Mccoy Tyner Illuminations CD

This is a hybrid Super Audio CD playable on both regular and Super Audio CD players.
Personnel: McCoy Tyner (piano); Gary Bartz (saxophone); Terence Blanchard (trumpet); Christian McBride (bass instrument); Lewis Nash (drums).
In his mid-'60s at the time of this pair of studio sessions, McCoy Tyner is hardly the prototype of a musician re-creating past hits, instead he signals that he still has a few surprises up his sleeve. One thing apparent right away in his opener, "Illuminations," is that he is willing to stay in the background a good deal of the time, focusing the spotlight on bandmembers Terence Blanchard, Gary Bartz, Christian McBride, and Lewis Nash. The leader's driving Latin-flavored "Angelina" features his intricate solo as its centerpiece, though his instrument still seems mixed into the background. Perhaps the greatest surprise among his own works is the playful strutting "New Orleans Stomp," in which his down-home piano will lift a few eyebrows, accompanied by Blanchard's almost vocal-like trumpet. "The Chase" is a brief but rapid-fire workout with the rhythm section that will sound more familiar to longtime fans of Tyner. Bartz penned the strident post-bop vehicle "Soulstice," while Blanchard contributed the moody "Blessings," which blends a dark bass vamp with an uplifting Latin-flavored unison line by the two horns. McBride's "West Philly Tone Poem" features his warm arco bass in an inspired duet with the leader. The trio of standards heard here include "Alone Together" featuring Blanchard's sassy trumpet, while the relaxed but upbeat "If I Should Lose You" finds Bartz switching to soprano sax. This is yet another essential release by the always enjoyable McCoy Tyner. ~ Ken Dryden
ILLUMINATIONS finds McCoy Tyner, some 40 years after his best-known work (as a member of John Coltrane's legendary early-1960s quartet), still kicking. Tyner's energies as a session leader, composer, and ever-progressive musician haven't flagged since the mid-'60's, when the pianist started heading his own dates. On this 2004 album, as per usual, Tyner has surrounded himself with some of the finest personnel in jazz, including bassist Christian McBride, sax player Gary Bartz, and trumpeter Terence Blanchard.
Tyner's music is appealing for its balance of familiar hard-bop vocabulary and intricately wrought structures--it is rhythmic and accessible, yet intellectually engaging. Tyner plays with great vigor, mixing virtuoso classical flourishes with bold chords and dazzlingly complex solos. His compositions here touch on avant-bebop ("The Chase"), Latin groove ("Angelina"), and smooth swing (the title track--on which all the musicians get a chance to stretch out). Blanchard's playing is especially notable, substantiating the melody lines in the chorus and blazing on the solos (as on "New Orleans Stomp," driven by a classic second-line beat). The high quality of music here--in conception and execution--should come as no surprise to long-time fans of Tyner or his sidemen.JazzTimes (p.94) - "[I]n terms of playing quality, thematic variety and expressiveness it's about as good as it gets in the current marketplace....Anyone who's seen McCoy Tyner in concert the past couple of years knows he's still playing fierce, uncompromising and delightful music."