A nod to his Coltrane days but rebuilt from the ground up. Where Coltrane’s version was epic and modal, Tyner’s solo piano interpretation (the only track without horns) is intimate. He plays the melody in a rubato, almost classical style before launching into a driving waltz. This track is the ultimate evidence of Tyner’s solo work—creating orchestral density with just ten fingers.
If “Contemplation” is a meditation on the potentiality of peace, “Search for Peace” is the embodiment of that search. The tempo is slow, deliberate, almost hymn‑like. Tyner’s theme arrives solemnly, as if announcing a spiritual mission: “the giving over of the self to the universe,” as he explained in Nat Hentoff’s original liner notes. The piece is both a prayer and a protest, a gentle but firm response to the turmoil of the Vietnam War and the civil‑rights upheavals that were shaking America in 1967. Joe Henderson’s tenor is breathy and introspective, while Tyner’s solo is a model of melodic invention within a strictly modal framework. mccoy tyner the real mccoyjazzflacrogercc work
: Drafted directly from Miles Davis’s Second Great Quintet to provide a steady, grounded, yet exceptionally nimble bass foundation. A nod to his Coltrane days but rebuilt from the ground up
: A reflective modal piece that Tyner described as "a man alone... reflecting on the meaning of life". Four by Five This track is the ultimate evidence of Tyner’s
This quartet was more than just a collection of elite musicians; they were a tightly integrated ensemble. With Tyner and Jones reuniting, the rhythm section had a telepathic understanding, creating a "churning kaleidoscopic effect where there's obviously a strong pulse but bar-lines seem to shift or even disappear". Joe Henderson brought a new and exciting melodic foil for Tyner's piano, and Ron Carter’s masterful bass playing held the entire adventurous structure together.
Reviewers from AllMusic and The Penguin Guide to Jazz highly recommend the work, noting that it defines the post-bop genre through its "interconnected synergy". Personnel & Production The album features an elite quartet of jazz giants: McCoy Tyner : Piano, Composer