|
McCoy Tyner, renowned contemporary acoustic pianist and composer in the jazz tradition, began studying the instrument at thirteen and has been performing professionally since he was fifteen. By high
school, McCoy began to pursue his own course in the field of jazz as his
life's work, developing a highly percussive model approach to the piano
as a result of years of constant practice, as well as performances with
many well known and local musicians leading up to and including the great
John Coltrane Quartet.McCoy
claims Bud Powell, Thelonius Monk, and Art Tatum as his early musical
influences. He met Bud Powell when he was sixteen years old. The high
point of that meeting was when Bud Powell came to his house one afternoon
and played McCoy's spinet piano. During his high school breaks, McCoy
would commute from Philadelphia to Atlantic City to perform in clubs with
many jazz artists.Shortly
after graduating from high school in 1959, saxophonist Benny Golson
approached him offering him a gig in San Francisco at the Jazz Workshop.
Golson, along with trumpeter Art Farmer, was instrumental in getting
McCoy situated in New York before forming the Jazztet. McCoy broke into
the recording business with the album "Meet the Jazztet."Although
first noticed in 1959 in the Jazztet, McCoy Tyner secured his place in
the early and mid 1960's in the epocal Coltrane Quartet with drummer
Elvin Jones and bassist Jimmy Garrison. Tyner has been leading
uncompromising combos ever since. He has made memorable music with George
Benson, Arthur Blythe, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson,
Hubert Laws, Jackie McLean, David Murray, Paquito D'Rivera, Sonny
Rollins, John Scofield, Michael Brecker, and many others. McCoy
Tyner tours throughout the United States, Europe, and Japan and currently
lives in New York City.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
