McCoy Tyner : Guitars (2008)

[Ayler]

McCoy Tyner : Guitars (2008)



1. Improvisation 2
2. Passion Dance
3. 500 Miles
4. Mr. P.C.
5. Blues On The Corner
6. Improvisation 1
7. Trade Winds
8. Amberjack
9. My Favorite Things
10. Slapback Blues
11. Greensleeves
12. Contemplation
13. Boubacar
14. Baba Drame

Personnel :
McCoy Tyner - piano
Ron Carter - contrebasse
Jack DeJohnette - batterie
Marc Ribot - guitare (1-3, 6)
John Scofield - guitare (4, 5)
Bela Fleck - banjo (7-9)
Derek Trucks - guitare (10, 11)
Bill Frisell - guitare (12-14)



DVD

1. Mr PC - Part 1
2. Mr Pc - Part 2
3. Contemplation - Part 1
4. Comtemplation - Part 2
5. 500 Miles - Part 1
6. 500 Miles - Part 2
7. Tradewind - Part 1
8. Tradewind - Part 2
9. Green Sleeves - Part 1
10. Green Sleeves - Part 2
11. Duets
12. Chocking The Piano
13. Mc Coy's Thoughts
14. Rehearsing At The Bluenote

It's amazing that the concept of McCoy Tyner recording with a guitarist has never come up before. After all, the legendary piano man has done just about everything else, with and without former employer, saxophonist John Coltrane. Now we have Guitars, which mixes Tyner and a Hall of Fame rhythm section with a truly diverse group of string-driven all-stars. The result is an engrossing chronicle (both musical and visual) of the artist's process.

In many respects, Guitars is a study in fearlessness. Other than the fact that they play stringed instruments, there is little that links the session's five guest players, and this theoretically puts Tyner in a different creative space with each new arrival. Also, while some of the tracks are either written by Tyner or associated with him, all the music was suggested by Tyner's guests. Again in theory, those conditions should give the guest artists the advantage in the session. Unfortunately for the guests, that theory falls to the ground in the face of Tyner's aforementioned rhythm section—bassist Ron Carter and drummer Jack DeJohnette.

Going up against that trio is like finding yourself in a mixed martial arts match with Iron Man, The Thing, and The Incredible Hulk. And therein lays the fearlessness of the guests. Standing toe to toe with players whose names were burned into musical history long ago (in Derek Trucks' case, before he was even born) has to have been an intoxicating proposition. And it has to be said that the session's overall results are quite stunning, even though the guests—for the most part—become simple sidemen at Tyner's party.

John Scofield—who can (and does) play anything without losing his tonal identity—slips into the trio's musical space like a man donning a favorite jacket, ripping through delightfully aggressive takes on Coltrane's "Mr. P.C." and Tyner's "Blues on the Corner." On the other hand, Bill Frisell brings the session closer to his comfort zone on "Boubacar" and "Baba Drame," two Frisell compositions from the meditative disc The Intercontinentals (Nonesuch, 2003). Both tunes have the hypnotic, Zen-like airiness of the original recordings, but Carter's concrete foundation and DeJohnette's ever-busy filling gives the latter tune heft and drama the original never had.

While Scofield and Frisell's cuts are all about collaboration, Marc Ribot and Bela Fleck's respective sections are more about domination. Ribot's alt-jazz snarlings are the polar opposite of the straight-up bebop the trio lays down, which gives Tyner's "Passion Dance" a wild, untamed atmosphere; but on "500 Miles," Ribot's snarl is reduced to a relative whimper, with the piece staying firmly in Tyner's wheelhouse despite Ribot doing the arrangement. Surprisingly, Fleck comes out the worst of the five guests, even though two of his three pieces came from his pen. Despite Fleck's ever-creative voicings, he is consistently plowed under by the three-headed juggernaut on the other side of the studio. And whatever possessed Fleck to attempt "My Favorite Things" using the waltzing arrangement associated with Coltrane's transcendant recording? There's no way anyone can win in that situation, and—put simply—Fleck doesn't.

Trucks could have fallen into the same trap on "Greensleeves," which features an arrangement similar to the one on Coltrane's Africa/Brass (Impulse, 1961). What saves Trucks is Guitars' quartet setting, leaving the musicians free to explore without the unwieldy horns pianist Cecil Taylor strapped to the original. Here's where Guitars' DVD shows the listener what might have been: during a rehearsal onstage at the Blue Note, Tyner and Fleck play "My Favorite Things" as a duet, giving the piece a more intimate, textured feel. Guitars already had Tyner playing three duets (two with Ribot, one with Frisell); if "Favorite" had also been recorded in duo form, both Fleck and the CD would have benefited.

The main attraction of the DVD is video of one track by each of the guests, along with the sometimes-friendly, occasionally-contentious "pre-game" machinations and conversations that led up the recordings. (There is also the extremely rare site of the always-dapper Carter actually dressed casually in jeans, a baseball cap, and a coral polo shirt!) The DVD becomes a teaching tool during each recording, when the "Angle" feature offers a choice of six viewing options: a four-way split screen showing all the players; individual shots of each player; and a setting that rotates between all four cameras. The viewer can jump between solos, or concentrate on what his or her favorite player is doing through the entire tune.

Simply watching Tyner's hands (whether he's soloing or not) is an education in itself. If the CD isn't proof enough that he's still one of the best players in the game, the DVD precludes any debate on the matter. A major downside of the video is that none of the performers are mic'd individually, which reduces some conversations to either mumbles or cacophony. An extra feature of Tyner discoursing on music in general is practically unintelligible.) What counts, though, is the music, which comes through loud, clear, and beautifully. Tyner's guests may have gotten more than they bargained for, but Guitars is more than a bargain for anyone who wants to hear (and see) how great jazz is made.

Source : http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=31081

I have to say this McCoy Tyner release caught me by surprise - and piqued my curiosity, too. Simply called "Guitars" (McCoy Tyner Music/Half Note), the 75-minute studio recording places the great pianist - a near-icon in many people’s minds - in the company of five distinct and in essence non-traditional, as far as jazz goes, guitarists/string players.

The participants include a pair of well-respected crossover musicians, John Scofield and Bill Frisell. In a 30-year career, the former has issued everything form straight-ahead jazz albums to funk albums; he’s played with Medeski Martin & Wood and done duo guitar work with John Abercrombie and Pat Metheny. Currently, he’s on a world tour with saxophonist Joe Lovano and drummer Matt Wilson. Frisell underscores the word "eclectic." Is there any setting that he considers out of bounds, undoable, or beyond his reach?

In the middle of this effort is banjoist Bela Fleck who, likewise, has created a persona and reputation of trying to cover a lot of bases. Although he’s most known for his Flecktones group, he really looks for opportunities to challenge himself and check out other possibilities. He certainly found one here.

In addition to the aforementioned trifecta, Tyner also includes a pair of still far more stylistically different guitarists. One, Marc Ribot, is most known for his participation in the downtown Knitting Factory/Lower Manhattan jazz scene that saw divergent voices - jazz, punk, post-modern and avant-garde - all come together some 20 years ago. The other is none other than Derek Trucks, who is just finding his place in the sun; Trucks, the nephew of Allman Brothers member Butch Trucks, was born in 1979, which makes him somewhat of a different generation of his colleagues on this effort.

The real question is: How did Tyner come up with this crew? The follow-up question that begs to be asked is what was he looking for and/or trying to accomplish with this effort?

And then there are a host of other ancillary questions: What happens musically when you not only take this bunch - which, by the way, don’t play together but rather split time fairly equally among the 14 selections - but then you mix in a pair of longtime Tyner colleagues as the rhythm section: Ron Carter on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums.

At first glance, the choice of these two veterans to bolster the proceedings in a supporting role might also seem odd, especially the more formal Carter, whose reputation for properness and exactitude more than precedes him. I just don’t see Carter and Derek Trucks - or even Ribot - meshing musically or physically in the same room. But, wait just a minute. Carter worked with Miles Davis, so that tells us a lot right there; then, just to add an exclamation mark to the proceedings sift through your country/country-rock/folk LP collections and see just how many times Carter’s name surfaces in the credits; perhaps the most famous was his work in the studio with Jerry Jeff Walker on his "Mr. Bojangles" (Atlantic) release circa 1967. Taken in that light, it’s not so surprising that Tyner called on a longtime compadre who is one of the most well-respected bassists anywhere.

As for DeJohnette, he strikes me as fearless. We are talking about the guy who not only played with Davis like Carter, but also gets the first call from Keith Jarrett. DeJohnette, if you look closely, is the drummer in the "Blues Brothers" sequel movie during the closing scene that features an eclectic group of performers that cross genres.

So, here’s how this recording goes: Carter and DeJohnette play essentially on every cut, save the opening free-form, 1- minute, 31 second Ribot-Tyner composition entitled what else - "Improvisation 2" - and Frisell’s closing moment.

It’s a strange way to open the disc; I’m not surprised I’ve read a couple of pretty harsh reviews of "Guitars." Right away you’re asking yourself: Where is this thing going if this is the starting point - a distorted guitar and a free-form piano making an attempt at interplay?

But, bear in mind, John Snyder, one of the most well-respected producers in the industry, who also happened to write the annotated liner notes to this endeavor, put this session together.

Snyder, the guitarist-string guests were the ones who decided what they wanted to play with Tyner - and Carter and DeJohnette, for that matter. When you glance down the selections, that, too, makes one pause. Ribot, who is heard on four selections - including the two brief, improvisational efforts - chose one of Tyner’s many wonderful compositions, "Passion Dance," and then "500 Miles," an absolute staple of the "traditional" folk repertoire. I will say that his guitar work and Tyner’s classic percussionist piano work on "Passion Dance" are both exceptional.

Scofield, meanwhile, grabs the spotlight on a pair of great tunes - Tyner’s "Blues on the Corner" and John Coltrane’s "Mr. P.C.," which, as many people know, represents the pinnacle or certainly near-apex of the iconic saxophonist’s legendary career.

Likewise Fleck, who is heard on three pieces here, chose "My Favorite Things" as one of his listings. True, this is by all accounts part of the great American songbook and therefore has been interpreted by many, many musicians the past few decades, but "My Favorite Things" is, again, a Coltrane, with Tyner of course, signature tune; it’s simply difficult to match the power, force and emotion of that rendition - even with Tyner playing the introduction he did some 40 years ago; and, the sitar-like banjo from Fleck just doesn’t quite get there.

And so we have this new effort by Tyner - which is without question a departure. One of reviews I mentioned having come across, quite by accident while looking up some background information on this release, summed it up this way: lose the guitars. It’s true, they do occasionally get in the way - or perhaps Tyner’s piano gets in their way. There are some moments of "out-of-synchdom" here, but all, in all "Guitars" has several musical moments worth hanging on to.

Source : http://www.columbiatribune.com/2008/Nov/20081109Ovat004.asp

[Ayler]

Jazz pianist McCoy Tyner keeps questing.
By Dave Pehling

There's no shortage of rock musicians trundling right past retirement age without hanging it up. They're often content to satisfy fans with rote deliveries of greatest hits that have more to do with muscle memory than with inspiration. Conversely, jazz players in their golden years often thrive on moving outside their comfort zone. Piano legend McCoy Tyner stands as a great example of an artist who has continually embraced new challenges since his storied stint in saxophonist John Coltrane's classic quartet of the 1960s.

Tyner has cut a wide swath during his career, although explorations of the modal postbop sounds he blueprinted remain the cornerstone of his catalog. From the African and Eastern influences heard on his 1972 album, Sahara, through regular Latin jazz summits at Yoshi's to unusual one-off collaborations (including an SFJAZZ concert with tap-dance virtuoso Savion Glover in March), he doesn't shy away from new ideas.

Tyner's latest studio project, Guitars, matches the pianist's thunderous block chords and harmonic invention with a varied cast of ax slingers. With frequent partners Ron Carter (bass) and Jack DeJohnette (drums) providing a rhythmic foundation, the album spotlights acknowledged guitar masters John Scofield and Bill Frisell as well as left-of-center choices like downtown NYC experimenter Marc Ribot, banjo fusionist Bela Fleck, and young blues maestro Derek Trucks.

The recording stemmed from Tyner's desire to venture into new territory. "It [started with] the thought, 'What can I do that I haven't done already?'" he says. "So after discussing the idea, I said, 'Hey, I haven't done a lot of work with guitars, so let's put a unique group of guys together and see what kind of music we can make.'"

The pairings bring out some inspired interplay. Scofield's fiery readings of Coltrane standard "Mr. P.C." and Tyner favorite "Blues on the Corner" bristle with energy, while Frisell and the pianist offer nuanced counterpoints on Tyner's "Contemplation" and an aching duet of Frisell's "Boubacar." Trucks also performs admirably on the slide-drenched "Slapback Blues" and a stately rendition of the traditional tune "Greensleeves." Only Fleck's contributions come off as too well-mannered; the interpretation of "My Favorite Things" sounds gimmicky with his plunking banjo taking the lead.

The real revelation of the collection comes in the songs featuring Ribot. From the distorted power chords that kick off Tyner's "Passion Dance" through a pair of alternately atonal and delicate duo improvisations, Ribot and Tyner spark each other to dizzying heights. As odd as it is to hear the guitarist's buzzing skronk butting up against Tyner's muscular playing, the match makes for some of the album's most fascinating moments.

Jazz fans lucky enough to catch Tyner when he brings his trio to town — with Ribot on board as a special guest — should get a dose of high-flying, instant composition live. "So far we haven't sat down and decided what we're going to play, but I'm sure I'll bring some stuff to the table and so will Marc," he says. "We'll just have to wait and see what happens on the bandstand."

With Ribot's focused fuzztone fury providing Tyner a challenging melodic foil, the potential for musical pyrotechnics is limitless for the pianist once again.

Source : http://www.sfweekly.com/2008-11-12/music/jazz-pianist-mccoy-tyner-keeps-questing/

[Ayler]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122998730808228173.html

[Titi]

Je ne sais pas trop où poster ma question, donc si elle est mal placée ici je m'excuse..

J'ai découvert récemment des extraits d'album de McCoy Tyner du début 70 et plus précisémment des extraits de "Sahara" et de "Extensions" qui m'ont emballés. Quelqu'un connait ces albums ? Aprés quelques recherches il semble avoir pas mal enregistré ces années là, d'autres albums sont ils dans le même style et valent ils le coup ?

[Norbert]

Je ne sais pas trop où poster ma question, donc si elle est mal placée ici je m'excuse..

J'ai découvert récemment des extraits d'album de McCoy Tyner du début 70 et plus précisémment des extraits de "Sahara" et de "Extensions" qui m'ont emballés. Quelqu'un connait ces albums ? Aprés quelques recherches il semble avoir pas mal enregistré ces années là, d'autres albums sont ils dans le même style et valent ils le coup ?

Extensions est le titre d'un album de Mc Coy Tyner enregistré le 9.02.70 pour Blue Note avec Alice Coltrane a la harpe,Wayne Shorter au ténor,Gary Bartz à l'alto sax,Ron Carter a la basse et Elvin Jones aux drums.Avec un tel casting le disque ne peut être qu'exceptionnel,ce qu'il est bien sur!J'aime beaucoup cet album mais je ne connais pas l'autre.Ci-joint les liens pour plus de details sur ces 2 albums et sur toute la discocraphie de Mc Coy.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:axfwxq8gldje
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:aifoxqyhldse

[Titi]

Merci pour ta réponse

[Nestor]

Titi, si tu aimes bien ces disques, tu peux foncer sur toute la première période milestone de Tyner: Song For My Lady, Enlightenment, Atlantis, Sama Lacuya...ainsi que sur Expansions sur Blue Note, il n'y a vraiment rien a jeter.

[Titi]

J'ai trouvé d'autres extraits et je crois que je vais me laisser tenter ! Ca tente personne d'écrire quelques petites chroniques sur ces disques ? car j'ai cherché quelques infos sur le net et je n'ai pas trouvé grand chose...

[Ayler]

J'ai découvert récemment des extraits d'album de McCoy Tyner du début 70 et plus précisémment des extraits de "Sahara" et de "Extensions" qui m'ont emballés. Quelqu'un connait ces albums ? Aprés quelques recherches il semble avoir pas mal enregistré ces années là, d'autres albums sont ils dans le même style et valent ils le coup ?

La période 70-75 de McCoy est tout simplement exceptionnelle. Les disques mentionnés par Kévin sont tout simplement énormes. "Enlightenment" est une introduction idéale au style post-coltranien qu'il avait alors développé.

[Ornette]

J'ai découvert récemment des extraits d'album de McCoy Tyner du début 70 et plus précisémment des extraits de "Sahara" et de "Extensions" qui m'ont emballés. Quelqu'un connait ces albums ? Aprés quelques recherches il semble avoir pas mal enregistré ces années là, d'autres albums sont ils dans le même style et valent ils le coup ?

La période 70-75 de McCoy est tout simplement exceptionnelle. Les disques mentionnés par Kévin sont tout simplement énormes. "Enlightenment" est une introduction idéale au style post-coltranien qu'il avait alors développé.

Sahara est stupéfiant et Extension splendide. Il ne faut pas négliger non plus le disque Atlantis, enregistré Live au cours de cette fameuse période.

[Titi]

Sahara est stupéfiant

Commandé, je devrais le recevoir dans la semaine.

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