Matthew Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 I listened to Cecil Taylor Unit: It Is In The Brewing Luminous and ..... I'm speechless. Overwhelmed. Wow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 I listened to Cecil Taylor Unit: It Is In The Brewing Luminous and ..... I'm speechless. Overwhelmed. Wow. I had the same reaction. perhaps even moreso when I listened to Nailed for the first time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J.A.W. Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 This might be an interesting thread for those who picked up the Brötzmann / McPhee etc. hatOLOGY Tales out of Time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matthew Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 I was really wanting to buy this when it came out too. Well, hope it's out in its corrected form by the fall. It sounds like a great one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Ok I'm really a Funny Rat lurker but want to get my head around later Cecil Taylor this year. I've avoided his post 1950s stuff largely for some time considering them too far out. So would "Nailed" and "Celebrated Blazons" be a good place to start.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 (edited) Ok I'm really a Funny Rat lurker but want to get my head around later Cecil Taylor this year. I've avoided his post 1950s stuff largely for some time considering them too far out. So would "Nailed" and "Celebrated Blazons" be a good place to start.? probably not, in my opinion. Nailed is fantastic, but is is pretty furious and unrelenting. I would recommend starting with some of his more recent solo work. Since you've avoided any post 1950's Cecil I would recommend starting with Indent or the Willisau Concert and see how those grab you. If you are curious about exploring some of his more "out" group work It Is in the Brewing Luminous can be had very inexpensively now, as Hat has added it as a "mid-price" title. For that reason alon I would suggest grabbing it before Nailed if you are unsure if the music will be too out for you. Edited April 12, 2004 by John B Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 BTW, ubu - did you get the Chapin's Alive box? Care to share your impressions? The fact that this one has been lying around here for months, and I never made it beyond the first three or four tracks of disc 1 is one of the reasons why I won't buy any (read: not too much ) new stuff in times to come... I did like that half disc, but I am into other stuff mostly at the moment (non-funny-rat, such as Prez, Basie etc...) - I'll write my impressions once I got around! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Ok I'm really a Funny Rat lurker but want to get my head around later Cecil Taylor this year. I've avoided his post 1950s stuff largely for some time considering them too far out. So would "Nailed" and "Celebrated Blazons" be a good place to start.? I don't know the two you mention, but I'd start with "Student Studies", recently reissued (there's a Cecil-thread in the artists section where it was recommended - I got it after reading about it there). A great one, with lots of room and space and air to breath (the absence of which is the thing bothering me most about Taylor). My collection is not too strong as far as post 1966 Taylor is considered, but the "Willisau Concert" on Intakt is a great one! Also, if you see it, get "Nefertiti" in its 2CD edition on Revenant (it came out in 1997 and is OOP for some time now, but I have no idea if it might be easy to find). An awesome recording, just the trio of Taylor/Lyons/Murray. Then, the three tracks originally on Gil Evans' "Into The Hot" (now on CD "Mixed", by Taylor/Roswell Rudd, Impulse), are great. They are sort of a "bridge" between the Candid dates and "Nefertiti". btw, D.D., don't ask about the "Two Ts..." box - you'd get the same answer as for the "Alive", only that I have been through two whole discs, so far (one & two). ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 (edited) That Montmartre set is great (i.e., the Revenant/Black Lion/Arista-Freedom/Speigeli-Freedom/Fontana/Debut [am I missing any issue?] recordings). Better every time I listen to them over the years. They just SWIIIINNNG... But yeah, it's a far cry from this to "Nailed" or some of the other recent-ish stuff. I've really, since that Ayler box came out, begun to not only appreciate but LOVE Jimmy Lyons' playing. Not just his playing, but his whole b-a-g. He's an amazing player independently of Cecil, but in a lot of ways very similar to Cecil. "Student Studies" is a nice set, rawer and less focused than the BNs of the same year. I prefer the Shandar set, "Nuits de la Fondation Maeght," but it's uh, another one of those 'relentless' things. Sam Rivers, Jimmy Lyons, Cyrille and Cecil... Any opinions of "Akisakila" (Lyons-Cecil-Cyrille from '73)? Or should I just assume it's good and that I do need a fifteenth Cecil LP from 1956-1973. Edited April 13, 2004 by clifford_thornton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 I'm no Taylor expert, but in my opinion, the most accessible recording I've heard him on is Momentum Space with Dewey Redman and Elvin Jones. I think you could do worse than start there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 I'm no Taylor expert, but in my opinion, the most accessible recording I've heard him on is Momentum Space with Dewey Redman and Elvin Jones. I think you could do worse than start there... that's one i've got and it does little for me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jazzmoose Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Moose hits a pop fly to the infield; next batter please... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Moose hits a pop fly to the infield; next batter please... It may be the receiver and not the batter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Wanted to mention this one: It features 44 minutes of music (one short ZA-jive, and two long ones), by a medium-sized group including Don Cherry (who was sick that night, the liner notes say), Carlos Ward, Hamiet Bluiett, Roy Brooks (drs), John Betsch (perc), Talib Rhynie (never heard of him), and the great Johnny Dyani. Dyani's playing is strong, beautiful and big-sounded as always. Like this one a lot (AMG gives it three stars only). It was reissued last year, on the Chiaroscuro associated label Downtown. ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Also had another listen over easter to this one: Gustafsson is good, solid, Flaten has a big woody beautiful warm sound - fitting very well to this Don-Cherry-penned or -styled music. Nilssen-Love, then, is one of the better drummers around these days, I think. Some of this music is much in a post-Trane mode (mainly as far as Gustafsson is concerned), also moods and colours do remind of Ornette (and Don Cherry), some of it is just plain beauty - when they hit the folksy grooves, bass ostinate falls in place, drums play the beat, and Gustafsson falls in with one of those simple (Ayler, Ornette, Cherry...) melodies, almost overblowing his horn (Ayler, Sanders, Gato...). ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clifford_thornton Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 I bet it is good (Gustafsson w/o Vandermark: ), but why do they look like Coldplay?!? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck Nessa Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 "Student Studies" is a nice set, rawer and less focused than the BNs of the same year. I prefer the Shandar set, "Nuits de la Fondation Maeght," but it's uh, another one of those 'relentless' things. Sam Rivers, Jimmy Lyons, Cyrille and Cecil... Any opinions of "Akisakila" (Lyons-Cecil-Cyrille from '73)? Or should I just assume it's good and that I do need a fifteenth Cecil LP from 1956-1973. Don't know the cds but the Black Lion/Freedom lps (the legit ones) sounded better than the Byg/Affinity versions. I've had Akisakila since it was first issued and like it a lot. I still have the lps but prefer the mix/eq on the AJM cd set. The big warning is the timing/bucks ratio - 82 minutes at Japanese import prices can be daunting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Chaney Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 (edited) I've had Akisakila since it was first issued and like it a lot. I still have the lps but prefer the mix/eq on the AJM cd set. The big warning is the timing/bucks ratio - 82 minutes at Japanese import prices can be daunting. I got this one from Mr. Tanno a while back and have yet to listen to the whole thing. VERY intense playing by all involved and NOT recommended for relaxation. (So, what else is new with CT? ) I'm very fond of Riobec (FMP CD 02): CT with percussionist Günter Sommer. Right now I'm thinking that CT with drummer is my favorite CT performance configuration. Any comments of whether or not the FMP recordings of the 1988 ´Improvised Music II/88´ (at the ´Kongresshalle´ Berlin) (see Riobec) are a good starting place for the intrepid but wary potential Taylor fan? PS: Welcome to the thread Mr. Nessa! Edited April 15, 2004 by Chaney Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John B Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Any comments of whether or not the FMP recordings of the 1988 ´Improvised Music II/88´ (at the ´Kongresshalle´ Berlin) (see Riobec) are a good starting place for the intrepid but wary potential Taylor fan? Out of the ones I have heard I would say "hellyeah!" to Erzulie Maketh Scent, Leaf Palm Hand and Looking (Berlin Version) Solo. I have also heard Spots, Circles and Fantasy, which is a duo set with Han Bennink and wasn't as impressed by it. I should give it another listen one of these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob C Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Ok I'm really a Funny Rat lurker but want to get my head around later Cecil Taylor this year. I've avoided his post 1950s stuff largely for some time considering them too far out. So would "Nailed" and "Celebrated Blazons" be a good place to start.? I've been slowly coming around to Cecil (and Jimmy Lyons, too) for a few years. I would say that the just-reissued Conquistador! would be a great place to start exploring a little further. It's one of the best records I've heard from him. Haven't heard a ton of the FMPs, but I think Celebrated Blazons is a nice one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.L.M Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 (edited) If NAILED is for the extremist Cecil Taylor completist (and slowly by slowly I've start to be one), CELEBRATED BLAZON (in trio), yes, can be an adequate place to start for somebody who "avoided his post 1950 stuff." But be aware than no Cecil Taylor has ever been easy stuff. I think that THE WILLISAU CONCERT is also a possible way to get to the man and his music. He is very well recorded here, and play on the BEST piano he has maybe ever encounter! INDENT and SILENT TONGUES is worth considering also (the later in his 24 bits re-realised by Da-Music, far superior to the original Freedom for the same middle-price.) They are, both master pieces, and not so hard on the hear either. FOR OLIM (who is not one of my favorite, but...) with his short pieces (the longer is around 18 minutes, some don't go further than few minutes), could be also a solution. All these are in solo. Aniway, I think than, in its REVENANT version with its fair sound (avoid the unlistenable Black Lion one, called TRANCE), NEFERTITI, THE BEAUTIFUL ONE HAS COME, for me, is the most important record (if not the best) than Cecil Taylor has ever done. I didn't know that it was considered as OOP. But I remember have seen it on one site or another. It surely could be find. Edited April 13, 2004 by P.L.M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 The Things other Crazy Wisdom CD has Joe McPhee is also recommended but I probably prefer the earlier disc mentioned by HRH Ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clunky Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Thanks for all the CT tips, still working out what I'll try , probably Willisau, Blazons and Nefertiti ( if I can find it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
king ubu Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 The Things other Crazy Wisdom CD has Joe McPhee is also recommended but I probably prefer the earlier disc mentioned by HRH Ubu HRH!?! I have that other one, too, picked the two up together in a sale - wanted to give it a close listen too, over easter, but didn't make it. I'll post about that too, once I come around. P.L.M.: on the "Willisau" - that's the usual high swiss standards Seriously: I have never been to a festival here (I mean real festival, with budget on organisator's side etc), where they had a bad piano! And the man who did the recording (he recorded lots of my botleggers' treasures) for swiss radio broadcast was Martin Pearson, nowadays working quite regularly for ECM (he did some live Jarrett records that are fantastic, as the 2CD "Whisper Not"). As he lives in Switzerland, he often does jobs for swiss radio broadcasts, which is very cool! ubu Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P.L.M Posted April 14, 2004 Report Share Posted April 14, 2004 (edited) Well, long live to Martin Pearson, then! Is Switzerland a country to be taken seriously, now? Seems so, as they get the two best labels of free and improv. music and two of the best sound engineer currently in the bizness (the other is, of course, is Peter Pfister who is also THE master of the remastering), only leave slightly behind (a bit of nationalisme, here) by the French Gérard de Haro (The guy who recorded and remastered all the SKETCH and EMOUVANCE records, among others.) And since they have artits like Daniel Humair, Pierre Favre, Irène Schweizer, Urs Leimgruber, Sylvie Courtois, you name it. Just get a batch of new realese from CIMP and CADENCE. PAUL DUNMALL - PAUL ROGERS - KEVIN NORTON: GO FOR DUCK (CIMP) A follow up of Ryckolickum. Hope is as good. Not yet listen to WILLIAM GAGLIARDI QUINTET: HEAR AND NOW (CIMP) Second volume of the session who gave NHLAHLA. I have to listen to both as I got the twin also. HARRIS EISENSTAD QUINTET: JALOLU (CIMP) Not yet listen to. JAZZ COMPOSER ALLIANCE ORCHESTRA: CELEBRATION OF THE SPIRIT (CIMP) What an original title! 21 pieces band. Not yet listen to. KEVIN'S NORTON LIVING LANGUAGE: INTUITIVE STRUCTURES (Cadence) In quartet with Tomas Ulrich, John Lindberg and the great and underestimate Louie Belogenis (a former companion of Rashied Ali.) I've listen to that one. And it's a good album (maybe even better than that, must try it again) recorded live on November 2002 at the Knitting Factory. Louie Belogenis is the man here, with, of course, his leader (who plays more and more vibraphone (what is a good thing.) JAMES FINN: OPENING GATES (CIMP) A trio leading by this unknow tenor sax back by the inevitable Mr Dominic Duval (I like the guy, thought) and Whit Dickey. An absolute groundbreaking record. James Finn, while standing in the line of the free jazz more than the improv. one, have it all, sound, furry and the rest. Bob Rush says that he received this as a demo and find it so astonishing that he has decided to publish it. One the main records of 2004 for me, without no doubt. RED SNAPPER: PAUL MURPHY AT CBS (Cadence) A quintet lead (?) by Paul Murphy and composed of Jimmy Lyons, Dewey Johnson, Karen Borca and Mary Ann Driscoll Not yet listen to it, but it can be another valuable addition to the slim disco of Lyons (even if the lenght of the tracks is rather funny: only one is over 5 minutes, the duration of rest of the 18 other cuts goes from 1:13 to 4:00.) It's recorded in studio! Edited April 14, 2004 by P.L.M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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