JAZZ REVIEW : Tyner Trio Pumps Up Volume

McCoy Tyner, whose trio opened Tuesday at Hollywood’s Catalina Bar & Grill, employs a formula that works wonders for him: Effervescence + Energy = Excitement.

Tyner was long associated with the hard-driving, modal concepts he had developed during his years with John Coltrane. He knows at what point volume can degenerate into violence, and manages much of the time to avoid falling into that trap.

On this occasion, his choice of material was more conservative than usual. The reason may have been that his regular bassist, Avery Sharpe, was busy elsewhere, and the replacement, Herbie Lewis (who worked with him in the late 1960s) was not familiar with the music. The set included only one original, but given his ability to bring his own forceful personality to any work, from Neal Hefti’s “Li’l Darlin’ ” to the Beatles’ “Here, There and Everywhere,” there was no loss of impact.

Aaron Scott, almost invisible behind half a dozen cymbals, seemed anxious to match the leader decibel for decibel. Tyner’s unaccompanied interludes provided a welcome contrast; his solo passage during a minor blues, “Mr. P.C.” by John Coltrane, was a masterpiece of cross rhythms and agitated eighth notes.

Lewis proved to be a surprising plus factor, both as a rhythm section member and in several engagingly original solos.