Vinyl Vault: McCoy Tyner, "Reflections"

The Vinyl Vault will feature McCoy Tyner from the early 1970s. The featured album will be “Reflections,” released on Milestone Records in 1981. “Reflections” is a retrospective album of some of Tyner’s work on the label during the 1970s. We’ll hear tracks that were originally released on the “Sahara” and “Song for My Lady” albums.

 In the early 70s, Tyner worked with drummer Alphonse Mouzon, who appeared on all the recordings we’ll hear Tuesday night. Mouzon was such a powerhouse that after he left the band, Tyner needed two percussionists to replace him. Other musicians on these tracks included Sonny Fortune on sax and flute, Calvin Hill on bass, Charles Tolliver on flugelhorn, and Michael White on violin.

After Tyner left John Coltrane’s band in the mid-1960s, he spent considerable time in the woodshed perfecting and expanding his already formidable style. During his time with Coltrane, Tyner was a highly regarded pianist, but when he reemerged in the early 1970s, his playing had vaulted to a much higher level, and the tracks on “Reflections” are prime examples.

Check out McCoy Tyner with Geoff Anderson on the next Vinyl Vault on Tuesday, July 1 at 8:30 p.m. on KUVO JAZZ.