Cecil Taylor

Garden

★★★★

I've been thinking about Cecil a lot recently because of his passing. Of course he was important in the history of jazz from its rise in popularity to its degeneration in the mainstream and revival by the end of the century. Taylor never conformed no matter what decade he presided in. One of music's true originals, he stayed true to what music meant to him until the end of his life. I haven't listened to the majority of his catalog, which I wish to do, but I decided to take on something new. This happened to be a cascading monolithic solo performance called Garden, which clocks in at an hour and a half. Split into two discs, there's a sense of organization that is being forced unto his music, but really it's futile. 

Cecil begins with some chanting and poetry on "Elell" that gives you a taste of what is about to pour out of his mind. The improvisation here, like on any Cecil Taylor album, is really remarkable. On this release it seems more split second, he's fiery and bold, but never reckless. This recording is superb, the quality is something that you're always happy to get with Hat Hut, and I think that's important when you listen to someone like Cecil. It really is a shame that I will never get to see him perform live, I'm sure it would leave me stunned. Throughout this entire live recording Cecil jumps from his classical roots to the roots of jazz itself; from swing to big band and everything else on the path. Taylor takes you on a journey; that journey being the history of music, and just as importantly, the story of himself. He demonstrates the many little nuances and differences in his playing and style throughout every recording. Each is unique but it's all uniquely Cecil. 

I believe that Cecil's music is best suited to the solo setting, in order to gain a full scope of everything that he's doing. Which still, takes multiple listens to really grasp. From "Driver Says" to "Stepping on Stars", Taylor keeps it bluesy and melodic, but also agitated and percussive. He can shift rapidly in mood in a mere second. But it's always under his control, it's all calculated in his mind on a rapid fire hair trigger that is impossible to imitate or replicate. And that's what made him an almost deity-like improviser. In this you can hear classical composition, Thelonious Monk, Duke Ellington, Fats Waller, and Jelly Roll Morton. He never tries to exactly pin down their style, but rather draw inspiration from it. 

For the reissues of these two discs, Hat Hut made the decision of making the albums be that of photographs from Bryce Canyon National Park. To be more exact, the covers are filled with the geologic rocky outcrops known as hoodoos. This was probably unintentional, but when you listen to the music of Cecil Taylor you get the impression that each key is a sort of "hoodoo" that rises from the Earth suddenly and with great force. The piano itself transforms into his passionate voice and once you're fully immersed, it feels like much more than just a piano. This isn't my favorite date, but it feels like a landmark and monumental showing of the intellectual and creative genius that Taylor possessed. He was true to the music, and true to himself and that's all that matters in the end. 

Favorite Song: Pemmican