McCoy Tyner at Anthropology San Diego: 2011

This was huge. McCoy Tyner - John Coltrane's pianist, one of the most influential jazz pianists of all time - in a small San Diego venue. This is the kind of show that makes you grateful for a city's jazz scene, grateful for venues willing to book legends, grateful you happened to know about it and show up.

For those who don't know jazz history, McCoy Tyner was the pianist in John Coltrane's classic quartet. He played on "A Love Supreme." He fundamentally changed how pianists approach the instrument in a jazz context. His powerful, modal playing style - those thundering left-hand chords, those cascading right-hand runs - influenced everyone who came after him.

At 72 years old in 2011, Tyner still had that incredible energy. When his hands hit the piano, you felt it. His left hand would lay down these massive, percussive chords while his right hand would dance across the keys with these beautiful, melodic lines. The power and the delicacy existing simultaneously - that's the mark of a master.

Anthropology was the perfect venue for this. Small enough that you could see everything - his fingers on the keys, the concentration on his face, the physical effort of playing at that level. Jazz in a small room is a different experience than jazz in a concert hall. You're not watching from afar - you're in it.

The harmonic sophistication of Tyner's playing is something you can study for years. He doesn't play predictable changes or easy resolutions. His modal approach creates these shifting, evolving soundscapes that keep your ear engaged. And when he takes a solo, it's not just technical display - there's genuine emotion and storytelling happening.

Watching living history is always a strange feeling. This was a man who played with Coltrane, who helped define modern jazz, who influenced countless musicians across multiple generations. And here he was, in San Diego, at a small venue, still creating, still pushing the music forward.

The crowd at Anthropology that night knew what they were witnessing. Jazz audiences, when they're knowledgeable, bring a different kind of energy. The applause after a great solo is immediate and genuine. There's a respect for the art form and the artist that you don't always find at other types of shows.

Tyner's trio that night was excellent, but everyone knew we were there for him. When he'd start a solo, the whole room would lean in. Those powerful chords would fill the space, and you'd think "this is why jazz matters, this is why it's important."

I'm so grateful I got to see McCoy Tyner before he passed in 2020. He represents a direct link to the golden age of jazz - he was there, he helped create it, and he carried it forward his whole life. This show was a reminder that genius doesn't fade with age - it just deepens and becomes more refined.