Burning Dervish

This, like pretty much all of McCoy's first solo releases on Impulse!, is great fodder for debate amongst jazz heads. One most of the tracks on his Impulse! albums McCoy often sounds like a different player than the propulsive dynamo who occupied the piano bench for Coltrane.

His first few sides were piano trio line-ups and he finally started asserting himself, through his own compostions, on 1963's Today and Tomorrow...

Live at Newport has some great playing, though mainly in the hardbop style, but an even better back story. Let me quote from Stephen Erlewine's All Music Guide review:

"Live at Newport was the first live recording McCoy Tyner led...According to Willis Conover's original liner notes, Tyner was worn out from playing Montreal the night before, and he was paired with three musicians he'd never played with before (trumpeter Clark Terry, alto saxophonist Charlie Mariano, and bassist Bob Cranshaw), two of who were using borrowed instruments. Given such chaotic circumstances, it's not surprising that the quintet (also featuring drummer Mickey Roker, a former colleague of Tyner's) chose to play two standards, plus Tyner's "Monk's Blues," Dizzy Gillespie's "Woody 'n' You," and the improvised opening jam, "Newport Romp." What is a surprise is that not only does the group hold together, but they excel. They sound empathetic, as if they've played many times before, yet there are enough sparks to signal that they're still unsure of what the other will play. The results are thoroughly compelling and unpredictable, even when it's just a Tyner showcase, like "Monk's Blues." Essentially a solo showcase with support from Cranshaw and Roker, Tyner really pushes on this number, beginning it as a Monk homage and pushing it to continually inventive territory. It's the riskiest playing on the record from Tyner, but just because Live at Newport isn't as risky as his work with Coltrane during the early '60s doesn't mean it's limp or complacent...accessible but stimulating, engaging and vibrant from beginning to end."

Erlewine clearly loves this record. I like it a lot.

McCoy Tyner - Monk's Blues and Woody'n You
from Live at Newport

Got turned onto this one by the same guy who hooked me up with the Eddie Fisher album I mentioned a couple of weeks ago...

One of Muddy's two late-60s electric records on Cadet, backed by session men Charles Stepney, Phil Upchurch, Louis Satterfield, and Morris Jennings.

Muddy Waters through a fuzztone - absolutely incredible.

Muddy Waters
Ramblin Mind
from After the Rain

Now here's a dance record...don't think I am lame for quoting Amazon's review: "Spanish Harlem Orchestra's United We Swing does more than just make you want to dance. The joyous collection will likely incite a full-scale house party, complete with flowy dresses, sparkly jewelry, and silky, unbuttoned shirts. The disc plays like an actual live performance, a tight mix of passion and precision. Bandleader Oscar Hernandez even introduces the entire outfit on the opening track. Horns blare, percussion pulses, and a voice of choruses guides several numbers...and the bilingual "Late in the Evening-Tarde en la Noche" features an inspired guest spot by Paul Simon, who matches the group's swelling enthusiasm. Swing does just that--and so much more."

Spanish Harlem Orchestra:
Late in the Evening (with Paul Simon)
from United We Swing

Originally released in June 1963, Today and Tomorrow is the mid-point release in his first years as a solo artist, the half-way mark in his set of recordings for the Impulse! label.

While an imperfect record, Today and Tomorrow represents an early peak in McCoy's long solo career - and the first to give a serious hint of the type of pianist and composer he would become over the next 10 - 15 years....

There are two different line-ups featured on this record. The first is a stellar sextet featuring Thad Jones on trumpet, Frank Strozier on alto, Sun Ra's John Gilmore on tenor, Butch Warren on bass, Elvin Jones on drums and of course McCoy on the piano bench. The second is a trio made up of McCoy, bassist Jimmy Garrison and drummer Albert "Tootie" Heath.

The six tracks with the trio are mostly standards (with the exception of the McCoy original Flapstick Blues, included below), with lovely takes on A Night and Tunisia and Autumn Leaves leading the way but it is the sextet's versions of two McCoy originals, featured below, that are the album's highlights.

McCoy Tyner from Today and Tomorrow:
sextet: Contemporary Focus and Three Flowers;
trio: Flapstick Blues

Another review for MOG, the music blog/community site...read it here.

Here are a bunch of my other jazz-related posts.

I was asked to review this CD for MOG, the music blog/community site. Rather than post the review here I will keep it exclusive to them and link you on over...check it out.

Let me know if the review is helpful or what you think it you end up owning the music.

A long road trip several week's back with all of the music programmed by my co-pilot introduced me to this gem: Eddie Fisher and the Next One Hundred Years

I have been struggling to aptly describe this record so went poking around online...here is what Muze has to say:

"Early 1970s jazz-funk, from a little-known guitarist who uses wah-wah pedal and post-psychedelic textures on an instrumental album that carries echoes of both early Funkadelic...and the Mahavishnu Orchestra's more pastoral moments...Eddie Fisher's fresh approach avoids both rock and jazz clichés in a compelling, bluesy style that's augmented by period-sounding electric piano and linear, BITCHES BREW-era Miles Davis-style arrangements."

Right. Exactly! Ha.

Reminds me a bit of James Blood Ulmer in spots, too. Most of the record is just wah-ed out guitar and bass but the track posted here is the album's epic and includes some bad ass (seemingly electric) violin.

Eddie Fisher - Beautiful Things
from Eddie Fisher and the Next One Hundred Years