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I've often thought of the diminished financial return that musicians get from digital platforms today as a exploitation similar to that of the golden age of jazz (and generally recorded music), the 50s, 60s, etc. Took decades before artists could negotiate a more decent share of earnings for their work. It's probably going to take some time with streaming as well..
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08-23-2020 09:12 AM
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I think some of this misses the point though. Yes, the artists got ripped off on their recording contracts. However, what killed them was the fact that they couldn't get live gigs which is why mccoy had to drive a cab. It's ridiculous that a musician of his caliber and influence wasn't playing every night of the week. Nothing's changed really. I heard Jonathan Kreisberg last year in manhatten and there were 6 people in the audience, 3 of whom were chatting away and not listening.
Originally Posted by Alter
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"Oscar Moore didn't change music the way McCoy did." McCoy was so huge that you could make that statement about many famous jazz musicians. This thread has sent me back to listen to more of him than I had been recently. What a monster- he could play anything with authority. And he was the right talent in the right place at the right time. Originally Posted by jzucker
A number of years ago he played as a trio at The Dakota here in Minneapolis. I wasn't able to go, but a friend did and said it was nothing short of awesome. That was unfortunately the only chance I had to see him. It was also not sold out...
"Every modern player from..." is so true. Unlike many pianists (e.g., Bill Evans, Art Tatum), McCoy's stuff is often (rethinking this, it would be more accurate to say "sometimes" rather than often, as I am re-listening to "Inception") not so specifically pianistic and transfers to other instruments fairly readily. A "modern" non-jazz player influenced by McCoy is Bob Weir, who paid a lot of attention to how he interacted with Coltrane as a source of inspiration for how to interact with Garcia.Last edited by Cunamara; 08-23-2020 at 01:14 PM.
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No doubt the period from 1965 through 1975 were lean for McCoy, and it's kind of a scandal that an artist of his stature was working as a gypsy cab driver. Originally Posted by jzucker
But in his 70s (which would have been 2008-2018), which was the period after his stroke, and a period in which Christian McBride has written he may have been suffering from depression, he was still getting booked at clubs like the Blue Note, where the cover was $40, he was featured at jazz festivals like Jazz Baltica and North Sea, and he was playing theater concerts in cities like Chicago and Tokyo and Buenos Aires.
He was also coming off of a pretty solid 25-year run where he was able to keep his trio together with fairly little turnover, playing festivals, theaters, universities, and high-end clubs, and to record 1-2 albums each and every year. In the big picture, while his influence far exceeded his income (if only he could have trademarked and licenced those fourths!), his story doesn't strike me as one of missed opportunities and neglect by the jazz community.
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Well Oscar Moore was very important in popularising with Nat Cole the piano/guitar/bass trio which represents a lot of guitar jazz during the 50s.... The Nat Cole trio was really influential even if that type of line up is a bit of a footnote today, post Bill Evans.
So, maybe not as influential as McCoy, But the NCT was a Big Deal...
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As they were for most jazz musicians, at least that’s the impression you get from all the biographies, they all suggest that when rock music took off in the mid-60s, the jazz gigs virtually dried up overnight. Originally Posted by 44lombard
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Anyone else see McCoy, Elvin and Ron(?) at Reed College in Portland Or around '73? Monstrous. Loudest acoustic piano trio ever. His cab driving didn't get in the way of his playing in the slightest. The man had a calling, and like many of the called income is low on the priority list.
He's the most influential pianist for me and everyone else I was playing with around that time.
RE that other thread: if you want to learn to play jazz by listening to piano and avoiding guitar, this is a great place to start. But be prepared... you're going to wish you had another hand.
On Oscar Moore and Nat: I offer Dianna Krall. No-one has done more for the visibility of jazz guitar in the last 20 years. A very impressive alumni I'd say. I think Oscar has something to do with that.
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I didn’t have the luxury of seeing Bill Evans.
But I’ve seen Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Chick Corea, both Gene Harris and Keith Jarrett numerous times, and the great McCoy Tyner.
McCoy’s comping was a song all to itself. His hands were huge. I actually spoke with him briefly during a set break when he was signing cds. I had no idea he wasn’t busy and getting regular gigs. Damn shame! Being so influential amongst pianists I’d have thought out of all pianists McCoy would have a separate and flourishing career as a teacher. Clearly something went very wrong!
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McCoy Tyner is one of my favoirite jazz musicians.
You can find a lot of his great solos/transcritions on youtube-this is great educational stuff.
Best
Kris
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What you love increases.
If you want to be rich, you have to love money. More than anything else.
If you love music more than anything else, you'll have music in your life, but that doesn't equate to having lots of money.
Music, like any skill, can be used as a tool to generate wealth, but many musicians are first and foremost in love with their art and see their art itself as the most important thing.
People often think that if you do something masterfully, you'll automatically be financially rewarded for it, but that's a lie.
To get rich, you have to harness the skill you've mastered and wield it forcefully; as a tool to generate money.
Sometimes, for an artist, taking the thing you love and turning it into a tool for another purpose kills the muse, and your artistry becomes hackneyed, because what you love has changed. But for some people it works.
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The man was brilliant. Period.
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Tyner used to hold court at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco every year for awhile, playing several nights in a row during a particular week.
I went to see him once there in the 1980s, and saw Bob Weir waiting in line with a friend to see him too. Apparently Weir didn't ask for a VIP entry and was waiting in the lobby with everyone else. He looked a little nervous like he didn't want to be recognized and bothered, but nobody seemed to approach him.
Always heard that he said he was heavily influenced by McCoy, so seeing him there was kind of a kick.
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