Prelude and Sonata (McCoy Tyner album)

Prelude and Sonata is an album by McCoy Tyner released on Key'stone and Milestone label in 1995. It was recorded in November 1994 and has performances of classical and contemporary music by Tyner with the alto saxophonist Antonio Hart, tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, double bass player Christian McBride and drummer Marvin "Smitty" Smith.

Prelude and Sonata
Studio album by McCoy Tyner
Released	November 1995
Recorded	November 26–27, 1994
Studio	Clinton Recording Studio, New York City
Genre	Jazz
Length	63:42
Label	Key'stone, Milestone
Producer	Makoto Kimata, Todd Barkan
McCoy Tyner chronology
Manhattan Moods (1994) Prelude and Sonata (1995) Infinity (1995)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
Los Angeles Times	[2]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[3]
The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide	[4]
The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz	[5]

Peter Watrous of The New York Times included the recording in his list of the top ten jazz albums of 1995, calling it "one of [Tyner's] best albums in years."^[6]

The San Diego Union-Tribune's George Varga featured the album in his list of "five of the more memorable albums in [Tyner's] extensive discography," praising both his "eclectic musical choices" and "his talent-rich young band."^[7]

In a review for the Los Angeles Times, Don Heckman called the album "impressive," noting that "although the dynamic between Tyner and Redman is very different from that of the classic Tyner-John Coltrane affiliation, each musician seems powerfully (and understandably) stimulated by the responses of the other." However, he described the inclusion of the Beethoven excerpt as a "noticeable misstep... absurdly misconceived."^[2]

Writing for AllMusic, Ken Dryden stated that the album "adds a different twist from what one typically expects of the pianist," and commented: "This release is definitely off the beaten path for McCoy Tyner, but it is well worth acquiring."^[1]

The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings remarked: "The saxophonists play well, but this kind of session has become a commonplace which Tyner doesn't especially respond to. He plays professionally... without ever getting into his top gear."^[3]

Track listing

1. "Prelude in E Minor Op. 28, No. 4" (Frédéric Chopin) - 6:15
2. "Loss of Love" (Henry Mancini, Bob Merrill) - 8:35
3. "Contemplation" (McCoy Tyner) - 11:06
4. "For All We Know" (J. Fred Coots, Sam M. Lewis) - 6:57
5. "I Will Wait for You" (Jacques Demy, Norman Gimbel, Michel Legrand) - 7:04
6. "Soul Eyes" (Mal Waldron) - 6:26
7. "Smile" (Charlie Chaplin) - 6:33
8. "Good Morning Heartache" (Ervin Drake, Dan Fisher, Irene Higginbotham) - 4:16
9. "Piano Sonata No. 8 in C Minor" (Ludwig van Beethoven) - 6:30

• Recorded November 26 - 27, 1994 at Clinton Recording Studio, New York City

Personnel

• McCoy Tyner - piano
• Antonio Hart - alto saxophone
• Joshua Redman - tenor saxophone (tracks 1, 3 & 4)
• Christian McBride - double bass
• Marvin "Smitty" Smith - drums

References

1. Dryden, Ken. "Prelude and Sonata Review". AllMusic. Retrieved March 5, 2009.
2. Heckman, Don (December 24, 1995). "Album Reviews: A Good Mix for Veteran Jazzman". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
3. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2000). The Penguin Guide to Jazz on CD. Penguin Books. p. 1490.
4. Swenson, John, ed. (1999). The Rolling Stone Jazz & Blues Album Guide. Random House. p. 667.
5. Larkin, Colin, ed. (2004). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Jazz. Virgin Books. p. 878.
6. Watrous, Peter (January 4, 1996). "The Pop Life". The New York Times. Retrieved January 30, 2024.
7. Varga, George (March 6, 2020). "McCoy Tyner, jazz piano giant, dead at 81; revisit our interviews with the music legend". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved January 30, 2024.