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Exact matches: 68
Exact matches1
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Gigi Gryce & Donald Byrd/Cecil TaylorAt Newport (LP sleeve edition) ... CD
Verve, 1958. Used ... $12.99
One of the hippest records to ever come out of the Newport series of recordings! Side one of the set features some groundbreaking early work from Cecil Taylor – in a quartet that includes Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Buell Neidlinger on bass, and Dennis Charles on drums – one of the most modern lineups that must have played at Newport at the time! The tracks – "Johnny Come Lately" and "Nona's Blues" – must have really shook up the Newport audiences, so much so that the remainder of the record, on side two, must have seemed traditional by comparison. Yet that side is decidedly modern too – and features work by the Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Lab – with Byrd on trumpet, Gryce on alto, and Hank Jones on piano. Tracks are tightly arranged, but with strong soulful soloing – perhaps some of the best the group ever recorded. Titles include "Batland" and "Splittin". CD
(2002 LP sleeve edition.)

Exact matches2
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Jackie Mclean, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner & OthersOne Night With Blue Note Preserved Vol 2 ... CD
Blue Note, 1985. Used ... $4.99
A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This is the second of 4 LPs, issued both separately and in a box set format, and features a nicely snapping hard bop quintet on side one, with Jackie McLean, Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, Cecil McBee and Jack DeJohnette running through "Sweet & Lovely", "Appointment In Ghana", "Passion Dance" and "Blues On The Corner". Side two shows two different sides of Blue Note, with Cecil Taylor appearing in a solo setting, performing the lengthy "Pontos Cantados" and the then contemporary Blue Note artist Bennie Wallace leading a Newk-inspired pianoless trio, with McBee and DeJohnette reprising their rhythm section role on "Broadside". CD

Exact matches3
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil TaylorFor Olim ... CD
Soul Note (Italy), 1986. Used ... $4.99
Solo piano work, recorded live at the Workshop Freie Music in 1986. Titles include "Olim", "Glossalalia Part 4", "Mirror And Water Gazing", "The Question", and "For The Rabbit". CD
(On Demand CDr pressing.)

Exact matches4
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil TaylorIn Florescence ... CD
A&M, 1990. Used ... $8.99
An unusual appearance on a major label for Cecil Taylor – recorded during a brief bit of optimism in A&M's jazz department! Despite the setting, though, the record's a great one – played with all the fire and dynamism of some of Taylor's indie work from the same stretch – and carved out in a way that has some shorter tracks on the showcase, which makes for a nice change from the album-length performances of some of Cecil's other sets. The trio features Gregg Bendian on percussion and William Parker on bass – and both players vocalize a bit with Cecil at moments on the record. Titles include "Anast In Crisis", "For Steve McCall", "Pethro Visiting The Abyss", "Saita", "Feng Shui", and "Entitiy". CD

Exact matches5
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil TaylorIndent ... LP
Arista, 1973/1977. Very Good+ ... $9.99
A beautiful solo piano set by Cecil Taylor – recorded live in Ohio in 1973, and originally released on his own small Unit Core label. The work is a perfect example of how Cecil was stretching himself at the time – working in a mode that was part free jazz, part 70s spiritualism, opening up far more than even in his classic group recordings of the late 60s. The album features one long work – "Indent" – separated into 3 "layers". LP, Vinyl record album
(Vinyl has light sleeve marks. Cover has light wear, with a touch of waviness at the bottom corners.)

Exact matches6
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorIwontunwonsi – Live At Sweet Basil ... CD
Sound Hills (Japan), 1995. Used ... Just Sold Out!
Solo performance. CD
(Out of print. Includes obi!)

Exact matches7
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorNefertiti The Beautiful One Has Come (Live At The Cafe Montmartre) ... LP
Arista/Freedom, 1975. Near Mint- 2LP Gatefold ... $29.99
Excellent Artista/Freedom reissue that brings together the full set from Cecil's 1962 performance at Cafe Monmartre. He's playing here in a trio that has Jimmy Lyons on alto and Sonny Murray on drums, and the music's a key link between his later seventies stuff, and his earlier work that you can find on OJC reissues. The set has 2 takes of "Lena", plus "Trance", "What's New?", "Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come", and "D Trad, That's What". With great liner notres, too! LP, Vinyl record album
(A nice copy.)

Exact matches8
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil TaylorRespiration ... CD
Listen Foundation (Poland), 1968. New Copy ... $15.99 16.99
A hell of a document of what Cecil Taylor could do when he was at his best – just one man and one piano, but a universe of sonic exploration and non-stop energy throughout! The set features a rare 1968 live performance in Poland – done at the nation's famous Jazz Jamboree festival – and Taylor is completely unbound during the 43 minute "Respiration" which takes up the entire album – even more so than on some of his better-known records from a few years before – and solo, without even having to pay attention to other group members on the stage – so that he can just focus his frenzied attack on the piano, which must have been reduced to splinters by the time the set was over! Yet this isn't just bombast, as the whole thing has that intrinsic logic that makes a Taylor solo set like this so brilliant – a complete understanding of all the possibilities of the instrument, really pushing them to the limits, but also with a cohesive mission that makes the whole thing come together in a fantastic way. CD

Exact matches9
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil TaylorUnit Structures ... CD
Blue Note, 1966. Used ... $6.99
One of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". CD
(1987 US pressing.)
Also available Unit Structures (180 gram pressing) ... LP 25.99

Exact matches10
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil TaylorUnit Structures (180 gram pressing) ... LP
Blue Note, 1966. New Copy (reissue)... $25.99 28.99
One of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". LP, Vinyl record album
Also available Unit Structures ... CD 6.99

Exact matches11
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil TaylorUnit Structures (UHQCD pressing) ... CD
Blue Note (Japan), 1966. New Copy ... About February 28, 2024 (delayed)
One of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". CD
Also available
Unit Structures (180 gram pressing) ... LP 25.99
Unit Structures ... CD 6.99

Exact matches12
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorWorld Of Cecil Taylor ... CD
Candid/Artists Only, 1960. Used ... $6.99
Cecil Taylor's first LP for the Candid label – and a landmark album that really lets him open up for the first time in years at a recording session! The album was cut at Nola's Penthouse in 1960, and the core group is Cecil's trio with Buell Neidlinger on bass and Dennis Charles on drums – but Archie Shepp joins the group on tenor on two tracks, "Air" and "Lazy Afternoon". The remaining three have a sound that's not always heard on other Taylor albums from the 60s – a bit bluesy, with playing that might be called a bit "straight", but which also shows Cecil's command of the jazz idiom in a mode that allows keen comparison with other players of his generation. Titles include "EB", "This Nearly Was Mine", and "Port Of Call". CD

Exact matches13
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil Taylor & Italian Instabile OrchestraOwner Of The River Bank ... CD
Enja/Justin Time, 2003. Used ... $8.99
One of the most complex Cecil Taylor records we've heard in years – and that's saying a lot, given the usual complexity of his music! Taylor plays piano and vocalizes a bit – but he's also tied strongly here to the Italian Instabile Orchestra – a large lineup of varied horn, string, and percussion players – all of whom vocalize a bit themselves – working with Cecil to create these amazing textures in sound – every bit as free as his unfettered solo recordings, but played here with these layers of depth that really amaze us! The CD features one long piece, composed by Taylor – running for about an hour in length, and divided into seven movements. CD
(Out of print, please note that there is some water damage to the booklet including a peeled spot on the cover and is priced accordingly.)

Exact matches14
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Cecil Taylor & Sunny MurrayCorona ... CD
Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1996. New Copy ... $12.99 15.99
A fantastic extended performance from the great Cecil Taylor – and a set that's really striking for a number of different reasons! First, the performance begins with some added voice work from Tristan Honsinger, Dominic Duval, and others – doing unusual vocalizations that are a bit like those that Taylor would sometimes use to augment his piano improvisations. Another striking feature is the presence of Sunny Murray on drums – one of Taylor's best musical partner, and a player who here is working at a level that's wonderfully open and spacious – very different than you might expect, and in a way that also seems to bring even more thoughtful, sensitive qualities to Cecil's piano! The set was recorded live in Berlin in 1996, and features two shorter segments, both with voice – and one very bold piece in the middle that runs for almost 50 minutes in length. CD

Exact matches15
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Dewey Redman/Cecil Taylor/Elvin JonesMomentum Space ... CD
Verve, 1998. Used ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
A brilliant trio set from three of the most important modernists of the post-Coltrane years – tenorist Dewey Redman, pianist Cecil Taylor, and drummer Elvin Jones – working here in very free formation, especially for the Verve label! Redman's reeds are sharper and more far-reaching than most of his other recordings of the time – no doubt driven onward by Taylor's frenetic work on piano, a really surprising match for a group like this – and Jones himself has some very fierce moments on the drums, definitely in the harder, heavier side of his talents for the date. Titles include "Nine", "Bekei", "Spoonin", "Dew", "It", "Is", and "Life As". CD

Exact matches16
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorJazz Advance ... CD
Blue Note, 1956. Used ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
One of the best pre-1960 sessions by Cecil Taylor, recorded in Boston in 1956, and originally issued on the totally rare Transition label in a very small pressing! Taylor's playing here with the great bassist Buell Neidlinger, one of his prime compatriots in the early days, plus the great drummer Dennis Charles – and a young Steve Lacy also adds to the group on a few tracks, making one of his most striking early appearances on record! The session's a great way to hear Taylor's development at the beginning, as it includes a number of jazz standards – like "Azure", "Sweet & Lovely", and "Bemsha Swing" – all given an off-kilter twist by Taylor and group. This is probably best heard on one of the album's highlights – a nine minute solo reading of Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", with a quality that's unlike anything else we can think of! CD
(1991 pressing.)

Exact matches17
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorJazz Advance (plus bonus tracks) ... CD
Transition/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1956/1957. Used ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
One of the best pre-1960 sessions by Cecil Taylor, recorded in Boston in 1956, and originally issued on the totally rare Transition label in a very small pressing! Taylor's playing here with the great bassist Buell Neidlinger, one of his prime compatriots in the early days, plus the great drummer Dennis Charles – and a young Steve Lacy also adds to the group on a few tracks, making one of his most striking early appearances on record! The session's a great way to hear Taylor's development at the beginning, as it includes a number of jazz standards – like "Azure", "Sweet & Lovely", and "Bemsha Swing" – all given an off-kilter twist by Taylor and group. This is probably best heard on one of the album's highlights – a nine minute solo reading of Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", with a quality that's unlike anything else we can think of! CD also features 3 bonus tracks recorded live at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1957 – "Nona's Blues", "Tune 2", and "Johnny Come Lately" – all nice and long, and all representing Cecil Taylor at a similar point in his career! CD

Exact matches18
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorLive At The Cafe Montmartre (Fantasy) ... LP
Fantasy, 1962. Near Mint- ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Seminal material from Cecil Taylor – an explosive album that was one of the first to show the world just how much his style had evolved since the late 50s! When Taylor first showed up on the scene, he was already a pianist that was going farther out than just about anyone – but by the time of this 1962 performance in Copenhagen, he'd really taken off – working in these massive flurries of keyboard intensity that were unlike anything anyone had ever heard before – the full-blown Taylor aesthetic that's endured for decades, set up perfectly here in a trio with some brilliantly bracing alto sax by Jimmy Lyons, and equally free work on drums by Sunny Murray! All tracks are long, and titles include "Trance", "Call", "Lena", and "D Trad That's What". LP, Vinyl record album
(60s blue label pressing. Cover has a stereo sticker in one corner - and is great overall!)

Exact matches19
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Art Ensemble Of Chicago with Cecil TaylorDreaming Of The Masters Vol 2 – Thelonious Sphere Monk ... CD
DIW/Columbia, 1991. Used ... Out Of Stock
A really unusual session – the Art Ensemble Of Chicago is joined by pianist Cecil Taylor – in a celebration of the music of Thelonious Monk! CD
(US pressing.)

Exact matches20
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Evan Parker, Cecil Taylor, Barry Guy & Tony OxleyNailed ... CD
FMP (Germany), 2000. Used ... Out Of Stock
Evan Parker on tenor and soprano saxophone, Cecil Taylor on piano, Barry Guy on bass, and Tony Oxley on drums. CD
(Out of print.)

Exact matches21
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil Taylor7 Classic Albums (Jazz Advance/At Newport/Looking Ahead/Stereo Drive (Hard Driving Jazz)/Love For Sale/World Of Cecil Taylor/New York City R&B)(4 CD set) ... CD
Real Gone Jazz (UK), Late 50s. Used 4 CDs ... Out Of Stock
Seven early albums by Cecil Taylor! CD
(Out of print.)

Exact matches22
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorAir – Featuring Archie Shepp ... LP
Candid, 1960. Near Mint- ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor and Archie Shepp – two key modern figures of the 60s, working here together in a seminal session recorded at the start of the decade! The album's approach is definitely dictated by Taylor – as the tunes have a piano-driven quality that's quite different than most music Shepp would later record – although Archie still manages to get in plenty of great moments on tenor! You can really hear Cecil breaking out of his earlier sound on the record – stretching forth in some of the more freely expressive ways that would dominate later, yet never too free – almost with a hint of modern swing at some points. Other players include Buell Niedlinger on bass and either Sunny Murray or Dennis Charles on drums – and titles include "Air", "Eb", and "Port Of Call". LP, Vinyl record album
(Barnaby pressing. Cover has a cut corner, light wear, and light aging.)

Exact matches23
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorAir Above Mountains ... CD
Enja (Germany), 1976. Used ... Out Of Stock
Freewheeling Cecil Taylor – heard here solo, in his best 70s mode – recorded live in Austria in 1976, playing beautifully on a Bosendorfer Grand piano! Taylor works wonders with the instrument – giving it a pyrotechnic workout during the extended performance on the set – at a level that, whatever you might feel about his approach to jazz, really stands as a demonstration that, above anything else, Taylor has always been one hell of a pianist – able to handle the instrument in a way that's unlike anyone else! The album features one long track – "Air Above Mountains (Buildings Within)" – awash with light, colors, and life – all from the Taylor side of the spectrum! CD
(Out of print.)

Exact matches24
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorCecil Taylor Solo ... LP
Trio (Japan), 1973. Near Mint- ... Out Of Stock
Tremendous work from Cecil Taylor – a Japanese album that captures the pianist at the peak of his power – when he was breaking through into this amazing new territory in improvised music, with energy and dexterity that's completely unlike anyone else! Taylor in the 60s was great, but Taylor in the 70s – especially here – is mindblowing – as he attacks the piano with this reach and sense of imagination that would have blown away any of the big cockrock guitar heroes of the decade – all with a style that might sound like chaos at first listen, but which has this incredible understanding of notes, sounds, and colors – all effortlessly cascading from Cecil's fingers throughout! The album was recorded live in Lino Hall, Tokyo, at 2 in the morning – and titles include "Lono", "Choral Of Voice (Elesion)", "First Layer", and "Asapk In Ame". LP, Vinyl record album
(Original Japanese pressing – PA-7067 – with insert. Cover has some light aging, but is nice overall.)

Exact matches25
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorDark To Themselves ... CD
Enja (Germany), 1976. Used ... Out Of Stock
One of Cecil Taylor's most spiritual sessions of the 70s – a live set recorded in Yugoslavia in 1976, and done with this really open sound, but one that comes as much from the horns as it does from Cecil's piano! In fact, we might well say that the horns are the best attraction here – as the record features strong tenor from a young David S Ware – as well as trumpet from Raphe Malik and alto from Jimmy Lyons – who all spin out with freewheeling creativity, alongside Taylor's bold lines on piano, and the drums of Marc Edwards. As with other Taylor albums of the time, the set's built around one long performance – of a tune entitled "Streams & Chorus Of Seed" – put together in a way that have the horns layering over one another, building up sound next to Taylor's free piano improvisations – then taking off on their own! Extremely spirited work – and a great showcase for the young Ware! CD
(Out of print 1997 CD pressing.)

Exact matches26
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorDark To Themselves ... CD
Enja/Blue Moon, 1976. Used ... Out Of Stock
One of Cecil Taylor's most spiritual sessions of the 70s – a live set recorded in Yugoslavia in 1976, and done with this really open sound, but one that comes as much from the horns as it does from Cecil's piano! In fact, we might well say that the horns are the best attraction here – as the record features strong tenor from a young David S Ware – as well as trumpet from Raphe Malik and alto from Jimmy Lyons – who all spin out with freewheeling creativity, alongside Taylor's bold lines on piano, and the drums of Marc Edwards. As with other Taylor albums of the time, the set's built around one long performance – of a tune entitled "Streams & Chorus Of Seed" – put together in a way that have the horns layering over one another, building up sound next to Taylor's free piano improvisations – then taking off on their own! Extremely spirited work – and a great showcase for the young Ware! CD
(1990 US pressing)

Exact matches27
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorGarden 1st Set ... CD
Hat Art (Switzerland), 1981. Used ... Out Of Stock
The first half of Cecil Taylor's wonderful Garden performance – a key moment from the early 80s that really seems to show Taylor finding even more focus than ever, while also setting his spirit freer than anyone might have imagined! The man and his piano become one during the performance – on long-spun tracks that have these mad flurries of notes that shouldn't make sense, but totally do – maybe even freer than Taylor was in the 70s, but at a level that creates even more musical inspiration too – a musicality that's almost unexpected, and which leaves us breathless. Cecil also vocalizes a bit – these chant-like grunts that really show the full body fixation of the performance – and titles include "Elell", "Garden 1", and "Stepping On Stars". CD

Exact matches28
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorJumpin' Punkins ... CD
Candid, 1961. Used ... Out Of Stock
Pretty well peak era material from pianist Cecil Taylor – doing his thing with incredible line up of jazz greats on a couple NYC dates from early 1961! A couple of the pieces here are pure magic – we're especially loving the bits where Cecil is kind of hitting the keys heavily, spurring the players from a comfortable, measured gait into something a bit more feral, but it never busts wide open, creating a dynamic tension. The cream of the crop are on board, including Clark Terry, Roswell Rudd, Steve Lacy, Archie Shepp and Billy Higgins. The numbers mostly run north of 8 minutes, for a nicely loose, lingering groove, and titles include "Jumpin' Punkins", "OP", "O Forgot" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". CD
(Out of print, made in West Germany.)

Exact matches29
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorLooking (Berlin Version) Solo ... CD
FMP (Germany), 1991. Used ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor on solo piano. CD
(Out of print.)

Exact matches30
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorMusic From Two Continents – Live At Jazz Jamboree 84 ... CD
Listen Foundation (Poland), 1984. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
One of the most ambitious Cecil Taylor projects of the 80s – a special project performed by a large ensemble at a jazz festival in Poland – an incredible group who really expand the vision in Cecil's music! Make no mistake, Taylor is definitely the leader here – his piano and vocalizations really direct the entire set – but the music brims over with contributions from giants who include Tomasz Stanko and Enrico Rava on trumpets, Conrad Bauer on trombone, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Frank Wright and John Tchicai on tenors, Gunter Hampel on bass clarinet and vibes, and William Parker on bass. The performance features one long piece, but graced with all these really beautiful themes amidst the freer improvisations – coming across with a global vision in jazz that's maybe not unlike some of Charlie Haden's Liberation Music projects, but freer and bolder overall! CD

Exact matches31
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorNefertiti The Beautiful One Has Come (Live At The Cafe Montmartre) ... CD
Arista/Freedom/Revenant, 1962. Used 2 CDs ... Out Of Stock
Excellent Revenant reissue that brings together the full set from Cecil's 1962 performance at Cafe Monmartre. He's playing here in a trio that has Jimmy Lyons on alto and Sonny Murray on drums, and the music's a key link between his later seventies stuff, and his earlier work that you can find on OJC reissues. The set has 2 takes of "Lena", plus "Trance", "What's New?", "Nefertiti, The Beautiful One Has Come", and "D Trad, That's What". CD
(Out of print, case has some light edgewear.)

Exact matches32
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorNuits De La Fondation Maeght Vol 1 ... LP
Shandar (France), 1969. Very Good Gatefold ... Out Of Stock
A legendary live set from Cecil Taylor – originally only issued overseas, but a record that really helped cement his status as a groundbreaking improviser at the start of the 70s! The record is maybe one of the first times that Taylor was really able to break free on record – and hit the style that would become his standard for years to come – working here in an excellent quartet with Jimmy Lyons on alto, Sam Rivers on tenor and soprano, and Andrew Cyrille on drums! This volume includes "Second Act of A" part 1. LP, Vinyl record album
(Vinyl has oxidation.)

Exact matches33
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorOlu Iwa ... CD
Soul Note (Italy), 1986. Used ... Out Of Stock
Features one track with a larger group – with Peter Brotzman and Frank Wright on tenors, plus Thurman Barker on marimba and percussion, William Parker on bass, and Steve McCall on drums – plus one more quartet track with Parker, McCall, and Barker! CD

Exact matches34
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorOne Too Many Salty Swift And Not Goodbye ... CD
Hat Art (Switzerland), 1978. Used 2 CDs ... Out Of Stock
A classic live set by Cecil Taylor – easily one of his best-remembered albums of the 70s! The group here is a sextet – with Taylor on piano, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Raphe Malik on trumpet, Ramsey Ameen on violin, Sirone on bass, and Ronald Shannon Jackson on drums – all working together in the collaborative spirit of the loft jazz generation! This is heard especially on the beginning section of the set – which features duet and solo performances by group members, all without Taylor – before rolling into the full sextet performance passage of the work. The album is one long performance – spanning over 2 hours of music! CD
(Out of print.)

Exact matches35
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorStructures Revisited (Into The Hot/Unit Structures) ... CD
Hat Art (Switzerland), 1961/1966. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
A pair of crucial Cecil Taylor sessions from the 60s – both of which show the free-thinking pianist working amidst some larger arrangements! First up are three tracks from the Gil Evans album Into The Hot – all tunes written by Cecil Taylor – a very bold move for Evans, given Taylor's strongly out reputation even at this point in his career – and possibly even more bold, given that Taylor's on the tracks playing piano, alongside players who include Archie Shepp on tenor, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Henry Grimes on bass, and Sunny Murray on drums – plus work on one track from Ted Curson on trumpet and Roswell Rudd on trombone. The material's fantastic, and is a key part of Taylor's work at the time, and shows a very different setting for his piano – a bit of tension with the larger Evans group, in a way that's almost more compelling than his own early dates as a leader – on the titles "Pots", "Bulbs", and "Mixed". Next is the Unit Structures album – one of a rare few albums done by pianist Cecil Taylor for the Blue Note label in the 60s – some of the most outside work recorded for the imprint at the time! The word "structures" here is perhaps a bit misplaced – as the work has a strong sense of freedom with the soloists – who operate based on a system of energy and impulses described by Taylor in the notes, at a level that's maybe one of his most inventive, ambitious expressions of the decade! The whole lineup is great – with especially strong horn work from Eddie Gale on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Ken McIntyre on alto, oboe, and bass clarinet – and Taylor's piano gets accompaniment from two groundbreaking bassists – Henry Grimes and Alan Silva – plus drums from Andrew Cyrille. Given the lineup, and the format, the whole thing almost feels more like one of the BYG/Actuel avant sessions than Blue Note in the 60s – and titles include "Steps", "Enter Evening (Soft Line Structure)", "Unit Structure/As Of A Now/Section", and "Tales (8 Whisps)". CD

Exact matches36
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Cecil TaylorTrance ... CD
Black Lion (UK), 1962. Used ... Out Of Stock
Expanded CD reissue of a famous session that Cecil recorded at the Cafe Monmartre in Copenhagen in 1962 – and which was originally issued on Debut Records. Cecil's playing with Jimmy Lyons and Arthur "Sunny" Murray, and the recording's a great document of a key transitional period in his career – as tracks are really getting out there, with a lot more freedom than on earlier American sessions, but still with a bit of a jazz-based pulse. All tracks are long, and titles include "Trance", "Call", "Lena", and "D Trad, That's What". CD also features a 2nd version of "Call". CD
(Sealed 1996 Black Lion pressing.)

Exact matches37
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorWorld Of Cecil Taylor ... LP
Candid, 1960. Near Mint- ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor's first LP for the Candid label – and a landmark album that really lets him open up for the first time in years at a recording session! The album was cut at Nola's Penthouse in 1960, and the core group is Cecil's trio with Buell Neidlinger on bass and Dennis Charles on drums – but Archie Shepp joins the group on tenor on two tracks, "Air" and "Lazy Afternoon". The remaining three have a sound that's not always heard on other Taylor albums from the 60s – a bit bluesy, with playing that might be called a bit "straight", but which also shows Cecil's command of the jazz idiom in a mode that allows keen comparison with other players of his generation. Titles include "EB", "This Nearly Was Mine", and "Port Of Call". LP, Vinyl record album
(Japanese pressing, with insert, in textured cover – SOPC 57009. A nice copy!)
Also available World Of Cecil Taylor ... CD 6.99

Exact matches38
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✨✧ Cecil Taylor UnitEighth ... CD
Hatology (Switzerland), 1981. Used ... Out Of Stock
A very moody performance from Cecil Taylor – one long reading of the piece "Calling It The 8th", originally presented as 2LP set, but finally getting its due here as a single CD that presents the whole thing from start to finish with no interruption! Although as free as some of Taylor's other material from the time, the work also has a sound that's somehow more introspective than some of the others – possibly because of the rumbling bass work of William Parker, which seems to ground the record in an earthy territory that has the players circling back to home after taking freer flights on their solos. The group is a quartet, with Taylor on piano, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Parker on bass, and Rashid Bakr on drums. CD
(1989 pressing.)

Exact matches39
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✨✧ Cecil Taylor Unit/Roswell Rudd SextetMixed ... CD
Impulse, 1961/1966. Used ... Out Of Stock
A fantastic set – and one that didn't exist in this way during the vinyl years of Impulse Records! The package provides important early work from these two musicians who'd go onto shape the avant side of jazz in the 60s – three tracks that Cecil Taylor recorded with Gil Evans for the label – and four more from the sessions for Roswell Rudd's Everywhere album! CD
(Out of print 1998 digipack pressing with a penamrk through the barcode and clear promotional stamp on the cover.)

Exact matches40
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✨✧ Jackie McLean, Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner & OthersOne Night With Blue Note Preserved Vol 2 ... LP
Blue Note, 1985. Near Mint- ... Out Of Stock
A landmark concert from the mid 80s – one held to honor the resurrection of the Blue Note label, featuring a wealth of some of the best players for the label – from the 80s back to the 50s bebop years. This is the second of 4 LPs, issued both separately and in a box set format, and features a nicely snapping hard bop quintet on side one, with Jackie McLean, Woody Shaw, McCoy Tyner, Cecil McBee and Jack DeJohnette running through "Sweet & Lovely", "Appointment In Ghana", "Passion Dance" and "Blues On The Corner". Side two shows two different sides of Blue Note, with Cecil Taylor appearing in a solo setting, performing the lengthy "Pontos Cantados" and the then contemporary Blue Note artist Bennie Wallace leading a Newk-inspired pianoless trio, with McBee and DeJohnette reprising their rhythm section role on "Broadside". LP, Vinyl record album
Also available One Night With Blue Note Preserved Vol 2 ... CD 4.99

Exact matches41
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorAir Above Mountains – Buildings Within ... LP
Enja, 1976. Very Good+ ... Out Of Stock
Freewheeling Cecil Taylor – heard here solo, in his best 70s mode – recorded live in Austria in 1976, playing beautifully on a Bosendorfer Grand piano! Taylor works wonders with the instrument – giving it a pyrotechnic workout during the extended performance on the set – at a level that, whatever you might feel about his approach to jazz, really stands as a demonstration that, above anything else, Taylor has always been one hell of a pianist – able to handle the instrument in a way that's unlike anyone else! The album features one long track – "Air Above Mountains (Buildings Within)" – awash with light, colors, and life – all from the Taylor side of the spectrum! LP, Vinyl record album

Exact matches42
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorDouble Holy House ... CD
FMP (Germany), 1990. Used ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor on piano, voice, and percussion. CD

Exact matches43
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorGreat Paris Concert ... CD
Black Lion (Germany), 1966. Used ... Out Of Stock
A lesser-known live set by Cecil from the 60s – recorded by Alan Bates in 1966, and featuring a quartet with Jimmy Lyons on alto, Andrew Cyrille on drums, and Alan Silva on bass. The set's pretty free overall, and features 4 long tracks – "Studen Studies (parts 1 & 2)", "Amplitude", and "Niggle Feuigle". CD

Exact matches44
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorIndent ... CD
Freedom (Germany), 1973. Used ... Out Of Stock
A beautiful solo piano set by Cecil Taylor – recorded live in Ohio in 1973, and originally released on his own small Unit Core label. The work is a perfect example of how Cecil was stretching himself at the time – working in a mode that was part free jazz, part 70s spiritualism, opening up far more than even in his classic group recordings of the late 60s. The album features one long work – "Indent" – separated into 3 "layers". CD
Also available Indent ... LP 9.99

Exact matches45
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorJazz Advance ... LP
Transition, 1956. Very Good+ ... Out Of Stock
One of the best pre-1960 sessions by Cecil Taylor, recorded in Boston in 1956, and originally issued on the totally rare Transition label in a very small pressing! Taylor's playing here with the great bassist Buell Neidlinger, one of his prime compatriots in the early days, plus the great drummer Dennis Charles – and a young Steve Lacy also adds to the group on a few tracks, making one of his most striking early appearances on record! The session's a great way to hear Taylor's development at the beginning, as it includes a number of jazz standards – like "Azure", "Sweet & Lovely", and "Bemsha Swing" – all given an off-kilter twist by Taylor and group. This is probably best heard on one of the album's highlights – a nine minute solo reading of Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", with a quality that's unlike anything else we can think of! LP, Vinyl record album

Exact matches46
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorLive In Bologna ... CD
Leo (UK), 1987. Used ... Out Of Stock
A sharply focused session from Cecil Taylor – one that's driven by plenty of his free flights on the keys of the piano, but which also receives key support from a larger group! There's a great match here between the dynamism of solo Cecil and some of the collaborations of his earlier years – and in a way, the recording is one of a stretch that almost has Taylor reconciling the solo years of the 70s with the early group recordings of the 60s. Players here are Cecil's excellent Unit group – and include Carlos Ward on reeds, Leroy Jenkins on violin, William Parker on bass, and Thurman Barker on drums – and the set features one long performance that runs for nearly 70 minutes in length! CD

Exact matches47
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorLove For Sale ... LP
United Artists, 1959. Very Good+ ... Out Of Stock
A stunning early album from modern piano giant Cecil Taylor – a set that hides under a surprising cover that's a heck of a lot more cheesy than anything else that's ever appeared on a record by Cecil! Yet don't let the cover fool you, or the familiar tracks on the set – as Taylor's already starting to really open up his sound and get very free on some familiar standards – working with a core trio that includes Buell Neidlinger on bass and Dennis Charles on drums – then opening the door to work on the second half from the great Ted Curson on trumpet and Bill Barron on tenor – working here on one of their first pairings together on record! The set begins with some completely wild reworkings of Cole Porter tunes – "Get Out of Town", "I Love Paris", and "Love For Sale" – then moves into original material that includes "Little Lees" and "Matie's Trophies". LP, Vinyl record album

Exact matches48
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorLove For Sale (with bonus track) ... CD
United Artists/Universal (Japan), 1959. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
A stunning early album from modern piano giant Cecil Taylor – a set that hides under a surprising cover that's a heck of a lot more cheesy than anything else that's ever appeared on a record by Cecil! Yet don't let the cover fool you, or the familiar tracks on the set – as Taylor's already starting to really open up his sound and get very free on some familiar standards – working with a core trio that includes Buell Neidlinger on bass and Dennis Charles on drums – then opening the door to work on the second half from the great Ted Curson on trumpet and Bill Barron on tenor – working here on one of their first pairings together on record! The set begins with some completely wild reworkings of Cole Porter tunes – "Get Out of Town", "I Love Paris", and "Love For Sale" – then moves into original material that includes "Little Lees" and "Matie's Trophies". Features the bonus track "Carol/Three Points". CD

Exact matches49
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorQu'a – Live At The Irridium Vol 1 ... CD
Cadence, 1998. Used ... Out Of Stock
A great quartet date from Cecil Taylor – one that begins with a slightly more subtle approach than some of his other performances from the time – then builds strongly into the energy we've come to expect in his music! The set features one long improvisation, running over an hour in length – with bassist Dominic Duval and drummer Jackson Krall, plus some soprano sax lines from Harri Sjostrom – who comes in to underscore some bolder elements in the music. Taylor's at the head of the proceedings – as always – but still has that burning fire that never fails to move us! CD

Exact matches50
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorSilent Tongues (1201 Music pressing) ... CD
Black Lion/1201 Music, 1974. Used ... Out Of Stock
Beautiful free-flowing work by Cecil Taylor – and a key album to document his solo piano genius in the 70s! The album's an extended live performance, recorded at Montreux in 1974 – in an open, unbridled style that really shows the open spirit in Taylor's work at the time. The set includes one long piece, divided into 5 movements that include "Abyss", "Petals & Filaments", and "Crossing" – plus 2 shorter tracks "Jitney No 2" and "After All No 2". CD

Exact matches51
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorWinged Serpent (Sliding Quadrants) ... CD
Soul Note (Italy), 1985. Used ... Out Of Stock
The record features Cecil's Segments II Orchestra Of Two Continents – with trumpets by Enrico Rava and Tomasz Stanko, bass by William Parker, drums by Rashied Bakr and Andre Martinez, and saxes by John Tchicai, Frank Wright, and Jimmy Lyons. Titles include "Winged Serpent", "Womb Waters Scent Of The Burning Armadillo Shell", and "Cun Un Un Un An". CD

Exact matches52
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorWith Exit To Student Studies – Revisited ... CD
Hat Art (Switzerland), 1966. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
An unusual collection of work from Cecil Taylor – a set that mixes together two different key strands of sound from the mid 60s! The first selection on the album is "With (Exit)" – a 19 minute long track taken from the Conquistador sessions – which formed one of Cecil Taylor's most striking albums of the 60s, and one of the few in which he works with a larger than usual group – not a trio or quartet, but an ultra-hip sextet! The lineup is incredible – the cream of the arch-modern players of the avant era, including Bill Dixon on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Andrew Cyrille on drums, and both Henry Grimes and Alan Silva on bass – a double-use of the instrument that's really tremendous. Cecil himself plays with a firey style that's got the best energy of some of his earlier European recordings, but a tighter approach that's even more compelling. Student Studies is next – quite a great little session from Cecil Taylor – recorded in Paris in 1966 by BYG, and one of his most adventurous of the 60s! The group on the set is a quartet – with Cecil on piano, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Alan Silva on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums – all working in a style that's even freer than some of Cecil's other European recordings of the decade. Titles include the two-part "Student Studies" – plus "Niggle Feuigle" and "Amplitude". CD

Exact matches53
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✨✧ Cecil Taylor & Tony OxleyBeing Astral & All Registers – Power Of Two ... CD
Discus, 2002. Used ... Out Of Stock
Tremendous live work from avant piano legend Cecil Taylor and always-creative drummer Tony Oxley – a duo who recorded most famously for FMP at the end of the 80s, but who also turned in some great live performances over the following decades! This set is definitely one of those – captured at a time when Taylor was not making many forays into the studio, but still very much at the top of his game in the sort of long form improvisational setting that defined his 70s material – especially when in the company of a player as great as Oxley! There's a balance here between percussive attacks and gentler flows on both instruments – spontaneous creativity in action from both musicians, on the very long titles "Power Of Two" and "Being Astral & All Registers". CD

Exact matches54
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✨✧ Cecil Taylor Feel TrioCelebrated Blazons ... CD
FMP (Germany), 1993. Used ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor on piano and voice, William Parker on double bass, and Tony Oxley on drums. CD

Exact matches55
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✨✧ Cecil Taylor UnitSpring Of Two Blue Jays ... CD
Jazz View, Late 60s. Used ... Out Of Stock
Rare live stuff, only previously available on a very hard to find small-label release. Solo track, and quartet track with Jimmy Lyons, Sirone, and Andrew Cyrille. CD

Exact matches56
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✨✧ Cecil Taylor/Gigi Gryce & Donald ByrdCecil Taylor Quartet & The Gigi Gryce/Donald Byrde Jazz Laboratory At Newport 57 ... LP
Verve (Japan), 1958. Near Mint- ... Out Of Stock
One of the hippest records to ever come out of the Newport series of recordings! Side one of the set features some groundbreaking early work from Cecil Taylor – in a quartet that includes Steve Lacy on soprano sax, Buell Neidlinger on bass, and Dennis Charles on drums – one of the most modern lineups that must have played at Newport at the time! The tracks – "Johnny Come Lately" and "Nona's Blues" – must have really shook up the Newport audiences, so much so that the remainder of the record, on side two, must have seemed traditional by comparison. Yet that side is decidedly modern too – and features work by the Gigi Gryce-Donald Byrd Jazz Lab – with Byrd on trumpet, Gryce on alto, and Hank Jones on piano. Tracks are tightly arranged, but with strong soulful soloing – perhaps some of the best the group ever recorded. Titles include "Batland" and "Splittin". LP, Vinyl record album

Exact matches57
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✨✧ Art Ensemble Of Chicago with Cecil TaylorThelonious Sphere Monk ... CD
DIW/Columbia, 1991. Used ... Out Of Stock
An incredible musical moment – the piano of Cecil Taylor joining the Art Ensemble Of Chicago – all in a tribute to the late Thelonious Monk! The style, though, is far from simple Monk tributes that you'll hear from other artists – as many of the tunes here are originals, delivered in a style that owes plenty to both Cecil and the Art Ensemble – almost more as sound paintings dedicated to Monk's influence than simple Monkish copies themselves! There are a few key tunes from Theo – versions of "Round Midnight" and "Nutty" – but we're much more compelled by the originals on the date, which include "Caseworks", "Excerpt From Fifteen Part 3A", and "Intro To Fifteen". Taylor plays piano, percussion, and also vocalizes a bit – and the Art Ensemble, as usual, handles a mad range of instruments – with many moods and many feelings! CD

Exact matches58
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorAlgonquin ... CD
Bridge (Canada), 2004. Used ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor on piano with Mat Maneri on violin. CD

Exact matches59
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorCecil Taylor All Stars Featuring Buell Neidlinger (aka Jumpin Punkins) ... LP
Candid/Victor (Japan), 1961. Near Mint- ... Out Of Stock
Pretty well peak era material from pianist Cecil Taylor – doing his thing with incredible line up of jazz greats on a couple NYC dates from early 1961! A couple of the pieces here are pure magic – we're especially loving the bits where Cecil is kind of hitting the keys heavily, spurring the players from a comfortable, measured gait into something a bit more feral, but it never busts wide open, creating a dynamic tension. The cream of the crop are on board, including Clark Terry, Roswell Rudd, Steve Lacy, Archie Shepp and Billy Higgins. The numbers mostly run north of 8 minutes, for a nicely loose, lingering groove, and titles include "Jumpin' Punkins", "OP", "O Forgot" and "Things Ain't What They Used To Be". LP, Vinyl record album

Exact matches60
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorConquistador! ... CD
Blue Note, Late 60s. Used ... Out Of Stock
One of Cecil Taylor's most striking albums of the 60s – and one of the few in which he works with a larger than usual group – not a trio or quartet, but an ultra-hip sextet! The lineup is incredible – the cream of the arch-modern players of the avant era, including Bill Dixon on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Andrew Cyrille on drums, and both Henry Grimes and Alan Silva on bass – a double-use of the instrument that's really tremendous. Cecil himself plays with a firey style that's got the best energy of some of his earlier European recordings, but a tighter approach that's even more compelling. The album features 2 long tracks: "Conquistador", which is very free and wild; and "With (Exit)", which is a bit more subdued, but not too much! CD

Exact matches61
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorConquistador! (with bonus track) ... CD
Blue Note, Late 60s. Used ... Out Of Stock
One of Cecil Taylor's most striking albums of the 60s – and one of the few in which he works with a larger than usual group – not a trio or quartet, but an ultra-hip sextet! The lineup is incredible – the cream of the arch-modern players of the avant era, including Bill Dixon on trumpet, Jimmy Lyons on alto, Andrew Cyrille on drums, and both Henry Grimes and Alan Silva on bass – a double-use of the instrument that's really tremendous. Cecil himself plays with a firey style that's got the best energy of some of his earlier European recordings, but a tighter approach that's even more compelling. The album features 2 long tracks: "Conquistador", which is very free and wild; and "With (Exit)", which is a bit more subdued, but not too much! CD features an alternate edit of "With (Exit)" as a bonus track! CD

Exact matches62
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorCrossing ... CD
Jazz Hour (Portugal), 1966/1973/1974. Used ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor on piano, Jimmy Lyons on alto saxophone, Alain Silva on bass, and Andrew Cyrille on drums. CD

Exact matches63
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorLive In Ruvo 2000 ... CD
Enja/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 2000. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
A tremendous demonstration of the boundless talents of Cecil Taylor on the piano – a 42 minute live improvisation that blows off the roof at a live performance in Italy! Taylor has a way of handling the piano like nobody else – a command and understanding of the instrument that allows him to work with unbounded frenzy, yet always make things come across with complete sense – moving between explosive moments and more careful sonic explorations – but always with this energy and ability that we're not sure anyone else can touch! And sure, we love loads of other improvising pianists – but a record like this is in a class by itself, as is Cecil Taylor. CD

Exact matches64
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorLooking Ahead! ... LP
Contemporary, 1958. Very Good+ ... Out Of Stock
Cecil Taylor's definitely Looking Ahead here – pushing jazz piano very strongly into the 60s with his modernist tones – yet still working with a bit more restraint than in the next decade! The style here is quite unusual – and almost more fresh than the Taylor sound of later years, which has been copped heavily by other players. Cecil's somewhat free here, but also still a bit structured – playing both in angular tones and these rapid riffs that kind of burst out quickly in bold streams of colors. Other members of the group are equally striking – and include the lesser-known Earl Griffiths on vibes, working with great tones next to Taylor's piano – plus Buell Neidlinger on bass and Dennis Charles on drums. Titles include "Luyah The Glorious Step", "African Violets", "Of What", "Wallering", "Toll", and "Excursion On a Wobbly Rail". LP, Vinyl record album

Exact matches65
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorPort Of Call ... CD
Past Perfect/Candid (Germany), 1960/1961. Used ... Out Of Stock
Early sixties recordings – with Archie Shepp, Roswell Rudd, Steve Lacy, Buell Neidlinger, and Billy Higgins. CD

Exact matches66
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✨✧ Cecil TaylorSilent Tongues ... LP
Arista Freedom, 1974. Very Good+ ... Out Of Stock
Beautiful free-flowing work by Cecil Taylor – and a key album to document his solo piano genius in the 70s! The album's an extended live performance, recorded at Montreux in 1974 – in an open, unbridled style that really shows the open spirit in Taylor's work at the time. The set includes one long piece, divided into 5 movements that include "Abyss", "Petals & Filaments", and "Crossing" – plus 2 shorter tracks "Jitney No 2" and "After All No 2". LP, Vinyl record album

Exact matches67
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✨✧ Cecil Taylor/Buell NeidlingerNew York City R&B ... CD
Candid/Ultra Vybe (Japan), 1961. Used ... Out Of Stock
An early 60s session by Cecil Taylor for Candid, and a record that's one of our favorites by him from the early years! Despite the seemingly odd use of the term "R&B" in the title, the record's actually got a sound that's a bit more soulful than usual for Cecil, with surprising use of blue chords and deep rhythms that make for tunes with a different feel at points – yet a groove that's still as modern as you might expect from Taylor! Neidlinger was actually the leader on this session, which we think wasn't issued except for the Jazzman and Barnaby series that dug through the Candid vaults some years after this it was recorded – so they took advantage of Taylor's greater notoriety when they cooked up the packaging. Other sidemen include Archie Shepp, Billy Higgins, Dennis Charles, Clark Terry, Steve Lacy and Roswell Rudd. 4 numbers in all, "Things Ain't What They Used To Be", "Cell Walk For Celeste", "OP", and "Cindy's Main Mood". CD

Exact matches68
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✨✧ Barry Guy Blue Shroud BandOdes & Meditations For Cecil Taylor (5CD set) ... CD
Not Two (Poland), 2016. New Copy 5CD ... Out Of Stock
A wonderful large format recording from bassist Barry Guy – working here at the head of the Blue Shroud Band, an improvising ensemble that echoes some of his earlier work with the London Jazz Composers Orchestra! The extended work is an expansion of an earlier piece that Guy recorded with pianist Marilyn Crispell – her Three Poems For Cecil Taylor – stretched out here with a more embellished sense of imagination, but still using some of the core texts created by Crispell for the original work! The piece spans five long CDs – with sections broken down and notated to reflect the work of the many great improvisers in the set – a lineup that includes Michel Godard on serpent and tuba, Agusti Fernandez on piano, Torben Snekkestad on soprano and tenor, Jurg Wickihalder on soprano and alto, Percy Pursglove on trumpet, Julius Gabriel on baritone and soprano, Maya Homburger on violin, Fanny Paccoud on viola, Ben Dwyer on guitar, and both Ramon Lopez and Lucas Niggli on percussion. Savina Yannatou provides voice on the poetic passages, Guy plays bass and leads – and the whole thing is beautifully packaged! CD
 
Possible matches: 70
Possible matches69
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Cecil BridgewaterI Love Your Smile ... CD
Mesa Bluemoon, 1992. Used ... $3.99
Features Antonio Hart on alto, Steve Turre on trombone, Mark Taylor on French horn, Roland Hanna on piano, and Michael Carvin on drums – plus a guest drums from Max Roach! CD
(Out of print, cutout notch through spine.)

Possible matches70
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Cecil Payne, Phil Woods, & OthersBirds Night – A Celebration Of The Music Of Charlie Parker ... LP
Savoy, 1957. Near Mint- 2LP Gatefold ... $9.99
A really well done memorial to the (then) recently-departed Charlie Parker – cut with an unusual lineup that features Cecil Payne on baritone sax, Phil Woods on alto, and Frank Socolow on tenor – all working through long, laidback takes of 4 of Bird's best known compositions! There's a really relaxed feel to the record that's totally great – and the players aren't so much aping the sound of Charlie Parker's work, as they are working in the newer freedoms allows by it – stretching out in freely creative lines that never fail to please, and working here with a rhythm section that includes Duke Jordan on piano, Wendell Marshall on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. The album was recorded live at the Five Spot – and titles include "Parker's Mood", "Steeplechase", "Buzzy", and "Scrapple From The Apple". Great 80s pressing – done on 2LPs – with lots of unissued material! LP, Vinyl record album
(80s issue.)

Possible matches71
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✨✧ Cecil PayneCecil Payne & Duke Jordan – 1956 & 1962 Sessions (Patterns Of Jazz/East West Jazz) ... CD
Savoy/Fresh Sound (Spain), 1956/1962. Used ... Out Of Stock
An album and a half of work from the team of Cecil Payne and Duke Jordan – all of it great! Patterns Of Jazz is a warmly crafted set that features Cecil Payne at the height of his powers on baritone sax – blowing with a sense of soul and timing that's right up there with some of the hipper tenor players of his generation! Payne's sound on the instrument is amazingly precise and wonderfully fluid – blown beautifully in two different settings for the album – one in a quartet with Duke Jordan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – the other in the same group, but with Kenny Dorham added in on trumpet! Dorham's tones further emphasize the sweeter sound of Cecil on his chosen instrument – and titles on the set include "Arnetta", "Chessman's Delight", "Bringing Up Father", "Groovin High", "Saucer Eyes", and "Man Of Moods". The remaining tracks on the CD are from East & West Of Jazz – a split LP on the Charlie Parker label featuring one side by Duke Jordan, and one by Sadik Hakim. The "west" side of the album features Jordan leading a quintet with Cecil Payne on baritone sax and Johnny Coles on trumpet – in a mode that's got a similar earthy feel to Payne's own album on the Charlie Parker label. Tunes include "I'm Gonna Learn Your Style", "Tall Grass", "Like Church", and "Yes He's Gone". CD

Possible matches72
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✨✧ Cecil PaynePatterns Of Jazz ... CD
Savoy/Nippon (Japan), 1956. Used ... Out Of Stock
A warmly crafted set that features Cecil Payne at the height of his powers on baritone sax – blowing with a sense of soul and timing that's right up there with some of the hipper tenor players of his generation! Payne's sound on the instrument is amazingly precise and wonderfully fluid – blown beautifully in two different settings for the album – one in a quartet with Duke Jordan on piano, Tommy Potter on bass, and Art Taylor on drums – the other in the same group, but with Kenny Dorham added in on trumpet! Dorham's tones further emphasize the sweeter sound of Cecil on his chosen instrument – and titles on the set include "Arnetta", "Chessman's Delight", "Bringing Up Father", "Groovin High", "Saucer Eyes", and "Man Of Moods". CD

Possible matches73
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Paul BleyRamblin With Paul Bley (aka Ramblin) ... CD
Red (Italy), 1966. New Copy ... $16.99 19.99
Pivotal work from piano genius Paul Bley – an important recording done in Rome in the mid 60s, and one of those sessions that really helped Bley reinvent the sound of jazz piano at the time! The record's got this beautiful mix of free improvisation and group structure – a vibe that's very different than territory that Cecil Taylor was starting to explore, even though Bley can be relatively bold on the keys – with this sense of melody that lingers throughout, even on the more percussive passages – which feature superb work from a young Barry Altschul on drums, alongside bass from Mark Levinson, who is a subtle but powerful force in the proceedings! Titles include key tracks penned by Annette Peacock and Carla Bley – "Both", "Albert's Love Theme", "Ida Lupino", and "Touching" – plus a great take on Ornette Coleman's "Ramblin". CD

Possible matches74
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John BlumNine Rivers ... CD
ESP, 2023. Used ... $9.99
Really stunning work from John Blum – one of his few efforts as a lead act, and one that has us wondering why he hasn't given the world a lot more tremendous albums like this! Blum's got this way of attacking the piano that's definitely in the school of Cecil Taylor, an old mentor – yet the recording also has this way of working the sound of the room into the blend of the work on the keys of the piano – this kind of echoey brilliance that almost seems to absorb some sonic ideals of avant composition as much as it does explode with the energy of free improvisation! Titles the set features nine tracks in all – each numbered "River" selections. CD

Possible matches75
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✨✧ Curtis Clark with Louis MoholoDreams Deferred ... CD
Nimbus, 1993. New Copy ... $9.99
2 great sessions from pianist Curtis Clark – a crucially overlooked player, and one with a style that bridges the modernist gap between Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor! The first 5 tracks on the set are all (coincidentally enough!) tunes by Monk – played with a trio that includes Wayne Dockery on bass and Louis Moholo on drums, in a style that really changes up the mood of the original compositions, yet still keeps all their angular charm. Titles include "Misterioso", "Monk's Mood", "Light Blue", and the great "Worry Later/San Francisco Holiday". The remaining 6 tracks on the CD feature the trio with Dockery and Moholo, expanded to a septet with players that include Tristan Honsiger on cello, Felicity Provan on trumpet, and Tobias Delius on tenor sax. These tunes are nearly all originals by Clark, and some of them are a fair bit straighter than his other work of the time – almost in a soulbop mode on the best numbers. Titles include "Sean", "Two Shadows In The Mist", "Nelson", and "Diaphane". CD

Possible matches76
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Franco D'AndreaDialogues With Super Ego ... LP
Red (Italy), 1980. Very Good+ ... $18.99
Very different work than most other recordings from this great Italian pianist – a set of open-ended improvisation, somewhere between Keith Jarrett and Cecil Taylor – on titles that include "Via Libera", "Ortwein 15", "Nadir", and "Sorapis". LP, Vinyl record album
(Vinyl has a very short click on side 2, but is nice overall.)

Possible matches77
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Gil Evans OrchestraInto The Hot ... CD
Impulse/MCA, 1961. Used ... $9.99
The harder of the two Gil Evans albums on Impulse to find, and the best – really far-reaching material that has Evans coming into contact with some of the hippest jazz players of his generation! The record's got three incredible tracks written by Cecil Taylor – a very bold move for Evans, given Taylor's strongly out reputation even at this point in his career – and possibly even more bold, given that Taylor's on the tracks playing piano, alongside players who include Archie Shepp, Jimmy Lyons, Sonny Murray, and Henry Grimes. The material's fantastic, and is a key part of Taylor's work at the time, and shows a very different setting for his piano – a bit of tension with the larger Evans group, in a way that's almost more compelling than his own early dates as a leader! Taylor titles include "Pots", "Bulbs", and "Mixed". The other tracks on the album were written by John Carisi, who wrote the classic "Israel" for Miles Davis' nine piece group in the late 40s – but who here contributes "Moon Taj", "Angkor Wat", and "Barry's Tune". Carisi's tracks are a bit more subdued, but no less wonderful – and arrangements are by Taylor and Carisi, of their own music, presented with the Evans modern touch. If you ever needed a record to convince you that Gil Evans was a genius, this is it! CD
(MCA jewel case pressing.)

Possible matches78
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Milford Graves & Don PullenComplete Yale Concert 1966 (In Concert At Yale University/Nommo) ... CD
SRP/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1966. New Copy ... Just Sold Out!
Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label – combined here for the first time ever! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. The set features five long improvisations, each a numbered variant with the title "PG". Great gatefold package – with images of some of the hand-painted covers that Graves used for his releases! CD

Possible matches79
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Milford Graves & Don PullenDon Pullen & Milford Graves In Concert At Yale University ... LP
SRP/Superior Viaduct, 1966. New Copy (reissue)... $23.99 27.99
Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. The set features two long tracks – "PG 1" and "PG 2". LP, Vinyl record album
(Beautiful pressing – heavy cover and bonus insert!)

Possible matches80
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Roscoe Mitchell SextetSound (plus bonus tracks) ... CD
Delmark, 1966. Used ... $7.99
One of the first bold statements to come from Chicago's AACM underground of the 60s – a tremendous debut effort from the young Roscoe Mitchell! The album's got a "sense of the new" feel that's as gripping as anything recorded by ESP or Impulse around the same time – a rule-breaking, freely-creative approach to jazz that builds strongly off the changes already wrought by Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Archie Shepp! The format is somewhat like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at times – with measured horn work from Mitchell on alto, clarinet, and recorder, Maurice McIntyre on tenor, Lester Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lester Lashley on trombone (as well as a bit of cello). Some tracks – like the brilliant "Sound" – offer a slow-building exploration of tones and textures – while others, like the blues-joke "Little Suite", or the harmelodic "Ornette", show a wry sense of humor that would become a Chicago avant hallmark as the years went on! CD also features bonus alternate takes of "Sound" and "Ornette". CD

Possible matches81
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe/FourmenonlyModern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe/Fourmenonly – Complete Recordings (Trees/Position 2000/Fourmenonly Vol 1/Science Fiction Stories) (3CD set) ... CD
No Business (Lithuania), Late 60s/Early 70s. New Copy 3CDs ... $28.99 42.99
A fantastic lost legacy in European free improvisation – the complete works of a group who were first known as Modern Jazz Quintet Karlsruhe, then later as Fourmenonly – presented here in a beautiful 3CD set! First up is the album Trees – issued on a small label in 1968, but a set that matches the groundbreaking energy of the early work on FMP – played by a group that features Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Wilfreid Eichorn on tenor and soprano sax, Claus Buhler on bass, Rudi Thielmann on drums, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, Mellophon, piston, and percussion! The group have a melodic vibe at the core – often feeling out the initial space as a unit, then exploding with sound and color – and really making especially great work of the talents of Joos and Eichorn – players who work together with great power, driven on by the others. Titles include "Lonely Time", "Trees", "Schnee Verbrennt", "Change Of Beauty", and "The Devil Is Green Blue Yellow". CD also features a bonus unreleased improvisation too! Next is Position 2000 – a record of even longer improvisations, and one that shows the quintet really developing their sound – strongly aware of the farther reaches, but always beginning in some more colorful passages that almost have a melody, before exploding out with very vibrant energy! The lineup is the same as on the debut – with Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, mellophone, Indian flute, and percussion – and Wilfried Eichorn on tenor, soprano sax, bass clarinet, flute, and percussion – alongside Helmuth Zimmer on piano, Klaus Buhler on bass, and Rudi Thielmann on drums. Titles include "The Sun Is Coming Over", "Position 2000", and "Where Love Forever Shines". CD also features an unreleased improvisation. For the next album, bassist Buhler has departed the group – who are renamed Fourmenonly! Their first record is a brilliant set of free jazz from the German scene of the 70s – very different than other work of the time, in that there's maybe more of a future-thinking balance between sounds and silence, frenzy and fragility – all served up by a quartet that features Herbert Joos on trumpet and flugelhorn, Wilfried Eichhorn on tenor and soprano sax, Helmuth Zimmer on piano and percussion, and Rudi Theilmann on drums and percussion. Titles include "Viridiana/Ich Und Meine Bruder/Compulsion" and "Count Down/Excess". On the album Eight Science Fiction Stories, the Fourmenonly lineup is expanded by trombonist Wolfgang Czelusta – and perform some fantastic work billed as "science fiction stories", all composed by Herbert Joos. The sound is as revolutionary as on the group's earliest material, but also maybe more compact as well – nicely focused, with especially strong emphasis on the interplay between Czelusta on trombone, Wilifried Eichorn on bass clarinet, flute, and oboe, and Herbert Joos on flugelhorn, trumpet, and mellophone. The piano of Helmuth Zimmer is amazing – almost Cecil Taylor-like in intensity at times – and drummer Rudi Theilmann does a great job of moving from passages of full-on power to more spacious percussion. Titles include "Lucifer Is Marching On", "Dead Season", "The Beauty Without A Face", "Departure", "Plastic Happiness", and "Space Wall". CD
(Limited edition of 500!)

Possible matches82
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Herbie NicholsComplete Blue Note Recordings Of Herbie Nichols (3CD set – Blue Note) ... CD
Blue Note, Mid 50s. Used 3 CDs ... $24.99
Killer piano jazz, and some of the greatest modernist work ever recorded by Blue Note! Herbie Nichols deserves every bit of the rare fame he ever got – and it's only the paucity of his recordings that has kept him from achieving the status of Monk or Cecil Taylor as an avant garde forefather. This killer box set features all of Nichols' recordings for Blue Note – including loads of unissued and alternate tracks, packaged with a discographical booklet with writings and photos. Tracks include "Third World", "Step Tempest", "Dance Line", "Shuffle Montgomery", "The Spinning Song", "Riff Primitif", "Query", "Chit Chatting", "Hangover Triangle", "2300 Skidoo", and "Blue Chopsticks". CD
(Includes slipcase.)

Possible matches83
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Herbie NicholsProphetic Herbie Nichols Vol 1 & 2 (180 gram pressing) ... LP
Blue Note, 1955. New Copy Gatefold (reissue)... $25.99 27.99
Killer piano jazz, and some of the greatest modernist work ever recorded by Blue Note! Herbie Nichols deserves every bit of the rare fame he ever got – and it's only the paucity of his recordings that has kept him from achieving the status of Thelonious Monk or Cecil Taylor as an avant garde forefather – which makes this album a really key piece of a too-small jazz puzzle! Nichols is amazing throughout – bristling with new ideas, and a fresh approach to modern jazz that also transforms the presence of the other two members of the trio – Art Blakey on drums and Al McKibbon on bass, both of whom are clearly following Herbie's lead here. All titles are original – Nichols was a hell of a writer – and titles include "Third World", "Step Tempest", "Dance Line", "Blue Chopsticks", "Shuffle Montgomery", "Brass Rings", "Crisp Day", and "Amoeba's Dance". Single LP version features all material that was originally on the two different 10" LP releases. LP, Vinyl record album
(Part of the Blue Note Classic Vinyl Series!)

Possible matches84
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Tom PrehnAxiom 1 & 2 ... CD
Sonet/Corbett vs. Dempsey, 1963. New Copy Gatefold ... $12.99 15.99
One of the rarest free jazz albums of the European 60s scene – a set that was originally intended for release by Sonet Records, pressed up in test records for the musicians, then denied release because they felt that they'd already moved past the performance! Yet in the space of over 50 years, the music still sounds remarkably fresh – an early, striking, and stunning example of the way that the European avant jazz scene was not only overtaking the American one, but also providing the kind of energy that would be a key inspiration for artists like Albert Ayler or Cecil Taylor! Pianist Tom Prehn offers up a lot of the latter here – boundless piano lines that leap forward into space with a frenzied, yet tuneful approach – followed by tremendous tenor from Frits Krogh, a player we don't know at all – but who blows powerfully and soulfully, at a level that maybe even prefaces some of John Coltrane's more outside material to come. The rest of the group features Poul Ehlers on bass and Finn Slumstrup on drums – and the album features the full "Axiom (parts 1 & 2)" performance from the Sonet album – plus a more contemplative number titled "Percussive Anticipations", recorded by the same group in 1966, and appearing here for the first time ever! CD
(Beautiful package – with a heavy Japanese-style paper sleeve!)

Possible matches85
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✨✧ Pee Wee Russell & Coleman HawkinsJazz Reunion ... CD
Candid (UK), 1961. Used ... $6.99
A great example of the way that older trad players found new life in the 60s modern scene – as the set was part of the same Candid Records series that captured genius from Cecil Taylor and Charles Mingus! Bob Brookmeyer brings some modern trombone elements to the set, alongside Pee Wee Russell on clarinet and Coleman Hawkins on tenor – with piano from Nat Pierce, trumpet from Emmett Berry, bass from Milt Hinton, and drums from Jo Jones! CD

Possible matches86
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Masahiko SatoHolography ... LP
Columbia/Endless Happiness (Italy), 1970. New Copy (reissue)... $27.99 29.99
Two sides of very free piano from the great Masahiko Sato – an album of improvised genius, and surprising beauty as well! Playing solo on two side-long improvisations, Sato is very much in Cecil Taylor territory – yet he also delivers his performance with this inherent sense of lyricism – a very different, almost painterly way of presenting free jazz piano – in a style that's got the same sort of beautifully fluid feel as the image on the cover! LP, Vinyl record album

Possible matches87
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
Tony WilliamsJoy Of Flying ... LP
Columbia, 1979. Very Good+ ... $9.99
A key record in the evolution of Tony Williams as a drummer – and kind of a powerful summation of all the changes he'd made in the 70s – before a return to straighter jazz in the next decade! Williams' drumming here is incredibly fierce at points – almost at a Billy Cobham level – but he also shows the sensitivity to deeper sounds that he first brought into play during the 60s – and manages to mix an ear for fusion modes with some freer elements too – thanks to help from a lineup of players that includes Herbie Hancock and Brian Auger on keyboards, Cecil Taylor on piano, Jan Hammer on Fender Rhodes, Stanley Clarke on bass, Ton Scott on lyricon, and Ronnie Montrose on guitar. Titles include "Tony", "Coming Back Home", "Morgan's Motion", "Eris", "Open Fire", and "Hittin On 6". LP, Vinyl record album
(Includes the printed inner sleeve. Cover has light wear.)

Possible matches88
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Yosuke YamashitaHot Menu – Live At The Newport Jazz Festival 79 (SHMCD pressing) ... CD
Frasco/Universal (Japan), 1979. New Copy ... $18.99 22.99 About April 15, 2024
A New York performance by the legendary pianist Yosuke Yamashita, but one that burns every bit as strongly as his famous albums from Japan – thanks in part to some really incredible work from Akira Sakata on alto and clarinet! There's few folks who could ever hope to match the Cecil Taylor-like energy of Yamashita on the piano, but Sakata always seems to rise to the challenge wonderfully – and with the drums of Shota Koyama along for the ride, the trio must have left the New York audience with their jaws on the floor – especially as most of the US had not been able to get access to Yosuke's records at the time. The set features three very long tracks – "Rabbit Dance", "Mina's Second Theme", and "Sunayama". CD
(SHMCD pressing!)

Possible matches89
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
VariousBefore Brillo Or Banana – Music With The Album Cover Art Of Andy Warhol (4CD set) ... CD
El (UK), 1950s. New Copy 4CDs ... $32.99 46.99
A set that showcases a surprising contribution that Andy Warhol made to American music in the postwar years – graphic work done years before his time as a Pop Art icon, or his relationship with the Velvet Underground – from years when Warhol was a more conventional illustrator, and created images for a range of different record covers! Since the images here were more part of a gig, Andy didn't have creative input on the music – yet the covers were often used on the sorts of recordings that showcased important cultural streams of the 50s – on a series of records by Thelonious Monk, Moondog, JJ Johnson, Count Basie, Johnny Griffin, and Kenny Burrell – plus some modern classical recordings too! The set's got a full booklet of notes that illustrate Andy's New York connection to the growing world of the long playing record – with one CD of jazz, two CDs of classical-related material, and one more CD that portrays Andy's New York – with more material from Cecil Taylor, Lenny Bruce, Charles Mingus, Luciano Berio, John Cage, and others. CD

Possible matches90
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
VariousBlue Piano Vol 2 ... CD
Blue Note, 1992. Used ... $2.99 4.99
Tracks by Herbie Nichols, Duke Ellington, Sonny Clark, Cecil Taylor, Chick Corea, Benny Green, Don Pullen, Andrew Hill and more – 12 tracks in all. CD
(Out of print, BMG direct pressing.)

Possible matches91
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ John ColtraneDakar ... CD
Prestige/OJC, 1963. Used ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Darkly brooding work from John Coltrane's early years as a leader on Prestige – a very unique little record that features twin baritone sax support from Pepper Adams and Cecil Payne! Both players are wonderfully hip here – more than enough to match Trane's unique musical vision for the group's format – and the sound of the session is much edgier than some of his other Prestige work – which may be why the label chose not to issue it until 1963, even though it was recorded back in '57. There's a nice roughness here – the same inspirational early sound you'll get on Coltrane's early sides for Savoy or Imperial – and other players include Mal Waldron on piano, Doug Watkins on bass, and Art Taylor on drums. Titles include "Cat Walk", "Dakar", "Route 4", "Velvet Scene", and "Witches Pit". CD
(Out of print.)

Possible matches92
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Milford Graves & Don PullenNommo ... LP
SRP/Superior Viaduct, 1966. New Copy (reissue)... Temporarily Out Of Stock
Groundbreaking early work from drummer Milford Graves and pianist Don Pullen – a set of long, free improvisations that were originally issued on Graves' Self-Reliance Productions label! The music is even more striking than sounds from the time on the ESP label – and also really predates some of the freer work of this type from the European scene – as Graves is a monster on the drum kit and a range of percussion, reaching out with this scope of sound and deft command of his hands that's simply breathtaking – matched by energy from Pullen that really surpasses some of his later work too – almost Cecil Taylor-like vibes at points, mixed with other elements that are in a more familiar mode for the pianist. LP, Vinyl record album
(Beautiful pressing – heavy cover, and bonus insert!)

Possible matches93
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Joe HarriottFree Form & Abstract Revisited ... CD
Hat Art (Switzerland), Early 60s. Used 2CD ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
A pair of legendary albums from the mighty Joe Harriott – a player who emigrated to England in the 50s, then set the scene on fire in the following decade! First up is Free Form – the landmark album that forever put saxophonist Joe Harriott on the map, and it's a brilliant batch of tracks that prove that Harriott was advancing the jazz avant garde in England as much as players like Ornette Coleman and Cecil Taylor were advancing it in America. Despite the "free form" of the title, the tracks are more "new thing" – somewhat structured, with a rhythmic approach that's still a little straight, but solos that go nice and outside. Joe's overall conception is a beautiful mix of angular thinking with freely expressed soulful emotion – and the record's one that ranks up there with the 10 most groundbreaking of the 60s! The group's about as fantastic as you could ever expect from England at the time – with Shake Keane on trumpet, Pat Smythe on piano, Coleridge Goode on bass, and Phil Seamen on drums – and titles include "Formation", "Coda", "Abstract", "Straight Lines", and "Impression". Next is Abstract – one of the legendary sets of avant garde jazz by the British alto genius Joe Harriott – an artist who was sometimes billed as the British Ornette Coleman – a reputation he definitely earns with the groundbreaking quality of this album! The conception is bold right from the start – strongly rhythmic, but at a level that's different from Coleman's music – with some deeply emotional undertones to the solos (which also include work from Shake Keane on trumpet!) – and occasional modal elements that also bring in some spiritual elements to work perfect with the breakout solos. The group also features crack rhythm work from Pat Smythe on piano, Coleridge Goode on bass, and Phil Seaman on drums – and the track list includes "Subject", "Shadows", "Tonal", "Oleo", "Pictures", "Idiom", "Compound" and "Modal". CD

Possible matches94
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Roscoe Mitchell SextetSound ... LP
Delmark, 1966. Near Mint- ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
One of the first bold statements to come from Chicago's AACM underground of the 60s – a tremendous debut effort from the young Roscoe Mitchell! The album's got a "sense of the new" feel that's as gripping as anything recorded by ESP or Impulse around the same time – a rule-breaking, freely-creative approach to jazz that builds strongly off the changes already wrought by Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Archie Shepp! The format is somewhat like the Art Ensemble Of Chicago at times – with measured horn work from Mitchell on alto, clarinet, and recorder, Maurice McIntyre on tenor, Lester Bowie on trumpet and flugelhorn, and Lester Lashley on trombone (as well as a bit of cello). Some tracks – like the brilliant "Sound" – offer a slow-building exploration of tones and textures – while others, like the blues-joke "Little Suite", or the harmelodic "Ornette", show a wry sense of humor that would become a Chicago avant hallmark as the years went on! LP, Vinyl record album
(2010 reissue with North Rockwell address and SAE Mastering stamp.)
Also available Sound (plus bonus tracks) ... CD 7.99

Possible matches95
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Donald SmithLuv ... CD
Why Not (Japan), 1976. Used ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
A soaring session of spiritual jazz piano – and one of the only albums as a leader cut by Donald Smith – best known to most folks as the brother of Lonnie Liston Smith, and a member of the Cosmic Echoes! The sound here is much more hard-edged than you might guess – starting somewhere in the McCoy Tyner realm of post-Coltrane piano lines, but also taking off at times with a fury that reminds us of Cecil Taylor – extremely deft and inventive, and spurred on by some great rhythm work from the team of Cecil McBee on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums! A few moments get a bit more introspective, balancing things out nicely – and McBee's bass is a wonderful addition to the set, as he plays with the power and soulfulness he brought to the best Strata East sessions of the early 70s. Titles include "Mystic Man", "Stillness", "To Yaisa & Wanda With Luv", and "The Magnetic A". CD
(Includes the slipcase and obi!)

Possible matches96
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Mal WaldronSoul Eyes – The Mal Waldron Memorial Album ... CD
Prestige, 1962. Used ... Temporarily Out Of Stock
With John Coltrane, Bobby Jaspar, Paul Quinichette, Booker Ervin, Gene Ammons, Jackie McLean, Eric Dolphy, Cecil Payne, Pepper Adams, Steve Lacy, Idrees Sulieman, Johnny Splawn, Webster Young, Kenny Burrell, Joe Puma, Teddy Charles, Paul Chambers, Julian Euell, Earl May, Addison Farmer, Buell Neidlinger, Joe Benjamin, Wendell Marshall, Ron Carter, Art Taylor, Albert "Tootie" Heath, Ed Thigpen, Jerry Segal, Kenny Dennis, Elvin Jones, and Charlie Persip. CD
(Out of print, punch through barcode and promotional stamp on CD.)

Possible matches97
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Muhal Richard AbramsSpiral – Live At Montreux 1978 ... LP
Novus/Arista, 1978. Near Mint- ... Out Of Stock
A wonderful album from Muhal – with all the soulful spiritualness of his best 70s work, more stripped down than later orchestrated efforts, and with a gentler more intimate approach than earlier work. The set is mostly solo piano – although Abrams also plays some occasional percussion – and features some wonderfully introspective playing, as free as that of Cecil Taylor or other 70s avant contemporaries, but always rhythmic, and never losing a sense of soul and meaning. Titles include "D Song", "String Song", and "Voice Song" – all long. LP, Vinyl record album
(Cover has a cut corner, large promo sticker, and faint ring impressions.)

Possible matches98
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Geri AllenFlying Toward The Sound ... CD
Motema, 2010. Used ... Out Of Stock
Intimate piano work from Geri Allen – a set of solo performances, inspired by the music of Cecil Taylor, McCoy Tyner, and Herbie Hancock! There's definitely strong traces of Tyner and Hancock – given Allen's usually soulful undercurrent – but there's also a heavy dose of Taylor, too, as Geri really uses the freer space of the recording to stretch out in some pretty unbridled ways – really surprising us with her inventiveness, and still usually holding onto a rhythmic pulse somewhere deep in the mix. Titles include "Red Velvet In Winter", "Dancing Mystic Poets At Midnight", "Your Pure Self", "Flying Toward The Sound", and "Faith Carriers Of Life". CD

Possible matches99
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ Albert AylerMore Lost Performances – Revisited ... CD
Hat Art (Switzerland), 1962/1967. New Copy ... Out Of Stock
Three very rare slices of work from the great Albert Ayler – all of them pretty darn mindblowing! The set begins with Ayler's appearance at the 1967 Newport Jazz Festival – a set that must have been a shock to audience members who'd seen some of the more staid work at the event – as Ayler really lets loose on alto, tenor, and soprano sax – working with a very freely improvising quartet that includes Michel Samson on violin, Bill Folwell on bass, and Milford Graves on drums – really going to town on the titles "Japan/Universal Indians", "Our Prayer", and "Truth Is Marching In/Omega". Next is a single track that was recorded at the funeral of John Coltrane – a spiritual blend of "Love Cry/Truth Is Marching In/Our Prayer" – blown by Ayler on tenor, with Don Ayler on trumpet, Richard Davis on bass, and Milford Graves on drums. The last track is the earliest on the set – and very early for recorded Albert Ayler as well – a captivating performance recorded in Copenhagen in 1962 – as Ayler's tenor joins the work of the Cecil Taylor trio – with Taylor on piano, Jimmy Lyons on alto, and Sunny Murray on drums – as the group soar on a 21 minute reading of "Four". CD

Possible matches100
CD, LP, Vinyl record album cover art
✨✧ John ColtraneColtrane Time ... CD
Blue Note, 1958. Used ... Out Of Stock
A legendary album from a legendary moment in jazz – and one that's got a very unique lineup, given that the young tenor genius John Coltrane meets up here with the brilliant piano of Cecil Taylor! The pair were both very influential in the farther reaches of jazz, yet in very different ways – so working here together on this unique session really creates a special moment in jazz – as both musicians are an incredible force on record, and create a really strong sense of tension throughout. The rest of the group is great – Kenny Dorham on trumpet, Chuck Israels on bass, and Louis Hayes on drums – an equally unique blend of talents brought together for the session – stretching out on long tracks that include "Shifting Down", "Double Clutching", and "Just Friends". CD
(Out of print.)
 
 
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