Cecil Taylor Albums (67)
'Air Above Mountains (Buildings Within)'
Release Date 1/1/2006
Tracks 2
Label Enja
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What The Critics Say
This Cecil Taylor solo concert features the radical pianist at a performance in Austria playing continuously for 51 minutes. Except for some brief moments, his music is quite intense, percussive, crowded and overflowing with passion. Taylor's longtime fans will find much to marvel at while newcomers to his music are advised instead to check out his earlier (and less dissonant) sessions from the 1950s first. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Strange as it sounds, this is a somewhat typical date by avant-garde master Cecil Taylor. Recorded live at a Minneapolis concert, the performance consists of three improvisations (two of which are quite lengthy) that have Taylor in mostly thunderous form, leavened by a few brief lyrical moments. Bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jackson Krall do their best to keep up with Taylor but there is no doubt who the leader is. Taylor's remarkable technique and endurance are in evidence, as is his ability to build on the most abstract ideas and somehow have it all make musical sense. Taylor's followers will enjoy the music while those whose ears are not open to the pianist's very advanced improvising are advised to explore some of his earlier recordings first. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
This four-part suite for piano and violin was commissioned by the Library of Congress, and recorded in performance there in February of 1999. It was composed by Taylor, but the liner notes indicate that what Taylor provided in terms of a score was idiosyncratic -- columns of individual notes along with "symbols and scribbles to suggest attacks, transitions, etc." Violinist Mat Maneri took a day to figure out his part based on Taylor's unorthodox score, and the resulting performance is what you might expect: basically a set of four improvisations based on a sketch of musical ideas. As such, it works pretty well. In the first movement Maneri and Taylor play together as a duo; Maneri's violin is tastefully amplified, which contributes both to a better balance than might have existed otherwise and also an unusual richness of tone. The two players' ideas bounce off one another as often as they feed each other or intertwine, but there is a warmth to their interplay that makes for some very nice moments. Maneri plays solo on the second movement, and his relaxed but emotional rendering of Taylor's musical ideas is very attractive. Taylor takes over on the third movement, and his own solo turn is also impressive. Their final duo passage is more energized than the first, and brings the program to a satisfying close. Fans of Taylor will know what to expect and should enjoy this album; newcomers may find it a bit daunting. ~ Rick Anderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Recorded at the 1999 Total Music Meeting festival and released over four years later, just before Cecil Taylor's 75th birthday, Incarnation is a special date, something to cherish. Featuring drummer Andrew Cyrille (credited as a special guest), guitarist Franky Douglas, and cellist Tristan Honsinger, this concert packs a lot of excitement, grace, and invention. Cyrille's drumming allies the ferociousness and feline grace of the lion, his playing remaining more confined to the role of an accompanist than Tony Oxley's, yet matching and even anticipating the pianist's mood swings at an uncanny level, just like the days when he was a regular fixture of the pianist's quartet. Douglas offers the strangest contributions: the true wild card of the concert, he keeps on introducing new ideas, from electronic-sounding textures to warped, bluesy licks, to no-brainer rhythmic chugging (announced and startling, 30 minutes into "Focus"). Honsinger also displays a wide range of creative moves, his performance corresponding to what he usually brings to Taylor's groups. Taylor himself is in his good, average shape, maybe a little less assertive than usual. Except for the walk-in and walk-off when he utters a few words, he sticks to the ivories, often stopping altogether to listen to the trio -- one of the disc's highlight is one such moment in "Cartouche," where the interplay between cello and guitar hits a peak. Although indexed into three pieces ("Focus," "Carnation," and "Cartouche"), Incarnation consists of a single continuous 77-minute performance. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
'The Owner of the Riverbank'
Release Date 11/17/2003
Tracks 8
Label Enja
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What The Critics Say
Released on LP in 1966, Cecil Taylor's Student Studies is an anomaly from his other recordings of the era. Not purely improvised, Taylor uses arranged sections and built-in segments for thematic and improvisational space. His meditations on short tonal studies and propulsive bursts of energy became signifiers of his later music. The band here, including Jimmy Lyons, bassist Alan Silva, and drummer Andrew Cyrille, registered with Taylor's fluid disciplinary approach to atonalism and dissonance, and found room to actually swing in. In fact, the influences Taylor spoke of most often during the era -- Ellington, Bud Powell, and Mingus, can be traced here, if not heard outright. And the reliance on intervallic assertions by the various players presented a new opening in Taylor's work that he would take to an extreme later on. This is the sound of an artist at a creative peak of his improvisational and authoritative power to lead a band through the maze of sonic architecture and come out with something that was truly new and different. This is the first American appearance of Student Studies on CD, the sound is wonderful, and critic Scott Yanow's notes are empathetic and enlightening. ~ Thom Jurek, All Music Guide
'Cecil Taylor/Bill Dixon/Tony Oxley'
Release Date 8/7/2002
Tracks 3
Label Victo
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What The Critics Say
It is hard to believe that this concert was a first for this trio. Programmed at the Festival International de Musique Actuelle de Victoriaville, the premiere headlined the 2002 edition of the event. Both organizers and spectators were probably hoping for something more impressive and jaw-dropping. Cecil Taylor, Bill Dixon, and Tony Oxley gave a short performance (50 minutes, all included on this untitled CD), a good one -- classy and correct -- but there was no revelation that evening. Critics who usually complain that Taylor sounds like he is paid by the note might point out that this time he lacked stamina or involvement (there's no pleasing critics). The fact is that both Taylor and Oxley sound like they open up their playing, deliberately refraining from engaging in a race up the density ladder, all in order to leave room for Dixon's sparse, echo-drenched punctuations. Despite their efforts, the trumpeter does not feel quite at ease. Less talkative than usual, he plays little and contributes even less to the group improvisation. All that being said, this CD (released very quickly by Victo's standards) remains an interesting listen, a good average session. Fans of any or all of these living legends will not want to pass it up, especially since it was recorded by the talented engineers at Radio-Canada. It just proves that sometimes the sum of a group does not equal the value of its parts. ~ François Couture, All Music Guide
