Home » Jazz Articles » Live Review » McCoy Tyner Quartet / Stanley Clarke Quartet Featuring Hiromi

245

McCoy Tyner Quartet / Stanley Clarke Quartet Featuring Hiromi

By

Sign in to view read count
McCoy Tyner Quarter / Stanley Clarke Band Featuring Hiromi
CareFusion Jazz Festival, Central Park Summerstage
New York, NY
June 23, 2010

Contrary to what had been announced, pianist McCoy Tyner's all-star Quartet took to the stage with a very syncopated number, led by tenor saxophonist Ravi Coltrane. Bassist Esperanza Spalding followed his grooves with clever arpeggios, while drummer Francisco Mela accented his notes with incredible precision. The tune had a bit of a Latin vibe, which got Spalding into a certain comfort zone that allowed her to find her own place and develop from there.


It was clear from the outset that many fans were there for Spalding, and Tyner responded to that by giving her a lot of space. The fact that Coltrane seemed to have had some problems with his axe might have contributed to this (as the saxophonist took very few solos), but Spalding had a lot of space to exercise her prowess, to the delight of the fans, who loudly cheered her lengthy solos. Tyner had a number of solo instrumental interludes between numbers, and many inspiring solos, but it was clearly Spalding's night, and she took advantage of that by leaning back and forth as she found her voice within each tune—including a twelve-bar blues that closed a set that seemed to all too short.

After a short break, bassist Stanley Clarke took the stage with the same that played on his latest release, Stanley Clarke Band (Telarc, 2010). He looked extremely serious as he played the first number on electric bass, and when a fan screamed "School Days," he sternly turned and responded with a clear "no."

Throughout the first number, he seemed to feed from pianist Hiromi Uehara}, who frantically jumped and smiled as if becoming one with the piano. Clarke cheered her on with subtle notes, with drummer Ronald Bruner, Jr. picking up on them and adding improvised accents that made the audience feel as if they were at a rock concert. But then the pulse changed back to a simpler groove that reminded everyone what was going on: pure, spontaneous improvisation.

Clarke then turned to his upright, which he used for the remainder of the set, for Return to Forever's "No Mystery," where technical problems resulted in keyboardist Ruslan Sirota bravely taking over the bass line halfway through Uehara's solo. Clarke sat there in frustration for a while, but once the issue was resolved he returned to his usual self, adding clever notes to his lines as the tune continued.

One of the highlights from Clarke's set was a more electrified version of "Paradigm Shift," from Jazz In The Garden (Heads Up, 2009). In this new take, Clarke played the upright like an electric bass, which gave space for both Uehara and Sirota to exercise their individualities. He also paid tribute to the late Joe Henderson with a stirring take on the saxophonist's "Black Narcissus," which Clarke described as a "great masterpiece."

It was a stunning evening of great talent that deserved to be recorded for posterity.

Visit McCoy Tyner and Stanley Clarke on the web.

Comments

Tags


For the Love of Jazz
Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who create it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

You Can Help
To expand our coverage even further and develop new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for a modest $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination will vastly improve your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.
View events near New York City
Jazz Near New York City
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

More

Jazz article: The Cookers at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley
Jazz article: Julian Lage At Higher Ground

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.