Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » McCoy Tyner: Illuminations
McCoy Tyner: Illuminations
Tyner leads a truly all-star quintet (trumpeter Terence Blanchard, saxophonist Gary Bartz, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash) through a set that includes four Tyner originals, three standards and tunes by three of his bandmates. Highlights include Tyner's energetic, Latin-flavored "Angelina," Blanchard's lively "Blessings" and McBride's "West Philly Tone Poem," a quietly evocative duet feature for piano and bass. A minor revelation for longtime Tyner fans is his "New Orleans Stomp," a boisterous, down-home Big Easy shuffle that's far closer in spirit to Armstrong than Coltrane.
With absolutely nothing left to prove, Tyner is exceedingly generous to his stellar sidemen, giving all of them, including the rhythm section, plenty of room to solo. Bartz, a frequent Tyner collaborator since the late '60s, switches from alto to soprano sax on a touching rendition of "If I Should Lose You." And Blanchard, as good a trumpeter as there is in jazz at the moment, steps to the fore on "Alone Together," blowing moodily over McBride's bass while the rest of the band bows out. While Tyner stays in the background more than usual, he shows (as if there were any doubters) that he's still the real McCoy on "The Chase," a fast, furious romp with McBride and Nash.
McCoy Tyner has released dozens of brilliant albums as a leader over the past five decades. Illuminations is another fine addition to the Tyner canon.
Track Listing
Angelina; New Orleans Stomp; Come Rain or Come Shine; Soulstice; Blessings; If I Should Lose You; The Chase; West Philly Tone Poem; Alone Together.
Personnel
McCoy Tyner
pianoMcCoy Tyner, piano; Terence Blanchard, trumpet; Gary Bartz, saxophone; Christian McBride, bass; Lewis Nash, drums.
Album information
Title: Illuminations | Year Released: 2004 | Record Label: Telarc Records
About McCoy Tyner
Tags
PREVIOUS / NEXT
Become a Sustaining Member
Since 1995, All About Jazz has championed jazz as an art form and supported the musicians who create it. Over three decades, it has grown into one of the world's leading jazz resources, serving hundreds of thousands of readers, musicians, presenters and industry professionals each month.
Help Build the Future of All About Jazz
Your support helps us continue building All About Jazz for the next generation—expanding our editorial coverage, preserving jazz history, developing new community features and creating better ways to discover the music and the people behind it.
Become a sustaining member for as little as $20 per year and you'll immediately enjoy an ad-free experience along with access to subscriber features and future articles for a full year.
Together, we're not simply sustaining All About Jazz—we're building its future. Thank you for being part of the journey.
