McCoy Tyner – Planet X (recorded November 22, 1968)

Written by the former Coltrane Quartet pianist and recorded with a trio at Van Gelder Studio, this beautiful, experimental composition remained unreleased until 1976.

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On November 22, 1968, on the fifth anniversary of JFK's assassination, McCoy Tyner was in Rudy Van Gelder's studio in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, recording a beautiful, little known track called “Planet X.”

He was joined in the studio by bassist Herbie Lewis and drummer Freddie Watts, who also played with him on his classic albums Time For Tyner (1969) and Expansions (1970), both of which consisted of material recorded earlier in 1968.

“Planet X” was the only track they recorded that day, but it was a beautiful, forceful composition that conjured an appropriate sense of mystery and awe to go along with its cosmic title.

The track remained unreleased until 1976, when Blue Note included it on Tyner’s double album Cosmos. It was billed as part of their “Blue Note Reissue Series,” although most of its material was previously unissued.

Tyner, Lewis, and Watts recorded together as a trio at Van Gelder Studio once more on April 4, 1969, which was the one-year anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. Was this merely a coincidence, or did Tyner choose these dates intentionally? We’ll likely never know.

The track they recorded as a trio on April 4 was the stellar jam “Vibration Blues.” They also recorded three more tracks that day including the spaced-out jam “Cosmos” with additional players Harold Vicks on saxophone, Al Gibbons on reeds, and a string quartet consisting of Julian Barber and Emanuel Green on violins, Gene Orloff on viola, and cellist Kermit Moore. All cuts would later be included on the Cosmos double LP.

Rest in Power, legend McCoy Tyner, the great President John F. Kennedy, and prophet Martin Luther King Jr.

#jazz #JFK #MLK #VanGelderStudio #McCoyTyner