JAZZ SPOTLIGHT

McCOY TYNER BIG BAND

“Journey”

Verve

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The piano dynamo’s follow-up to his Grammy-winning album “Turning Point” shows that, bit by bit, his large ensemble is gaining a recognizable personality. This mark is due mainly to a constant crew of fine musicians (saxman Billy Harper, trombonist Steve Turre and trumpeter Eddie Henderson, among them) and a repertoire that is built around Tyner originals (there are three here) and tunes in musical moods the pianist embraces.

The leader’s “Peresina,” a gorgeous classic from the ‘60s, is given a robust treatment that finds Tyner juxtaposing brief phrases with flurries of notes, while his “You Taught My Heart to Sing” is centered on Dianne Reeve’s rich and evocative vocal. “Blues on the Corner” is fairly basic bluesy stuff, though tenorman John Stubblefield’s solo isn’t, while “Samba Dei Ber” and “January in Brazil” explore Brazilian flavors.

The one drawback in Tyner’s presentation is that there’s not a lot of background writing behind the soloists--these pieces tend to pretty much follow the formula of melody-solos-melody. One exception is Dennis Mackrel’s propulsive “Choices,” in which Tyner and Harper deliver explosive forays and the brass and reed sections toss lively phrases around conversationally.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended) and four stars (excellent).