The Energizer bunny of jazz piano
Eric C. Sedensky | Madison, AL, US | 12/26/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I recently read an article in the Wall Street Journal about McCoy Tyner's new recording, Guitars, which came out shortly before his 70th birthday. That means that McCoy is still playing away, and even though Afro Blue is a compilation (made two years ago), most of these tracks were recorded fairly recently. And while the title suggests something different, this is heavy with a Latin tint, highlighted by the Mongo Santamaria title track and the Kenny Dorham classic, "Blue Bossa", both featuring the Latin All-Stars. Tyner's solos on his own "You Taught My Heart to Sing" and especially on Gershwin's "Summertime" are absolutely phenomenal. The other tracks are typical Tyner: always with a strong backing band, always intriguingly melodic, and always full of Tyner's signature block chords and elegant solos. For those who just need a dose of Tyner, this is a highly recommendable recording that saves having to buy five recordings to get these tracks separately. Myself, I like Tyner enough to have gotten the original albums these came out on. Anyway, this is a great compilation that give a the listener a lot of exposure to McCoy Tyner's many different facets.
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Just what one can expect
Phil Kasiecki | 06/14/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Being a fan of McCoy Tyner already, I had my expectation for this CD, and it was definitely met. It's a wonderful listen all the way through, as one would expect. He's such a master at his craft that he carries the song at points and provides inflections at others where another instrument takes over for the moment.
Little did I know when I first bought this CD that it's a compilation. That was a surprise just for the fact of it; it doesn't change the high quality of this CD either way, as it's a great listen."
Question
M. T. Barron | 07/14/2009
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Sterling performances by all players, generally speaking; but who is playing the sax on "Thousand Eyes"?"
Track Listings (8) - Disc #1