The Real McCoy - McCoy Tyner

May

23

The Real McCoy - McCoy Tyner

≡ Category: 1960s, Essential, Post Bop, Reviews |
≅ Written by: Michael Kydonieus

JAZZBO NOTES ESSENTIAL RECORDING

Rating:

The Real McCoy was the start of McCoy Tyner’s modern period, which would eventually reach it’s peak during the Milestone years.

On The Real McCoy, Tyner’s playing wasn’t as blistering as it would later become, but he was already delving into modal playing and composing, and he’s got a killer band to help him along: drummer Elvin Jones, bassist Ron Carter, and saxophonist Joe Henderson.

The opener, Passion Dance, has one of Tyner’s signature melodies, simple but full of rhythmic hooks. Tyner’s solo is a simplified version of what he would be doing later. He’s playing clusters, but they aren’t all that dense. His melodic lines and chords still dance around the tonality of the piece, but in ways that are still pretty easy to track. That is not to say that what his playing lacks interest — not at all. It’s just that on the intensity scale, this is pretty mellow for McCoy Tyner. When it’s Joe Henderson’s turn to solo, he’s beautiful. He was at his most adventurous at this point in his career. His basic tone is full and pretty, but he explores the effects that are possible on the tenor, although never at the expense of lyricism. His lines are creative but always relate to the structure of the tune in tangible ways. Elvin has a short solo in which he brilliantly plays pulse while never losing the groove. When he’s playing behind Henderson, he feeds him rhythmic ideas, pushes him, and reflects what he’s playing, providing brilliant support. After a restatement of the theme, both Tyner and Henderson solo, while Elvin raises the stakes by superimposing a 12/8 time feel over the 4/4 of the tune. This is a classic tune, and a great performance.

The next tune, Contemplation, has a minor blues feel, but it isn’t really a blues. It’s a slow 6/8, and has a pretty unique feel. Tyner indulges in some keyboard pyrotechnics, but not to the extent that he would in later recordings. Overall, it’s a disciplined performance that fits the title of the tune.

Four By Five has a tricky, memorable head that leads straight into the solos. I couldn’t quite get a handle on what Tyner is doing in terms of time in this composition, but Elvin and Ron Carter maintain a powerful swing feel through the solo sections.

The Search For Peace is a beautiful ballad, with a bridge in which Carter plays a pedal point. The focus is squarely on lyricism.

The final tune is Blues On The Corner, which feels like a tribute to McCoy’s days growing up in Philly. It’s a cheerfully rambunctious blues, with a perky head that interpolates a little altered harmony, just to keep things interesting.

The Real McCoy ends up being a varied set of material, all brilliantly played. For fans of McCoy Tyner’s Milestone years, it’ll seem a bit conservative, but it’s damned good for what it is.