Island Birdie is a jazz instrumental composed by McCoy Tyner. It was first released in 1982, with an early recording from the Montreal Jazz Festival that year featuring Tyner on piano, Gary Bartz on sax, Jeff Lee on guitar, John Blake on violin, Alex Blake on bass, and Wilby Fletcher on drums. The tune has since surfaced in other instrumental versions, including Elvin Jones’s live rendition in 1992, The Mark Fechner Jazz Experience in 1999, and The Steve Wilson - Lewis Nash Duo in 2015. It is classified as instrumental jazz, aligning with Tyner’s modern post-bop/modal piano approach. Note: the exact album for the 1982 release isn’t specified in the provided information.
