McCoy Tyner

McCoy Tyner stood among the most revered and impactful jazz pianists of his time, celebrated for expansive modal harmonies, a robust two-handed approach built on block chords, and daring improvised phrases that incorporated elements from African and Eastern traditions. He joined Herbie Hancock, Bill Evans, and Chick Corea in reshaping the modern jazz piano aesthetic beginning in the 1960s, and his approach has continued to shape emerging players. Best known for his tenure in saxophonist John Coltrane’s celebrated quartet alongside bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Elvin Jones, Tyner also forged a distinguished path as a bandleader, issuing forward-thinking recordings such as 1967’s The Real McCoy, 1972’s Sahara, and 1980’s Horizon. These projects extended the innovations he helped develop during his contributions to Coltrane’s groundbreaking albums, among them 1961’s Africa/Brass, 1961’s My Favorite Things, and 1965’s A Love Supreme. He sustained this exploratory spirit throughout his life, writing for large ensembles and earning Grammy Awards for 1987’s Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane and 1992’s The Turning Point. Remaining active into his seventies, Tyner received the NEA Jazz Master designation in 2002 and secured another Grammy for 2004’s Illuminations, recorded with Christian McBride and Terence Blanchard. Subsequent partnerships included 2007’s McCoy Tyner Quartet, featuring Joe Lovano, and 2008’s Guitars, which showcased Bill Frisell, Béla Fleck, Derek Trucks, and additional guests. He further demonstrated his command of the instrument on 2009’s Solo: Live from San Francisco and 2013’s A Pair of Pianos with Larry Vuckovich.

Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1938 as the eldest of three siblings, Tyner grew up with a father, Jarvis Tyner, employed at a firm producing medicated cream who also sang in a church vocal ensemble, and a mother, Beatrice (Stevenson) Tyner, who worked as a beautician. She introduced him to the piano, arranging private lessons when he turned thirteen and providing practice time on the instrument in her salon. Tyner progressed rapidly, refining his abilities at the West Philadelphia Music School and the Granoff School of Music. As a teenager he encountered neighbor and bebop pianist Bud Powell, an early inspiration, while another lasting influence came from Thelonious Monk, whose percussive and structurally rigorous sound stayed central to Tyner’s aesthetic. Around age seventeen he embraced Islam through the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community and adopted the name Sulieman Saud, though he continued performing under McCoy Tyner. During the 1950s he attracted further notice performing in Philadelphia alongside Lee Morgan and brothers Percy and Jimmy Heath, and he led his own R&B outfit, the Houserockers. He also formed a friendship with saxophonist John Coltrane, at that time a member of trumpeter Miles Davis’s group. In 1959 Tyner joined saxophonist Benny Golson and trumpeter Art Farmer in the Jazztet, making his recording debut with the ensemble on 1960’s Meet the Jazztet, and he appeared on early sessions led by Freddie Hubbard and Julian Priester.

After six months with the Jazztet he departed to enter Coltrane’s soon-to-be landmark quartet with Garrison and Jones. Between 1960 and 1965 the group toured and recorded extensively, with Tyner applying his forceful tone and signature block-chord technique to landmark releases including 1961’s Africa/Brass, 1961’s My Favorite Things, 1961’s Olé Coltrane, 1962’s Coltrane, and the 1965 masterpiece A Love Supreme. The quartet’s profound artistic and personal connection also embraced Eastern musical concepts, such as pentatonic scales and fluid modal frameworks that reflected the group’s spiritual orientation.

While still with Coltrane, Tyner launched his own recording career, beginning with 1962’s Inception on Impulse Records, joined by bassist Art Davis and drummer Elvin Jones. Additional small-group dates for the label followed, among them 1963’s Reaching Fourth with drummer Roy Haynes and bassist Henry Grimes, 1964’s Today and Tomorrow featuring saxophonists John Gilmore and Frank Strozier, trumpeter Thad Jones, bassist Butch Warren, and Jones, and 1965’s McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington, again with his Coltrane-section colleagues. He also recorded with Joe Henderson, Art Blakey, Milt Jackson, and Wayne Shorter.

In 1965 Tyner left Coltrane to pursue his own direction, a decision coinciding with a broader American shift away from jazz toward rock and funk. He sustained himself through sideman work with Ike & Tina Turner and Jimmy Witherspoon yet stayed artistically focused, releasing forward-looking Blue Note albums such as 1967’s The Real McCoy with Joe Henderson, Ron Carter, and Elvin Jones. The following year brought Expansions, an even more ambitious session featuring trumpeter Woody Shaw, altoist Gary Bartz, tenor saxophonist Wayne Shorter, cellist Ron Carter, bassist Herbie Lewis, and drummer Freddie Waits. He remained a sought-after accompanist, appearing on dates with Donald Byrd, Stanley Turrentine, and Bobby Hutcherson.

Although he largely retained an acoustic foundation, Tyner’s music continued evolving during the fusion period. Signing with Milestone, he entered a phase of heightened productivity, beginning with 1970’s Extensions, an all-star sextet date that included harpist Alice Coltrane, altoist Gary Bartz, Wayne Shorter on tenor and soprano, Ron Carter, and Elvin Jones. He earned his first Grammy nomination for 1972’s Sahara, a pioneering work blending avant-garde and African-inflected sounds with saxophonist Sonny Fortune, bassist Calvin Hill, and drummer Alphonse Mouzon; the album also highlighted Tyner’s command of flute, percussion, and the Japanese koto. A steady stream of adventurous recordings followed throughout the decade, many featuring his quartet with saxophonist Azar Lawrence, including 1972’s Song for My Lady, 1973’s Enlightenment, and 1974’s Atlantis. 1976’s Trident, reuniting him with Carter and Jones, marked his first trio album in more than a decade and incorporated harpsichord and celeste alongside piano. During this era he also began composing for expanded forces, adding strings on 1976’s Fly with the Wind, a horn section and vocal group on 1977’s Inner Voices, and a big band on 1981’s 13th House.

Tyner next moved to Columbia for 1981’s La Leyenda de La Hora, which featured flutist Hubert Laws, vibraphonist Bobby Hutcherson, saxophonists Paquito d’Rivera and Chico Freeman, trumpeter Marcus Belgrave, and a seven-piece string section. The following year brought Looking Out, with guest appearances by vocalist Phyllis Hyman and guitarist Carlos Santana. He then joined Elektra for 1984’s Dimensions, a quintet date with altoist Gary Bartz, violinist John Blake, bassist John Lee, and drummer Wilby Fletcher. A collaboration with saxophonist Jackie McLean, It’s About Time, appeared in 1985. He also led a trio with bassist Avery Sharpe and drummer Louis Hayes, releasing albums such as 1985’s Major Changes with Frank Morgan, 1986’s Double Trios, and 1987’s Bon Voyage. That same year he received the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance, Group, for Blues for Coltrane: A Tribute to John Coltrane, recorded with bassist Cecil McBee, drummer Roy Haynes, and saxophonists Pharoah Sanders and David Murray. In the late 1980s he returned to Blue Note for three solo-piano sessions at New York’s Merkin Hall: Revelations, Things Ain’t What They Used to Be, and Soliloquy.

Throughout the 1990s Tyner maintained activity with his trio, issuing the Coltrane tribute Remembering John in 1991. He continued directing his big band, earning Grammys for Best Large Jazz Ensemble Performance with 1991’s The Turning Point and 1993’s Journey. Additional vigorous collaborations featured Joe Henderson, David Murray, Bobby Hutcherson, and Christian McBride. In 1995 he paired with saxophonist Michael Brecker for Infinity, securing the Grammy for Best Jazz Instrumental Performance (Individual or Group); Brecker also won for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo on their version of Coltrane’s “Impressions.” Tyner closed the decade with a Burt Bacharach-themed project, a trio album alongside Stanley Clarke and Al Foster, and an all-star Latin and Afro-Cuban session featuring Claudio Roditi, Steve Turre, Dave Valentin, and others.

Acoustic bop-oriented sessions marked the 2000s, starting with Jazz Roots: McCoy Tyner Honors Jazz Piano Legends of the 20th Century on Telarc in 2000, followed by McCoy Tyner Plays John Coltrane at the Village Vanguard in 2001 with bassist George Mraz and drummer Al Foster. He garnered further recognition as an NEA Jazz Master in 2002. In 2004 he received his fifth Grammy for Illuminations, leading a quintet with Terence Blanchard, Gary Bartz, Christian McBride, and Lewis Nash. The next year he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music. Another studio recording, McCoy Tyner Quartet, arrived in 2007 with saxophonist Joe Lovano, bassist McBride, and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts. Guitars appeared in 2008, presenting Tyner in a trio with Ron Carter and Jack DeJohnette while spotlighting string specialists Marc Ribot, John Scofield, Béla Fleck, Derek Trucks, and Bill Frisell. He performed unaccompanied on 2009’s Solo: Live from San Francisco and reunited with Larry Vuckovich for the 2013 duo album A Pair of Pianos. Tyner died at his New Jersey home on March 6, 2020, at the age of 81.