McCoy Tyner Quartet February 19, 2009

Schwab Auditorium

A National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master, pianist McCoy Tyner has helped to shape modern jazz with his blues-based style. Tyner, whose sophisticated chords and explosively percussive left hand have created one of the most identifiable sounds in improvised music, was part of the seminal 1960s quartet fronted by saxophonist John Coltrane and backed by drummer Elvin Jones and bassist Jimmy Garrison. Tyner’s first recording with Coltrane, with whom he shared an unusually close friendship, was the classic album My Favorite Things. He also performed on the acclaimed Coltrane albums Live at the Village Vanguard and Impressions, plus the signature suite A Love Supreme. Tyner, who has performed variously as a bandleader, soloist, and sideman, has released almost eighty albums and won four Grammy Awards. The Philadelphia native continues to leave his mark on generations of improvisers, and yet he remains a modest and spiritual man. “Whether he’s performing solo or leading a big band or small group,” notes jazz writer Bob Young, “the orchestral atmosphere produced by his improvising is rich in warmth, intensity, and meditative, tender beauty.”

Official Website: http://www.cpa.psu.edu