The Impulse Story

• Artist: McCoy Tyner
• Rating:
• Release Date: June 06, 2006
• Type: Compilation (best of)
• Genre: Jazz

Review

McCoy Tyner proved early on he was one of the most versatile pianists in jazz. His star, of course, rose with his boss John Coltrane's, yet Tyner held a separate identity in the music. His volume on the Impulse Story series is a fine picture of his creativity, discipline, and wide-ranging ability to play inside and outside the tradition. There are 11 cuts collected here. The set opens with Tyner's arrangement of "Greensleeves" used on Coltrane's Ballads album. There are two -- "Speak Low" and "Effendi" -- from his own label debut, Inception (with drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Art Davis); and another pair of cuts -- "Groove Waltz" and "Star Eyes" -- off Nights of Ballads and Blues. The rest of the material is taken from an assortment of records from his own titles -- Live at Newport, Today and Tomorrow, and McCoy Tyner Plays Ellington -- and those of others on the label such as "Blues Back" from Art Blakey's A Jazz Message, and "Oriental Flower" from the Jones-Jimmy Garrison outing Illumination! This is a cogent portrait of the artist from his tenure at Impulse, and showcases everything from the modal technique used with Coltrane to his unique voicings on standards, and his compositional skills as well. This is an excellent introduction. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide

Tracks

Track Title	Composers	Performers	Time
Greensleeves [45-RPM Take]	Traditional	McCoy Tyner	(3:40)
Speak Low	Kurt Weill, Ogden Nash	McCoy Tyner	(6:16)
Effendi	McCoy Tyner	McCoy Tyner	(6:39)
Reaching Fourth	McCoy Tyner	McCoy Tyner	(4:20)
Groove Waltz	McCoy Tyner	McCoy Tyner	(5:30)
Star Eyes	Gene DePaul, Don Raye	McCoy Tyner	(5:03)
Newport Romp	McCoy Tyner	McCoy Tyner	(7:47)
Blues Back	McCoy Tyner	McCoy Tyner	(5:22)
Oriental Flower	McCoy Tyner	McCoy Tyner	(3:48)
Three Flowers	McCoy Tyner	McCoy Tyner	(10:13)
Searchin'	Steve Allen, Duke Ellington	McCoy Tyner	(4:32)

Credits

Frank Strozier (Sax (Alto)), Elvin Jones (Drums), Jayme Pieruzzi (Mastering), Ashley Kahn (Liner Notes), Steve Davis (Bass), Bob Irwin (Mastering), Kazumi Matsumoto (Design), Charles Davis (Sax (Baritone)), McCoy Tyner (Piano), Bob Thiele (Producer), John Gilmore (Sax (Tenor)), Thad Jones (Trumpet), Bob Gomel (Photography), Art Davis (Bass), Roy Haynes (Drums), Art Blakey (Drums), Sonny Stitt (Sax (Alto)), John Coltrane (Sax (Soprano)), Bryan Koniarz (Supervisor), Bob Cranshaw (Bass), McCoy Tyner (Arranger), Sherniece Smith (Art Producer), Chuck Stewart (Photography), Henry Grimes (Bass), Ashley Kahn (Sequencing), Lex Humphries (Drums), Hollis King (Art Direction), Butch Warren (Bass), Clark Terry (Trumpet), Mickey Roker (Drums), Charlie Mariano (Sax (Alto)), Ashley Kahn (Compilation), Johnny Pacheco (Percussion), Sonny Simmons (Horn (English)), Jim Marshall (Photography), Willie Rodriguez (Percussion), Robert Flynn (Design), Jimmy Garrison (Bass), Prince Lasha (Clarinet)