11, 2007. Archived from
the original
on May 9, 2008
. Retrieved
June 25,
2012
.
- ^
a
b
Ratliff, Ben (March 6, 2020).
"McCoy Tyner, Jazz Piano Powerhouse, Is Dead at 81"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
March 6,
2020
.
- ^
Waters, Keith (2015). "Tyner, (Alfred) McCoy".
Grove Music Online
.
doi
:
10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.a2276732
.
ISBN
9781561592630
.
- ^
a
b
Williams, Sonya (February 7, 1999).
"McCoy Tyner: The Pianist"
. NPR
. Retrieved
January 3,
2021
.
- ^
a
b
Chinen, Nate (March 6, 2020).
"McCoy Tyner, Groundbreaking Pianist Of 20th Century Jazz, Dies At 81"
. NPR
. Retrieved
March 7,
2020
.
- ^
Ratliff, Ben (August 29, 2010).
"McCoy Tyner Honors Charlie Parker at Marcus Garvey Park"
.
The New York Times
. Retrieved
September 22,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
"McCoy Tyner"
. National Endowment for the Arts. 2002
. Retrieved
March 7,
2020
.
- ^
Milkowski, Bill (March 6, 2020).
"In Memoriam: McCoy Tyner"
.
Downbeat
. Retrieved
November 13,
2022
.
- ^
a
b
c
d
Yanow, Scott.
"McCoy Tyner"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
September 22,
2018
.
- ^
a
b
Heckman, Don (March 6, 2020).
"McCoy Tyner, jazz piano legend who played with Coltrane, dead at 81"
.
The Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
March 7,
2020
.
- ^
Aidi, Hisham (December 9, 2014).
"Did Coltrane say 'Allah Supreme'?"
.
www.aljazeera.com
. Retrieved
January 3,
2021
.
- ^
Turner, Richard Brent (2003).
Islam in the African American Experience
. Indiana University Press. p.
140
.
ISBN
978-0-253-21630-4
. Retrieved
June 25,
2012
.
- ^
Nisenson, Eric (August 5, 2009).
Ascension: John Coltrane And His Quest
. Hachette Books. p. 87.
ISBN
978-0-7867-5095-5
.
- ^
Porter, Lewis; Chris DeVito;
David Wild
; Yasuhiro Fujioka; Wolf Schmaler (April 26, 2013).
The John Coltrane Reference
. Routledge. pp. 502?
503
.
ISBN
978-1-135-11257-8
.
- ^
"John Coltrane Quartet | Biography & History"
.
AllMusic
. Retrieved
August 5,
2020
.
- ^
"- The Washington Post"
.
Washington Post
.
- ^
Burbank, Jeff (April 26, 2016).
"Jazz Album Review:
My Favorite Things
"
.
The Mob Museum
.
Archived
from the original on June 26, 2017
. Retrieved
March 7,
2020
.
- ^
Larkin, Colin
(May 27, 2011).
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music
. Omnibus Press. p. 271.
ISBN
978-0-85712-595-8
.
- ^
"McCoy Tyner: Ballads & Blues ? JazzWax"
.
www.jazzwax.com
. July 18, 2017
. Retrieved
March 8,
2020
.
- ^
a
b
Linna, Sami.
McCoy Tyner, Modal Jazz, and the Dominant Chord
(PDF)
.
Sibelius Academy
at
University of the Arts Helsinki
. p. 33.
ISBN
978-952-329-140-9
.
- ^
Porter,
John Coltrane: His Life and Music
, p. 266.
- ^
Porter,
John Coltrane: His Life and Music
, p. 268.
- ^
"Fly with the Wind ? McCoy Tyner | Credits"
.
AllMusic
.
- ^
Yanow, Scott.
Trident
at
AllMusic
. Retrieved September 4, 2011.
- ^
"Avery G. Sharpe | Music"
.
music.williams.edu
.
- ^
Wilson, John S. (January 13, 1986).
"Jazz: Mccoy Tyner's Trio Performs"
.
The New York Times
.
- ^
"McCoy Tyner trio's Concert & Tour History | Concert Archives"
.
www.concertarchives.org
.
- ^
"Revelations ? McCoy Tyner | Songs, Reviews, Credits"
.
AllMusic
.
- ^
Cook, Richard
;
Morton, Brian
(2008).
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings
(9th ed.).
Penguin
. p. 1427.
ISBN
978-0-14-103401-0
.
- ^
a
b
Schudel, Matt (March 6, 2020).
"McCoy Tyner, titan of jazz piano who helped propel Coltrane quartet, dies at 81"
.
Washington Post
. Retrieved
January 3,
2021
.
- ^
"Remembering McCoy Tyner, the titan of jazz piano who helped to propel the John Coltrane Quartet"
.
Independent.co.uk
. March 30, 2020.
Archived
from the original on May 12, 2022.
- ^
"McCoy Tyner 1938 ? 2020"
.
JazzTimes
. March 7, 2020
. Retrieved
October 28,
2020
.
- ^
McNally, Owen (August 3, 1999).
"McCoy Tyner: A Long Way From Mom's Beauty Parlor"
.
Los Angeles Times
. Retrieved
March 7,
2020
.
- ^
"McCoy Tyner's Revolution"
.
Do the Math
. December 10, 2018.
- ^
Pamies (2021).
"Deconstructing Modal Jazz Piano Techniques: The Relation between Debussy's Piano Works and the Innovations of Post-Bop Pianists"
.
Jazz Education in Research and Practice
.
2
(1): 76?105.
doi
:
10.2979/jazzeducrese.2.1.06
.
JSTOR
10.2979/jazzeducrese.2.1.06
.
S2CID
234117087
.
- ^
Slater, Rob (August 10, 2015).
"Bob Weir Talks His Musical Role in the Grateful Dead"
.
Relix
. Retrieved
March 2,
2023
.
- ^
"GRAMMY Awards Winners & Nominees for Best Instrumental Jazz Album"
. Recording Academy
. Retrieved
March 7,
2020
.
- ^
"Hank Jones, Mccoy Tyner, Enrico Rava Honored by Berklee College of Music at Umbria Jazz"
,
Jazz News
, 2005.
- ^
"Independent Music Awards ? 6th Annual Judges"
. IndependentMusicAwards.com. October 5, 2009. Archived from
the original
on October 5, 2009
. Retrieved
June 25,
2012
.
- ^
"11th Annual IMA Judges
. Independent Music Awards. Retrieved September 4, 2013.
External links
[
edit
]
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Impulse!
(1962?1964)
| |
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Blue Note
(1967?1970)
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Milestone
(1972?1981)
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Various
(1981?1989)
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Various
(1990?1994)
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Impulse!
(1995?1997)
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Telarc
(1999?2004)
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McCoy Tyner
Music
(2004?2009)
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Related
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Studio
albums
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Live
albums
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Compilation
albums
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Soundtrack
albums
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Art Blakey
solo albums
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Related
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International
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National
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Academics
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Artists
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Other
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