Also this issue:

Soul for Sale
De La Soul finds itself hunting for a new label and walking on sunshine.
-Chris Parker

Hope Sandoval
-Paul Burress

Mercury Program/ The Six Parts Seven
-A.D. Amorosi

Mayflies USA
-Chris Parker

Diana Krall
-A.D. Amorosi

August 22-28, 2002

the gig

The Gig: Nate Chinen on Jazz

thegig

It’s often been said that a prophet is least honored in his own hometown. (Jesus first uttered the phrase; all four major Gospels report it.) This adage holds somewhat true in the case of John Coltrane, most saintly of jazz legends, and his City of Brotherly (Agape?) Love. By all accounts, the saxophonist regarded Philadelphia as his home long after moving to the Big Apple. But to my knowledge, Philly -- which now proudly claims Trane as her own -- never properly celebrated the man during his too-short career.

It's too late to rectify this missed opportunity. But over the next week, Philly will be granted the chance to honor another hometown hero (a disciple of Coltrane, no less) in high style. Tyner Time in Philly is a joint effort of producers Melanie Williams, Robert Carmack and Elliot Young (from San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York, respectively). Spanning a full week and featuring dozens of prominent musicians, the venture looks good enough on paper to warrant status as a Major Jazz Event. And without a title sponsorship or grant funding, it's also a fully grassroots endeavor.

"There are a lot of major jazz giants out there who deserve recognition," says Williams matter-of-factly. "McCoy Tyner, especially, is long overdue for some great acknowledgment." Tyner has in fact been feted by the Mellon Jazz Festival (in 1997) and the National Endowment for the Arts (early this year), but Williams' reasoning still stands. As pianist in the Coltrane Quartet of the early to mid-1960s, Tyner devised a wholly original approach to harmonic playing in a modal vein. His is the paradigm (I hesitate to call it a "style") that still reigns in rhythm sections the world over. But Tyner's own playing spans a far wider terrain than even some fans will acknowledge. He's a convincing stride dabbler, and a committed advocate of full-bodied conventional voicings and deeply rumbling tonalities. Last year's McCoy Tyner Plays John Coltrane (Impulse!) was notable mostly for the ways in which Tyner's voice has evolved.

At Tyner Time in Philly, the pianist will likely display shadings of both old and new McCoy, as he plays in various combinations over the course of the week. His costars are luminaries in their own right. In fact, at the week's centerpiece gala, a good many of them will receive awards of their own, including Arturo Sandoval, Hank Jones, Horace Silver, Barry Harris, Pat Martino, Abbey Lincoln, Celia Cruz, James Moody, Yusef Lateef and Oscar Peterson, who will be presented with the Norman Granz Humanity of the Arts award. To further elaborate on this program here would be to succumb to a torrent of names; suffice it to say that the lineup arches the eyebrow and boggles the mind. Hopefully the event will be a raging success; McCoy, and Philly, deserve as much. (Tyner Time in Philly runs Mon., Aug. 26-Sun., Sept. 1, at venues across the city. For details, check the listings in this paper, or see www.phillyjazz.org.)

Read City Paper's interview with McCoy Tyner from 2000.

To report a gig or any other jazz-related news, e-mail Nate Chinen at n_chinen@citypaper.net.