Customer Reviews

Solo: Live From San Francisco (Dig)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Many of the most important musicians burn very brightly for a brief period of time, and then fade away quickly. A rare few, like McCoy Tyner, have long careers marked by consistent brilliance. What makes McCoy Tyner's career even more remarkable is that his playing is as vigorous and youthful as ever.

One might be wary of the thought of Tyner playing solo. While lively players like Art Tatum thrived on solo performances in the earlier days of jazz, the format has been more recently associated with mellower Keith Jarrett types, and those of us who worship at the alter of McCoy Tyner like to hear the great one pounding away at the keys like a madman. Right from the first track here-- a thunderous rendition of African Village-- McCoy plays with an intensity that cannot be matched by players one third of his age. Throughout the rest of the album, McCoy shows an understanding of dynamic tension that few other musicians in any genre demonstrate. He understands that the crashing chords for which he is best known have their greatest effect when they are contrasted with more quiet moments. In fact, McCoy's use of dynamic tension has only improved with age. Compare, for example, one of his more recent live efforts, like McCoy Tyner Plays John Coltrane, with his early albums on Impulse. Like on the Plays John Coltrane album, McCoy demonstrates both intelligent use of dynamics and his patented intensity here, emphasizing the loud by contrasting it with quiet. There are even a few whimsical moments (rare for McCoy), such as on In A Mellow Tone. Tyner is in fine form throughout this album, and his playing does not suffer one bit from the absence of a rhythm section. This may not be the greatest piece of work in McCoy's vast and impressive catalog, but any fan of McCoy Tyner can buy this with confidence.

I wanted to give this recording 2.5 stars but rated it four stars because I am a real fan of McCoy Tyner and I would buy almost anything he releases, which is why I purchased this CD.

However, this is not my favorite recording. Having attended many of his SF Bay area gigs and possessing many of his live recordings from those gigs I found that the recording was well done but lacks the presence or atmosphere that a live recording should have. I really did not feel as involved as much as I have with his other live recordings.

The material was well chosen but the performance seemed geared towards recording a CD rather than to pleasing an audience.

If you are like me you will buy this CD anyway. It was nice to hear him solo.

If you are a newbie to McCoy, then "Quartet" or "Infinity" would be better choices.

Enjoy!

An outstanding performance! Tyner's mastery of the keyboard is evident. A true virtuoso whose skills just shine in this solo performance