On pianist McCoy Tyner’s second Blue Note album and possibly his best release for the label, he leads a nine-piece band that includes Lee Morgan on trumpet, James Spaulding on alto sax and flute, Bennie Maupin on tenor sax, Julian Priester on trombone, Bob Northern (who would later change his name to “Brother Ah” and begin making spiritual jazz) on French horn, Howard Johnson on tuba, Herbie Lewis on bass and Joe Chambers on drums. All the compositions are Tyner’s, and the arrangements are both tight and lush. In some ways this album is comparable to Andrew Hill’s Dance With Death (recorded in November 1969 but not released until 2003), which also features Johnson, Northern, and Priester; Tender Moments is less avant-garde and more conventionally beautiful, but it’s the sheer beauty of it that makes it an unfairly overlooked gem in Tyner’s catalog.