One cannot measure the advancement and mindset of the great Cecil Taylor in 1956 when he recorded this album “Jazz Advance (Deluxe Edition).” There are very few others who could be compared to pianist Cecil Taylor in Jazz history. He simply took it a step further and with no thought of hesitation or fear. This man plays the piano like nobody ever has and like anybody who as talented, will ever attempt to play it. And because of his overabundance of superiority, he has been jealously ignored. Jazz is very advance and sometimes when watching an old footage of video, one can be thrown off by appearance. You see men or woman playing instruments but not in a very animated way. So you lose track of the music and how exceptional it truly is. Listening only and with no visual distractions, would be the best way to digest it. Listening closely to Cecil Taylor play the piano in this album will help you understand Jazz further. He might go out into tangents here and there, so let him go, be patient, he’ll come back to the song and when he does, it will feel like he never departed the song at all! But why? You ask yourself. Because its Jazz you’re listening to and now you finally understand it. There’s no such thing as an explanation of what Jazz sounds like. You either accept to understand its sophistication or you refuse it. You must give it a real chance though and you will find out how beneficial it is to your mind. Check the schedule link for play times and remember, this is the Deluxe Edition, it has three extra songs and they are live, ENJOY!
About the album (Note: This is the Deluxe Edition):
The Transition label and the then new music of Cecil Taylor were perfectly matched, the rebellion in modern jazz was on in 1956, and the pianist was at the forefront. Though many did not understand his approach at the time, the passing years temper scathing criticism, and you can easily appreciate what he is accomplishing. For the reissue Jazz Advance, you hear studio sessions in Boston circa 1956, and the legendary, ear-turning set of 1957 at the Newport Jazz Festival. A young Steve Lacy is included on several tracks, and while revealing Taylor‘s roughly hewn façade, the few pieces as a soloist and with his trio of bassist Buell Neidlinger and drummer Dennis Charles are even more telling. At his most astonishing, Taylor slightly teases, barely referring to the melody of “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To,” wrapping his playful, wild fingers and chordal head around a completely reworked, fractured, and indistinguishable yet introspective version of this well-worn song form. Taylor is also able to circle the wagons, jabbing and dotting certain vital notes on the melody of “Sweet & Lovely.” When inclined to turn off putting dissonant chords into playful melody changes, he does so, turning around Thelonious Monk‘s “Bemsha Swing” delightfully, and then scattering notes everywhere in his solo. Lacy‘s soprano sax is more than up to….Read More
