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| McCoy Tyner Septet in Verizon Hall McCoy Tyner and his all-star Septet (McCoy Tyner, piano; Eric Alexander, saxophone; Eric Kamau Gravatt, drums; Donald Harrison, alto saxophone; Charnett Moffett, bass; Wallace Roney, trumpet; Steve Turre, trombone) will perform in Verizon Hall on November 17, 2006 as part of the Mellon Jazz Fridays Series. Regina Carter Quintet will open the performance with her unique soul-stirring jazz harmonies, including songs from her latest release I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey (June 2006). A Philadelphia native, McCoy Tyner is revered in his hometown with his own star on Philadelphia's Music Walk of Fame. A major player in the international jazz scene, he has inspired a whole new generation of musicians with his richly percussive, improvisational blues-based piano style. The year 2006 marks the 45th anniversary of the legendary orange-and-black record label, and McCoy Tyner will be performing many of the classics from the Impulse catalogue and release a Best of Impulse CD this year. Jazz violinist Regina Carter is one of this year's recipients of the prestigious McArthur Fellowship "Genius Awards." Born in Philadelphia in 1938, McCoy Tyner became a part of the jazz and R&B scene at an early age through the influence of his parents and childhood neighbor, the legendary bebop pianist Bud Powell. Tyner was discovered at age 17 by Miles Davis' legendary sideman saxophonist John Coltrane. He then joined The John Coltrane Quartet for the classic album My Favorite Things (1960), and remained at the core of what became one of the most seminal groups in jazz history. After over five years with Coltrane's quartet, Tyner left the group to explore his destiny as a composer and bandleader. Among his major projects is a 1967 album entitled The Real McCoy and his 1972 Grammy-award nomination album, Sahara. In the late 1980s, he mainly focused on his regular piano trio featuring Avery Sharpe on bass and Aarron Scott on drums. As of today, this trio is still in great demand. More recently Tyner has arranged for big bands, employed string arrangements, and even reinterpreted popular music. Aside from his prodigious career as a leader, Tyner has lent his talents to a Who's Who of modern jazz artists including Art Blakey, Michael Brecker, Eric Dolphy, Joe Henderson, Freddie Hubbard, Bobby Hutcherson, Milt Jackson, Elvin Jones, Hank Mobley, Wayne Shorter, Stanley Turrentine, and many others. Today, Tyner has released nearly 80 albums under his name, earned four Grammy Awards and was awarded Jazz Master from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002. Inarguably, Tyner has shaped modern jazz through his flair for fusing new elements, whether from distant continents or diverse musical influences. Tyner's music has been a major influence over the adoption in jazz of quartal and quintal harmonies, modes and pentatonic scales. He continues to leave his mark on generations of improvisers, and yet remains a disarmingly modest and spiritually directed man. As a 2006 recipient of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation "Genius Grant, " Regina Carter's career has been a veritable crescendo of success that shows no sign of letting up. She is on a mission: to make a meaningful musical contribution and do it on her own terms. Indeed, she tours with relentless purpose and a seemingly endless supply of energy. Over the past four years, Ms. Carter and her quintet have brought audiences to their feet with exhilarating performances worldwide. In addition to her ongoing concert touring, Regina Carter performs a program of music for jazz quintet and orchestra. In this capacity, she has appeared with the Minnesota Orchestra, Atlanta Symphony, and the Milwaukee Symphony, among others. In December 2001, Ms. Carter became the first jazz artist and the first African-American to be chosen to play Paganini's famed Guarneri "Cannon" violin, in the city of Genoa, Italy, where it resides under lock and key. In November 2003, the coveted violin was flown to New York City, where Ms. Carter performed on the instrument one more time at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall to a sold-out crowd. In May 2002, she appeared in a special Boston Pops program, which featured her quintet as well as the world premiere performance of Chris Brubeck's "Interplay" for three violinists. She played this piece with two other world-renowned violinists: Nadja Salerno-Sonenberg and Eileen Ivers. This performance was taped for public television and was aired nationally. Her influences range from R&B to East Indian, to classical music. Just as prolific as her accomplishments on stage are Carter's performances on record. Included in her discography along with recordings with Patti Labelle and Aretha Franklin are recordings with vocalist Cassandra Wilson, trombonist Steve Turre, pianists Kenny Barron and Danilo Perez, and guitarist Rodney Jones. Her record releases include Regina Carter, Something for Grace, Rhythms of the Heart, Motor City Moments, Paganini: After a Dream, and this year's I'll Be Seeing You: A Sentimental Journey. write your comments about the article :: © 2006 Jazz News :: home page |