Notes & Personnel Info |  | /McCoy Tyner/Ron Carter. | | 2 LPs on 1 CD. | | Personnel: Sonny Rollins (soprano & tenor saxophones); McCoy Tyner (piano); Ron Carter (bass); Al Foster (drums). | | Recorded during the Milestone Jazzstars Fall 1978 American tour. Includes liner notes by Orrin Keepnews. | | Personnel: Sonny Rollins (tenor saxophone). | | Recording information: masonic Auditorium, San Francisco, CA (09/1978-10/1978); Union Theater, University Of Wisconsin, Madison, WI (09/1978-10/1978); Woolsey Hall, Yale Univ (09/1978-10/1978). | | In 1978 a tour was set up that would feature three of the top jazz stars of Milestone Records (tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins, pianist McCoy Tyner, and bassist Ron Carter) in a quartet with drummer Al Foster. The resulting recording has many strong moments, including Rollins' unaccompanied solo on "Continuum," his duet with Tyner on "In a Sentimental Mood," Tyner's showcases on "A Little Pianissimo" and "Alone Together" (the latter a duet with Carter), and the bassist's lengthy reworking of "Willow Weep for Me." The quartet pieces generally work well too, with these compatible but very individual stylists blending together much better than one might expect. ~ Scott Yanow | | This is a jazz fanatic's dream come true--a supergroup consisting of Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner and Ron Carter (with Al Foster on drums). This disc, culled from the best performances of the Jazzstars 1978 American Tour, features almost 75 minutes of superior, cutting-edge improvisatory jazz. One of the most appealing things about this release is its variety. It moves from the full-steam quartet ("The Cutting Edge," "Nubia" and "N.O. Blues") to duets (Tyner and Carter on "Alone Together;" Rollins and Tyner on "In A Sentimental Mood") and solo spots (Rollins imaginative inventions in "Continuum" and Tyner's gorgeous keyboard work on "A Little Pianissimo"). | | Tyner's years with Coltrane serve him in excellent stead as he becomes the glue which holds this loosely-knit yet perfectly calibrated group together. His combination of free-flowing ideas and beautiful skeleton structures are matched by the sinuous bass lines of Carter. Rollins, coming off of several decades playing beside the greats and heading his own ensembles, is in fine form too, casting about between furious, speedy soloing, traditional tone-rich melody lines and avant-skronk. The result is an ensemble whose sound is completely modern and, at the same time, informed by the canon of jazz. |
Producer: Orrin Keepnews |
Engineer: Jim Stern |
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