The Real McCoy

1	Passion Dance 8:44
2	Contemplation 9:10
3	Four by Five 6:33
4	Search for Peace 6:27
5	Blues on the Corner 5:58

Barnes & Noble

In 1967, one year after being replaced in John Coltrane's band and three months before Coltrane's death, McCoy Tyner and Elvin Jones recorded Tyner's Blue Note debut. It's a pure distillation of the strengths that McCoy brought to Coltrane -- the ringing left-hand chords, the crashing clusters of fourths in the right hand, and the tumbling-down-the-hill solo style -- that make him one of the most influential jazz pianists of the past 40 years. It also showcases McCoy's debt to Trane -- the compositional devotion to modes and the spiritual intensity evident from note one of "Passion Dance." Elvin's carpet of rhythm behind Tyner was, after all this time, inevitable, and Joe Henderson and Ron Carter heroically muscle into this musical marriage. Tyner has recorded in numerous contexts over the past 30 years -- from solo standards to Latin jazz to a collaboration with Stephane Grappelli -- but this is the template for his impressive career, the real McCoy. Lee Jeske

All Music Guide

Two and a half years after his last recording as a leader for Impulse, pianist McCoy Tyner emerged to start a period on Blue Note that would result in seven albums. Having left John Coltrane's Quartet in late 1965, Tyner was entering a period of struggle, although artistically his playing grew quite a bit in the late '60s. For this release, the pianist is teamed with tenor saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Ron Carter, and drummer Elvin Jones for five of his originals. Highlights of the easily recommended album include "Passion Dance," "Four by Five," and "Blues on the Corner." Scott Yanow