Even if jazz isn’t your bag, there is something to be said for witnessing a musical legend tickle the ivory. UCLA Live! is welcoming jazz icon McCoy Tyner, one of the world’s foremost jazz pianists, as well as the Los Angeles-based musical ensemble, Build An Ark.
Tyner first played a piano at the age of 13. He said his mother enjoyed the music the instrument produced, and arranged for Tyner to have the opportunity to practice and have lessons.
“My mother was a beautician, and she loved the piano. I could tell she loved the sound of it, though she didn’t play. She had a couple of clients who had pianos, and she talked them into letting me practice on theirs until she eventually bought me one and put it in the beauty shop,” Tyner said. “She was such a supportive mother, just a wonderful person. She was the one that inspired me to go as far as I did.”
Very soon after, he met jazz innovator and prominent saxophonist John Coltrane who invited Tyner to join his band.
“I met (Coltrane) through a friend of his, and we got to be very close,” Tyner said. “He was with Miles Davis at the time, and didn’t have a band. He came and gigged around Philly, and his friend said, “˜This up-and-coming piano player would like to meet you,’ and we became musical brothers. He said he’d like me to join his band, and I said, “˜I’m honored.'”
Beyond his prolific career with Coltrane, Tyner released approximately 72 albums, 13 of which were with major jazz label Blue Note Records. During his live performances, Tyner said he appreciates the benefits of making a connection with the audience for which he is playing, especially when it comes to student audiences.
“I will talk to them first, have a question-and-answer kind of thing, and talk to the students before I demonstrate anything,” Tyner said. “I try my best to answer them, though sometimes it’s hard to figure out what to say.”
Currently, Tyner continues to perform across the world while working on a book to depict his 70 years.
“I like traveling, and I like to go home after a tour and relax,” Tyner said. “I have a pretty regular life, except that I’m an artist.”
Opening for Tyner is Build An Ark. The group, which includes prominent jazz vocalist Dwight Trible, is lead by Carlos Niño and is made up of 40 people of different races, ages and genders.
“We are being dubbed as a sort of soul-folk jazz, but I refer to the group as a creative soul music ensemble,” Niño said. “The music is really soulful, and it is really coming from our hearts. It is not something common. We are a large ensemble with a variety of configurations. It’s an experience seeing us.”
The group’s emphasis on diversity is something that stems from Niño’s long-standing effort to blur divisions.
“The person that I feel has done the most for bringing various genres of music together and has been a trendsetter in music is Carlos Niño,” Trible said. “He is really opening up Los Angeles to a lot of creative things. When you talk about trying to bridge the gap between genres or cultures, we should be very thankful to have this brother here: Carlos Niño.”
As the group continues to spread its music as well as its message of diversity, opening for a jazz legend like Tyner remains an exceptional experience.
“I am a huge fan of (Tyner’s),” Niño said. “I consider him to be a giant, and it is an honor to open for him and get the whole thing going.”
A humble man, Tyner said he considers his gift a blessing ““ one that he intends to continue to share with the world, including the UCLA community.
“I think the initial talent comes from God. I think the Almighty picked me ““ not just me, but some of my friends who have this precious gift ““ to share it with the world. I am just a tool for a higher source,” Tyner said. “I was put here to play music.”