From “Expansions” : 1968 : Blue Note BST 84338
A classic (but out-of-print) session from a post-Coltrane McCoy Tyner. With a group of all-star players – including Wayne Shorter, Woody Shaw, Gary Bartz and Ron Carter – this album deserves a wider audience. The album opens with Vision which fully showcases the soloing skills of all the players, with Carter’s cello and Shaw’s trumpet playing really standing out. Smitty’s Place has a great enthusiastic feeling as the group bounces and swings with each other. Overall the record is a nice blend of the hard-bop and post-bop styles, with just the right amount of free-jazz and avant-garde elements to make the record a nice summation of Tyner’s career up to this point and where it would soon be heading in just a few years with his outstanding albums of the 1970′s.
Players:
McCoy Tyner – Piano
Woody Shaw – Trumpet
Gary Bartz – Alto Sax, Wooden Flute
Wayne Shorter – Tenor Sax, Clarinet
Ron Carter – Cello
Herbie Lewis – Bass
Freddie Waits – Drums