DLuebbert
DLuebbert
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McCoy Tyner - "Giant Steps" solo piano (Hamburg 1996, live concert)

Posted about 4 years ago
Total mastery here. He's stretching the form like taffy. Tyner played this many times with John Coltrane, the "Giant Steps" composer, during the early days of the Coltrane Quartet. The only recordings that were made, though, were in-the-club bootlegs that I've never heard. If anyone knows how to get a listen to those, please let me know."Giant Steps" performances can sound like cars racing around a race track. Tyner's extremely fleet, but he suspends the race briefly several times and kind of dams the tune up, while he plays gigantic ringing left-hand chords and right hand trills. When he lets the tune flow again, his lines jet away, pressurized like water out of a firehose.
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Comments (5)

  1. FastRMacR
    FastRMacR says I saw this wonderful man here in Denver in a great club which is sadly no longer (Vartan's). Is it just me or does this piece emanate Art Tatum's brilliant style?
    Permalink posted 01/02/2008
  2. Bartleby
    Bartleby says What I enjoy about YT is the opportunity it offers us to peep on an artist's magic, as it were. I really like watching Tyner's musicianship, the way his hands move on the piano, the pressure of his fingers on the keys. Just magnificent. Thanks for posting this. (I must get my hands on some real McCoy)
    Permalink posted 01/02/2008
  3. DLuebbert
    DLuebbert says Bartleby, did you see Burningdervishes shout out to McCoy's "The Real McCoy" album this morning? I second all the praise he has for that one. Joe Henderson, Elvin Jones and Ron Carter are on that. That's his best, I think. Some of the other McCoy great albums under McCoy's name are "Enlightenment", a live recording with Azar Lawrence, Joony Booth, and Al Mouzon, "Sahara" and "Song For My Lady" with Sonny Fortune, "Asante" with Andrew White, "Extensions" with Wayne Shorter and Alice Coltrane, and "Inception" with Elvin and Garrison. I just listened to his new "Quartet" album with Joe Lovano, Christian McBride and Tain Watts for the first time yesterday. Certainly worth listening to.
    Permalink posted 01/02/2008
  4. Bartleby
    Bartleby says Just popped over to Burningdervish's page and added him on my trusted list. Thanks for the recommendation.
    Permalink posted 01/03/2008
  5. RSchaut
    RSchaut says "Giant Steps" performances can sound like cars racing around a race track. Isn't that rather the point, though--the "race track" in "Gaint Steps" being the circle of fifths? I don't know. I've never been all that good with music theory.
    Permalink posted 01/08/2008

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