The Life and Music of Mccoy Tyner
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THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF MCCOY TYNER AN EXAMINATION OF THE SOCIOCULTURAL INFLUENCES ON MCCOY TYNER AND HIS MUSIC by Alton Louis Merrell II Bachelor of Music, Youngstown State University, 2000 Master of Music, Youngstown State University, 2002 Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The Kenneth P. Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Pittsburgh 2013i UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH DIETRICH SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES This dissertation was presented by Alton Louis Merrell II It was defended on March 28, 2013 Committee Members: Mathew Rosenblum, PhD, Professor, Department of Music Laurence Glasco, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of History Eric Moe, PhD, Professor, Department of Music Dissertation Advisor: Nathan Davis, PhD, Professor, Department of Music ii Copyright © by Alton Louis Merrell II 2013 iii Nathan T. Davis, PhD THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF MCCOY TYNER: AN EXAMINATION OF THE SOCIOCULTURAL INFLUENCES ON MCCOY TYNER AND HIS MUSIC Alton Louis Merrell II, PhD University of Pittsburgh, 2013 This study is a historical, sociocultural and analytical examination of McCoy Tyner’s life and music. McCoy Tyner is a preeminent voice in the history of modern jazz piano performance, and his style is not only one of the most recognizable in jazz history, it has been studied and assimilated into the musical vocabulary of renowned pianists worldwide. Although Tyner’s influence is vast, there is a paucity of research on how he achieved his signature style, and the sociocultural and musical influences that cultivated his early musical talent and signature piano style have not been researched. This study details significant historical and sociocultural influences that nurtured Tyner’s musical talent from his birth in Philadelphia in 1938, through his brief professional tenure with the Art Farmer-Benny Golson Jazztet, which ended in 1960. These influences include the Great Migration, immediate and extended family, musical influences, formal and informal training and professional experiences prior to becoming a member of the John Coltrane Quartet. This study also details the musical influence John Coltrane had on the development of Tyner’s signature style in the early 1960s. As a member of Coltrane’s quartet, Tyner not only received valuable lessons from Coltrane, but was also exposed iv to Coltrane’s multifaceted compositions, an amalgamation of modal jazz, Indian classical music and African music, all of which influenced the development of Tyner’s signature style in the early 1960s. Through transcription and analysis of select improvisations, this study also examines how Tyner generates dissonance and consonance (tension and release) – a fundamental attribute of his signature piano style – delineating melodic devices he regularly played with his right hand in tandem with harmonic devices regularly played with his left hand. Overall, this study reveals the sociocultural influences on McCoy Tyner that were the seedbed for his unique style and offers an in-depth examination of what makes that style unique. v TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ................................................................................................................................. XIX 1.0 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................ 1 1.1 AIMS OF THIS STUDY ..................................................................................... 3 1.2 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY ....................................................................... 4 1.3 LITERATURE REVIEW ................................................................................... 9 2.0 EARLY INFLUENCES ............................................................................................. 13 2.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..................................................................... 13 2.1.1 Sociocultural Background ............................................................................ 13 2.1.2 Musical Background...................................................................................... 19 2.2 THE GREAT MIGRATION ............................................................................ 21 2.3 FAMILY ............................................................................................................. 27 2.4 MUSICAL INFLUENCES ................................................................................ 38 2.4.1 Violet Addison and Art Tatum ..................................................................... 38 2.4.2 Bud Powell ...................................................................................................... 40 2.4.3 Red Garland ................................................................................................... 42 2.4.4 Thelonious Monk ........................................................................................... 44 2.5 FORMAL TRAINING ...................................................................................... 45 2.5.1 Mr. Habershaw .............................................................................................. 45 vi 2.5.2 Ted Baroni ...................................................................................................... 47 2.5.3 Granoff School of Music ............................................................................... 48 2.6 INFORMAL TRAINING .................................................................................. 49 2.6.1 Rhythm and Blues Band ............................................................................... 50 2.6.2 Jam Sessions ................................................................................................... 53 2.6.3 Rehearsal Bands ............................................................................................ 58 2.6.4 House Bands ................................................................................................... 59 2.7 PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES ................................................................. 62 2.7.1 Working with Calvin Massey and Max Roach ........................................... 62 2.7.2 Working with Art Farmer and Benny Golson – The Jazztet .................... 65 3.0 JOHN COLTRANE ................................................................................................... 70 3.1 HISTORICAL BACKGROUND ..................................................................... 71 3.1.1 Sociocultural Background ............................................................................ 71 3.1.2 Musical Background...................................................................................... 74 3.2 COLTRANE AS FRIEND AND MENTOR .................................................... 77 3.3 COLTRANE AS A MUSICAL INFLUENCE ................................................ 80 3.3.1 Modal Jazz and Quartal Chords .................................................................. 82 3.3.2 Indian Classical Music and Bass Dyads ...................................................... 85 3.3.3 African Music and The Pentatonic Scale .................................................... 87 3.3.4 Eric Dolphy and A Freer Improvisational Style ......................................... 90 4.0 TRANSCRIPTION AND ANALYSIS ..................................................................... 93 4.1 SELECTION CRITERIA ................................................................................. 93 4.2 “CHAIN REACTION” ..................................................................................... 94 vii 4.2.1 Historical Background .................................................................................. 94 4.2.2 Analysis of the Composition ......................................................................... 97 4.2.3 Improvisational Content ............................................................................... 98 4.2.3.1 Melodic Material ................................................................................. 98 4.2.3.2 Harmonic Material ........................................................................... 110 4.2.3.3 Rhythmic Material ............................................................................ 112 4.2.4 Creation of Consonance and Dissonance: Right and Left Hand ............ 113 4.2.4.1 Summary ............................................................................................ 127 4.3 “PASSION DANCE” ....................................................................................... 128 4.3.1 Historical Background: “Passion Dance” & “”Blues On the Corner”... 128 4.3.2 Analysis of the Composition: “Passion Dance” ........................................ 130 4.3.3 Improvisational Content: “Passion Dance” .............................................. 131 4.3.3.1 Melodic Material ............................................................................... 131 4.3.3.2 Harmonic Material ........................................................................... 137 4.3.3.3 Rhythmic Material ............................................................................ 138 4.3.4 Creation of Consonance and Dissonance: Right and Left Hand ............ 139 4.3.4.1 Summary ............................................................................................ 147 4.4 “BLUES ON THE CORNER” ....................................................................... 148 4.4.1 Analysis of the Composition: “Blues on the Corner” ..............................