McCoy Tyner, you are a famous jazz pianist. You were a member of John Coltrane's classic quartet. How does it feel to be such an accomplished musician?

I feel very blessed—very blessed. You know, you enjoy the time in the present and you think about the time in the past.

Let's talk about your hands. Have they ever been broken? And if so, how did you cope with this catastrophe?

I try to protect my hands whenever possible. Thankfully, I haven't had any breaks or problems yet!

Was your childhood happy?

Yes, it was. My mother was great. She helped me and encouraged me quite a bit. She was a beautician, so my piano was in the beauty shop. It was the biggest room in the house. Sometimes she would have clients and she would be doing their hair while I was playing right there. You know Bud Powell [a major jazz pianist of the bebop era]? He lived around the block. He would walk by the beauty shop and see my mother doing hair and me and my band doing a jam session, and he would stop and watch us.

You're 73 now. What are you doing these days?

Having a lot of fun and enjoying myself.

Did John Coltrane have any odd habits, in the way Duke Ellington had the odd habit of drinking hot water?

I tell you, John and Elvin [Jones, the drummer of the classic quartet] smoked cigars. And I picked that up from them. I still buy cigars. In fact, I just smoked one a moment ago, just before you called.

MyCoy Tyner performs April 12–15 at Jazz Alley.