McCoy Tyner and Me... — Vinyl Magic

I don’t want to sound overly poetic, but you do feel cleansed when you’re done playing. I pay homage to the Creator for what he has given me and all of us. But I’m not preaching. If people hear things in my music and identify with them, that’s good! The music speaks for itself.
McCoy Tyner

***The Real McCoy (1967) signed by McCoy, Ron Carter, Elvin Jones***

***Nights Of Ballads & Blues (1963) signed by McCoy***

He also gets a very personal sound from his instrument, and because of the clusters he uses and the way he voices them, that sound is brighter than what would normally be expected from most of the chord patterns he plays...... McCoy doesn't fall into conventional grooves, and he has taste. He can take anything, no matter how weird, and make it beautiful.
John Coltrane

***My Favorite Things (1961) signed by McCoy, Elvin Jones***

***Coltrane Jazz (1962) signed by McCoy, Elvin Jones***

Well, John (Coltrane) used to come over my house. We had mutual friends. I remember when he was working on different chordal progressions, like “Giant Steps,” he would come over to my house and show me what he was doing. I was really young at the time, but I think he knew even then that he wanted me to be in his band eventually. I would try to internalize the concepts he was working on, and by the time he hired me for his band, I was ready.
McCoy Tyner

***Meet The Jazztet (1959) signed by McCoy, Art Farmer, Curtis Fuller, Benny Golson***

One of McCoy Tyner's first album appearances is on Meet The Jazztet, a 1959 super group which features the formidable front line of Art Farmer on trumpet, Curtis Fuller on trombone and Benny Golson on tenor saxophone. Meet The Jazztet is a seminal jazz recording with classics like "I Remember Clifford", "Easy Living" and "Killer Joe", a bluesy funk with a rare Benny Golson spoken word intro. It is an auspicious debut for the twenty year old McCoy Tyner who displays his already impressive piano chops.

***Blues For Coltrane (1987) signed by McCoy, Roy Haynes, Pharaoh Sanders, Cecil McBee***

After recording and touring with The Jazztet for nine months, McCoy left to join the John Coltrane Quartet. From 1960-1965, they would release some of the most important albums in the jazz canon, including My Favorite Things (1961), Coltrane Jazz (1961), Coltrane (1962), John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman (1963), and A Love Supreme (1965). McCoy and John were compatible, as Trane's sheets of notes flooded his saxophone and matched McCoy's percussive and thunderous piano runs. Meanwhile, Jimmy Garrison or Steve Davis dropped sturdy bass lines and Elvin Jones pounded ferocious time. As McCoy once said with characteristic modesty, "I think we all inspired each other. John was the leader of the group, but he was a very humble person. Being in that band was an incredible experience."

McCoy then launched a solo career which continues to this day. He has released more than eighty albums as a leader, and appeared on hundreds more as a sideman in sessions with other jazz icons like Art Blakey, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, J.J. Johnson, and Wayne Shorter. McCoy has led trios, quartets, quintets and even big bands during his lengthy and adventurous career. One of his most recent collaborations, Guitars (2008), features performances with an eclectic mix of stringed masters: Marc Ribot, Bela Fleck, Bill Frisell, and Derek Trucks, anchored by the bass of Ron Carter and drums of Jack DeJohnette.

***Major Changes (1985) signed by McCoy, Frank Morgan, Avery Sharpe, Louis Hayes***

***Easy Walker (1966) signed by McCoy, Stanley Turrentine***

I saw McCoy perform dozens of times through the years, mostly at intimate clubs like The Blue Note and The Iridium in New York City, and Blues Alley in Washington, DC. McCoy was always accessible, a simple knock on the dressing room door was answered and I was afforded a quick entrance. I was careful not to overwhelm McCoy with his entire discography, so I would select a couple of my favorites for his signature each time I saw him. After all, even an insatiable autograph hound must exercise some discipline and discretion. As captivating and spell binding as McCoy was on stage, he was equally humble and self-effacing off stage. When he saw his first album cover, Meet The Jazztet, he laughed. "Look at me, I have my short pants on. Benny (Golson) and Art (Farmer) used to tease me. They said I was so young, I was still wearing short pants!" He was reflective when he signed the Coltrane albums. "We had some great times playing and we recorded some wonderful music." Yes they did.

***Today And Tomorrow (1963) signed by McCoy, Elvin Jones***

McCoy was once asked about his early influences. He said, "My mother gave me a choice. She said, 'Would you like to take singing lessons or piano?' I'm glad I chose piano." Thank you Mrs. Tyner, the jazz and music world are so much richer for your guidance and instruction.