Customer Reviews

Reaching Fourth

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4 star:		(1)
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This album is quite interesting as many of McCoy's non-Trane features (both as a leader and sideman) usually featured Elvin Jones on drums and Reggie Workman (both Coltrane alumnus) or Ron Carter on bass, while Reaching Fourth has a different trio format. What we have here is part of Roy Haynes's working group, Roy Haynes on drums and henry Grimes on bass. Although Haynes and Tyner played together in the John Coltrane Quartet (when Elvin was unavailable) it is quite interesting to hear the strikingly different interaction between the three. The difference here probably lies in the fact that Coltrane was looking for someone (Haynes) to replace Elvin, while with McCoy in charge, he seems to be looking for a whole new and different "group" experience. The members of the trio all play strong here and have pleanty of solo space where they shine... Highly fun and recommended, especially the first song, Reaching Fourth, a McCoy Tyner original which has some extrodinarily high quality soloing by both Haynes and Grimes.

Anyone who was confused by other reviews of this product, might want to read this quick history of Tyner, Coltrane, Monk and Haynes; which is interestingly tied together through the 1957-62 period.

Coltrane & Monk first played together April 16, 1957 on the tune "Monk's Mood" and in June and July of that year for nine more songs which have all been issued on Monk's Complete Riverside sessions. Coltrane only played live during the rest of this time with Monk (July 18 till December 16 1957). Oddly enough Roy Haynes & Coltrane first played together September 11, 1958 at the Five Spot, NYC when both Coltrane and Haynes sat in the Thelonious Monk Quartet for five tunes, now issued on Thelonious Monk's Complete Blue Note Recordings (Disc 4). This single performance and Tyner's album REACHING FOURTH must have made an impression, as Coltrane would enlist Haynes later. As for Tyner & Coltrane, they first played together June 27, 1960 in a Coltrane led Quartet which appeared at the Jazz Gallery, NYC for 2 shows and the Showboat in Philly for 4 shows the next month; all of which are unreleased as commercial products. Tyner & Coltrane's first studio session together was September 8, 1960 at United Recorders in Los Angeles; producing "Mr Day (aka One And Four)," "Exotica" & "Like Sonny (aka Simple Like)" for Roulette. Their next session, which was their first together for Atlantic, and also the first time Tyner & Elvin Jones played together with Coltrane was on October 21, 1960 for the songs "Village Blues" and "My Favorite Things". And finally, it wasn't until November 2, 1961 that Tyner and Haynes first played together for what is now Coltrane's The Complete Village Vanguard sessions, but strangely enough only on the first song of the night "Chasin' Another Trane," after which Haynes is replaced by Elvin Jones. Tyner plays for a total of 5 songs, comping on only the first with Haynes. As a side note, Tyner & Workman first played together when Workman joined the Africa Brass session on May 23, 1961. So, to sum up; REACHING FOURTH is the first studio session Tyner & Haynes ever recorded together, though they had played one song together at the Village Vanguard previously and would continue to work together in the Coltrane Quartet later whenever Elvin was unavailable. I hope this elucidates, rather than further confuses Jazzophiles.

The grat McCoy is a great pianist who has many admirers within the genre of jazz.