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MCCOY TYNER


Morganized

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OK, what did you guys think about Mr. Tyner's performance tonight? It was my first time to see Tyner and I am glad that I did. He seems to be showing his age a bit but the guy can still play! Wow.

Although quite a showman, I did not find his bassist to be that strong. I did not catch his name or the name of his drummer who did a nice job I think.

It was not the best show I have seen at the Jazz Fest. (that award would go to Wayne Shorter) but I am glad I was able to catch it. I don't think the open air venue is McCoy's best setting but it was enjoyable if not earth moving. I would love to catch his act in a club or small concert hall sometime.

So, what did you think?

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I didn't make it. Who was on bass?

I didn't catch his name. McCoy announced it, of course, but I missed it. Was hoping someone that attended caught the bassist and the drummer's name. It was an enjoyable show as I mentioned. McCoy's playing was predictable, but amazing nonetheless. He was very strong. Started with a tune from his most recent album, "Angelina" folowed by an Ellington tune "In a Mellow Tone", included something from Tender Moments I believe and several more tunes, a couple of which I did not recognize. The bassist was quite good but seemed TO ME to be having some trouble with his tone. I remember at one point McCoy repeated a call a number of times until he received the response he was looking for. In my opinion the first reponses from the bassist were off in tone and out of place. Still, overall a good show.

Edited by Morganized
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Just noticed a review of show in Dallas Morning News today. Appears the bassist was a stand in.

McCoy Tyner is still full of surprises

REVIEW: Legendary pianist opens Denton Jazz Fest

01:23 AM CDT on Sunday, April 29, 2007

By THOR CHRISTENSEN / The Dallas Morning News

tchristensen@dallasnews.com

DENTON --- McCoy Tyner would still be a legend if he’d quit playing music when he was 26 in 1964. That’s the year he lent his unpredictable piano work to John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme – arguably the greatest jazz album ever made.

But he’s spent the last 40 years redefining jazz piano while testing out new sounds, new bands and new ideas. Friday night, he kicked off the Denton Arts & Jazz Festival at Denton Civic Center Park in full improv mode: You never knew he was going to do next, and of course, neither did he.

As thrilling as that could be, not all his experiments worked. Mr. Tyner, 68, and drummer Eric Kamau Gravatt had trouble meshing with bassist Curtis Lundy, a temporary stand-in for usual bassist Gerald Cannon.

Mr. Tyner’s solos on the Steinway grand were also hit-and-miss. At his best, he turned sweet melodies into bold hallucinations, like the Duke Ellington tune he transformed into a thundering hailstorm.

But he struggled to find the groove in other tunes, and after a mere 40 minutes, he waved farewell. Even with encores, the show lasted barely 60 minutes – less a concert than an appetizer.

He began the set with a bang in “Angelina,” his own composition from 2004’s Illuminations. Hard-driving and spiked with Cuban rhythms, it perfectly captured the percussive side of Mr. Tyner’s playing.

Later, he whipped out power chords and serpentine riffs that recalled A Love Supreme before venturing into the African-tinged jazz he pioneered on his‘70s albums.

Mr. Gravatt fueled the African sounds with his explosive beats, and his solos provided the high points of the set. Even if Mr. Tyner wasn’t in peak form, his drummer was never short of dazzling.

You couldn’t have picked a lovelier night for an outdoor concert, and several thousand attentive jazz fans packed the park to see Mr. Tyner perform. The projection screen was a nice touch for fans way in back – although the trippy video effects were questionable: Watching musicians blend into asteroids and comets is an amusing image, but it’s better suited for a Pink Floyd tribute band than a jazz trio.

DETAILS: The Denton Arts & Jazz Festival continues Saturday, 10 a.m. – 11 p.m. and Sunday 10:30 a.m. – 9 p.m. at Denton Civic Center Park, 321 East McKinney, Denton. Free. 940-565-0931. Susan Tedeschi headlines Saturday at 9 p.m.; Brave Combo headlines Sunday at 7 p.m.

www.dentonjazzfest.com

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