The late, great McCoy Tyner did not play on John Coltrane's breakthrough album Giant Steps; that fell on pianist Tommy Flanagan. But McCoy was still undeterred from performing the fearsome composition himself. Here he is in Hamburg, 1996, in a solo performance of the title track, generally considered one of the most difficult in all of jazz composition. The altered chord progression cycles, known as the Coltrane changes, led Trane and others to further experimentation with improvised melody and harmony.
The video below does a good job of explaining why this is considered such an accomplishment, and why McCoy conquers ground that Tommy Flanagan, his predecessor in Coltrane's band, couldn't handle.
The video below does a good job of explaining why this is considered such an accomplishment, and why McCoy conquers ground that Tommy Flanagan, his predecessor in Coltrane's band, couldn't handle.
McCoy Tyner passed away yesterday at the age of 81.
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