Producer Michael Cuscuna writes in the liner notes, "McCoy did a couple of takes of 'Don't Blame Me' the first day. I was amazed. What was on tape was already beyond my expectations for the project. McCoy came downstairs for a playback and smiled, 'Boy I must be in a mood to do this!' Inspired by the environment, the piano sound and his own seemingly endless flow of ideas, McCoy set down thirteen pieces over the three days, most of them in one or two takes."[2]
Repertoire
The album features seven well-known jazz standards interspersed with five originals by Tyner and one piece by his former employer and mentor John Coltrane, "Lazy Bird" (styled here as "Lazybird") from the 1958 album Blue Train.
Two of Tyner's originals were new compositions, "View from the Hill" and "Rio". Tyner had recorded the other three previously but not in solo versions: "Contemplation" is from the 1967 album The Real McCoy, "Peresina" comes from Expansions recorded the following year, and "You Taught My Heart to Sing"—which went on to become Tyner's most widely covered piece[3]—first appeared on the 1985 album It's About Time.[4] The last three recordings on the album—"Autumn Leaves", "Peresina", and "When I Fall in Love"—appear only on the CD edition, not the LP.[5]
Reception
The AllMusic review by Scott Yanow states that "Tyner at times on this record sounds romantic and in other spots hints a bit at Art Tatum. This is a rather special project from one of the finest jazz pianists of the past 35 years."[6]
Jazzwise included this album on its list of "11 essential" McCoy Tyner albums, calling the recording "A remarkable artistic success."[7]
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