McCoy Tyner Trio With Joe Lovano
London Ronnie Scott’s
30th May, 2008

Looks can deceive. For a frail man of 70, the genial Philadelphia-born jazz grandee attacked the Steinway so ferociously at times, that it’s a wonder a piano tuner wasn’t called halfway through. The John Coltrane Quartet man didn’t disappoint the devoted, delivering an incandescent performance packed with trademark sonic explosions and reverberating tone clusters. Tenor saxophonist, Lovano, provided the perfect foil, sounding virile and muscular, then sweet and tender. The rhythm section was tip-top, including ex-Weather Report drummer Eric Gravat, offering sympathetic accompaniment. The classic Walk Spirit, Talk Spirit, with its measured, stately gait, seduced with its hypnotic groove, though the haunting ballad, Search For Peace – featuring beautiful Lovano solos – was the highlight.