The news of McCoy Tyner's passing has been quite traumatic. Tyner was the first of of the jazz legends I have seen perform live, back in 2007. In those days, being the jazz neophyte I was, I did not grasp the contributions of Tyner and his legacy in the annals of jazz history. By 2011, I was well versed in the recordings of Coltrane and finally understood the pivotal piano technique and style of Tyner. While my interest in his individual career after Sahara waned, those magical years with Coltrane encapsulated an entire movement in jazz of the 1960s. Tyner himself is the origin of the quotation that inspired Wilmer's As Serious As Your Life: “Music's not a plaything – it's as serious as your life.” He may have parted ways with Coltrane when the latter moved further towards the avant-garde, but Tyner was an essential player in the evolution of Coltrane's sound, just like Elvin Jones. Rest in peace.
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