### Extensions (1970) by McCoy Tyner [Apple](https://music.apple.com/us/album/extensions/725529497); [Spotify](https://open.spotify.com/album/6ihMlZakvIbQ9U44iHOKbx); [TIDAL](https://tidal.com/browse/album/1410018); [Youtube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uxCUxZd7Lvo) I like bebop. Structured, melodic, dynamic, and fast. With the exception of John Coltrane's very early experiments, I could never get the newer, "free" jazz that followed - [modal stuff](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_jazz), [fusion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jazz_fusion), etc. A serious blindspot, it turns out. I've been filling the gaps over the past few months. I knew [McCoy Tyner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCoy_Tyner) as Coltrane's pianist, and I knew that people sang his praises. They were right - his stuff as a bandleader is seriously good. I can vouch for the four albums he released between '67-'70 (*Real MccCoy* ---> *Extensions*). [Extensions](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Extensions_(McCoy_Tyner_album)) is my favorite of the bunch. It's not as weird as some other "free" stuff I've listened to, which can be quite challenging. The album is dreamy, for sure, but it's also focused, with well-defined ideas, themes and sections. Not harsh or difficult to listen to. As always on this corner of my blog, I recommend this album in its entirety. If I had to pick favorites, though, I'd choose the first two tracks: "Message from the Nile" and "The Wanderer". 5/5.