Pianist Cecil Taylor, live at the Village Vanguard from July 2008 with drummer Tony Oxley, was recorded for a 2-lp vinyl album titled Ailanthus/Alitssima, and one cut of it is being offered as an MP3 for a limited time, free, by the website Destination-out.com.
Word is only 475 copies of the lp will be sold — details on that at Triple Point Records.
howardmandel.com
Subscribe by Email |
Subscribe by RSS |
Follow on Twitter
All JBJ posts |
Well, I believe the last of the albums has been purchased from ebay. (Sigh.) I’ve got everything that Cecil’s done, but I just couldn’t justify plunking down $110 for a 2-record set. Life will go on…
HM: Craig, I feel your pain. Fortunately we have Taylor and Oxley’s collaboration on FMP to listen to. And I don’t give up when challenged by this kind of pricing, I just keep looking in used bins and hoping that another arrangement for the music’s release will one day be made.
But you’ve got everything CT ever recorded? Will you share favorites and least favorites, and why?
That’s a challenge! But here goes…
My Favorites
The trio recordings with Buell Neidlinger and Dennis Charles that first appeared on The World of Cecil Taylor. These sides show his connection with post-bop jazz and the rhythm section gets him.
Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come, with Jimmy Lyons and Sunny Murray. Sublime playing by all; if only the damn piano had been in tune!
Leaf Palm Hand, the duets with Tony Oxley. Taylor has worked with some great drummers, but Oxley reacts and anticipates him like no other.
2 Ts for a lovely T, with the Feel Trio of William Parker and Oxley. Fantastic interplay, plus I’m a sucker for box sets.
Nailed, with Evan Parker, Barry Guy and Oxley. Just try to catch your breath after this one.
The Tree of Life. Cecil solo.
Almeda, with an eight-piece ensemble. This size unit gives the music more space to breath than Cecil’s larger ensembles.
As for least favorites…
Stereo Drive (later issued as Coltrane Time under Coltrane’s name). Dorham and Hayes don’t get him.
Chinampas, as it’s Taylor poetry and not his piano playing.