Cecil Taylor conned out of 1/2 millon prize

[Stefan Wood]

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/08/12/us-usa-crime-taylor-idUSKBN0GC1GA20140812

[colinmce]

Bullshit! Glad this prick was arrested and I hope they take everything he has to renumerate CT.

[erwbol]

Let's hope this lowlife gets the maximum fifteen year sentence.

[mjazzg]

Scum

[disaac]

Dirtbag -- nothing lower in our society than those that prey on those that are among our most helpless: the elderly, the frail, children, etc. This guy probably hasn't the faintest clue how great of a man and artist the gentleman he tried to swindle is.

[uli]

sad.

[Leeway]

Shocking and depressing.

[flat5]

Why did he think he would get away with this?

Many contractors scam but this is so obvious.

Guess his previous scams made him quite arrogant.

[clifford_thornton]

Horrible. Thankfully they're throwing the book at him but whether it can be repaid is anybody's guess.

[sidewinder]

Poor Cecil. At least this character has got his come-uppance.

[xybert]

That is truly rage inducing. When i read the subject title of this thread, i thought it was going to be that it was a fake grant that he was promised or something... but no, someone ripped off his roughly $500,000.00 Kyoto Prize. It was going to be money in Taylor's bank account. Does anyone know the ins or outs insurance/bank/legal/Inamori Foundation wise as to whether Taylor will get any of the money? It doesn't look likely.

[johnblitweiler]

I bet ya Wynton Marsalis will pay for the swine's defense. Remember how Wynton rewarded the guy who sued the 2009 Siguenza jazz festival in Spain?

[Chuck Nessa]

U be too dark.

[PHILLYQ]

That is truly rage inducing. When i read the subject title of this thread, i thought it was going to be that it was a fake grant that he was promised or something... but no, someone ripped off his roughly $500,000.00 Kyoto Prize. It was going to be money in Taylor's bank account. Does anyone know the ins or outs insurance/bank/legal/Inamori Foundation wise as to whether Taylor will get any of the money? It doesn't look likely.

I think Taylor would only get what could be recovered from the thief, which probably won't be much.

[clifford_thornton]

Yeah, agreed. It's horrible.

[gmonahan]

The lowest circle of hell should be reserved for scumbags like this guy.

How is Cecil, anyway? I mean, his health? Things like this can have a terrible effect if one's health is fragile.

gregmo

Edited August 13, 2014 by Greg M.

[Stefan Wood]

I think he is 85.

[Д.Д.]

This is sad. Hopefully Mr Taylor receives his money, and I think he should be able to.

As a side note, it is ironic that while the US are very aggressive pushing anti money laundering practices all over the world, they have such a mess with banking at home (in, I assume, NYC, of all places). When half-a-million dollars is sent to "The Cecil Taylor Foundation", but the recipient is actually "MCAI Construction", such a transaction should never go through without investigation. And most definitely such a bank account can't be allowed to be closed soon after a transaction like this.

Edited August 13, 2014 by Д.Д.

[Leeway]

More on the CT front. What a beautiful spirit Cecil has:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/nyregion/man-accused-of-stealing-prize-money-from-jazz-genius.html?_r=0

His opinion of Mr. Muir now?

“Nothing. Does not exist,” he said. “What is painful in your life if you have friends? That’s what friends are for. How unhappy he must be, but that’s on him.”

[mjazzg]

More on the CT front. What a beautiful spirit Cecil has:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/nyregion/man-accused-of-stealing-prize-money-from-jazz-genius.html?_r=0

His opinion of Mr. Muir now?

“Nothing. Does not exist,” he said. “What is painful in your life if you have friends? That’s what friends are for. How unhappy he must be, but that’s on him.”

Indeed.

I liked the photo caption "The pianist Cecil Taylor, second from left, and District Attorney Kenneth P. Thompson of Brooklyn, third from left, on Tuesday." Just in case you couldn't work out who was the 85 year old jazz pianist.....

[Steve Reynolds]

Simply the greatest of all. The best of the best, ahead of all the rest.

It's Always a Pleasure

[7/4]

Sigh...this is some sad shit. I hope Cecil gets all or at least some of his money back.

[Scott Dolan]

What makes me even sadder than this horrific story is that it reminds me of the fact that I only possess ONE Cecil Taylor album, Dark To Themselves ( I bought it mostly because Marc Edwards was on it, and he and I used to chat regularly on the old FreeJazz.org message board).

I'm going to have to do something about that post haste. Have always wanted Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come but just never picked it up for some reason.

[CraigP]

That's OK Scott - you only have about a hundred or so albums to go!

[gmonahan]

More on the CT front. What a beautiful spirit Cecil has:

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/13/nyregion/man-accused-of-stealing-prize-money-from-jazz-genius.html?_r=0

His opinion of Mr. Muir now?

“Nothing. Does not exist,” he said. “What is painful in your life if you have friends? That’s what friends are for. How unhappy he must be, but that’s on him.”

Cecil Taylor is a far better, gentler, and kinder man than I am. I'd want to castrate the son of a bitch with a dull spoon.

gregmo