Cecil Taylor Music

Dorothy Maynor was the first superb musician I heard in person, in fact, I was within a dozen feet of her. I was fifteen year old freshman(sic) at Bennett College. She remains, for me, the hallmark of the trained soprano voice. This CD recreates and expands the glorious beauty of her singing and her soul.

I do hope that the newer generations of people discover this ignored-even lost art and artist, as well as others of the era and discipline. Miss Maynor is one of our most precious treasures.

I took a long time to get inside this performance. Mr. Taylor's gorgeous vocal inflections and entirely sensible and sensuous ritualistic poetry was not my cup of tea when I first bought this. I was impressed by the recording of his piano, and by his amazing, shimmering, pointillistic and incendiary playing, but thought the vocalisations (tracked, along with atmospheric percussion, over his piano solo) were a distraction. But after a few listenings, it really does come together. It's a whole lot of Cecil Taylor, and very passionate and moving.

Williams camped attacked Cecil on this recording from all angles possible. The truth lies in the fact that Mary Lou was buried by Mr. Taylor at this experience. It is an interesting recording to hear Taylor again in a traditional setting working off Williams work, streaming out into his extraordinary talent that hardlly any mere bop player could realize or hang with. Advant garde listeners will enjoy this work and their suspicions realized that Cecil is far advanced beyond their world.

If this wasn't a live album and you could use the balance knob to completely isolate the two pianists, you might have a couple of pretty good solo albums here. Listening to them together, though, it's a complete mess, with neither player compromising his or her respective style a whit. I can understand CT's approach, because his entire career has been based on listening to the other musicians and responding in his own unique language. However, for Williams to go on playing her standard history of jazz program without making the slightest attempt to acknowledge Taylor's contribution in her playing is utterly absurd. Give it a miss.

forget the hype this album should ONLY be listened to by hearing each artist - individually. this cd is like putting 3 tablespoons of salt in your tea. HORRIBLE! i greatly admire these artists' work - individually though! together its schizaphrenia!!!!!!!!!!!!

Erzulie Maketh Scent is the one solo concert from Cecil's extended and heavily recorded residence in Berlin for the Improvised Music festival in 1988. Cecil was at his best throughout and the performance captured here on the penultimate night of his stay in Berlin is an excellent and fairly representative solo work. The bulk of the concert is the three part title track in which Cecil explores various themes with playing ranging from spare and explorative to dense and feverish. There are also two brief encores ('Water,' lasting only one minute and then 'Stone,' for just 30 seconds) at the end that delight the audience (for a total of nearly 75 minutes of music). The only thing missing is any poetic recitation -- Cecil keeps his mouth shut and sticks to banging on the keys all the way through (perhaps an advantage for some, though I miss it). Overall, I'd say this is slightly more meditative and light-hearted than some of his other soloing (though, remember we're talking about Cecil Taylor here, not Bill Evans, and I said slightly), but this concert still ranks right up there with his best solo works -- Garden, Reinforced Concrete (from the in East Berlin discs), and the more recent Willisau Concert. The selling points of these somewhat pricey and scarce FMP discs (you can always find them at Cadence) is that they contain a lot of music, the recording quality is consistently excellent, and Cecil plays his preferred concert instrument (the Bosendorfer piano, noted for its extra 9 lower register keys that he always puts to good use) throughout. No Cecil Taylor collection is complete without some discs from the Berlin '88 concerts, and you can't go wrong with this one, particularly if you find yourself distracted or perturbed by his ensemble work.

Cecil masters dissonance and unfolds a melody out of nothingness, on the title track. On For the Waterdog I sense his skewed sense of humor and the music on all these tracks is rewarding but it will take time to fully understand the worldliness and afro-centricity that he provides in these thundering rhythms.

Cecil masters dissonance and unfolds a melody out of nothingness, on the title track. On For the Waterdog I sense his skewed sense of humor and the music on all these tracks is rewarding but it will take time to fully understand the worldliness and afro-centricity that he provides in these thundering rhythms.

This has to be one of Taylor's most accessible CDs. The pieces are short, he doesn't often play at his barely comprehensible fastest, there is a steady pulse though no regular beat, and there are hints of harmonic structure. All that said, it is still the far shores of contemporary piano playing in any genre. For listeners with open ears, a great introduction to a world of sound like no other.

Taylor's solo piano work is dazzling, difficult, and rewarding if you're willing to give his music time to work it's subtle alchemy on the synapses of your inner ear. There's more here than I can follow, and I don't really try - I just share a room with it now and again. Perhaps we'll become friends.

When I was 20 an older acquaintance in his late 30s told me that he thought Cecil Taylor was the most dynamic and creative artist in jazz. So I went out and bought a Cecil Taylor album. I listened to it once and threw it away! Obviously my friend was mistaken and deluded by this drivel, I thought at the time!

When I was 35 I heard a Cecil Taylor piece from this album on an eclectic radio show and was mesmerized by it. So I bought this album and some of his other works.

I've even been fortunate to see Cecil live a few times!

The moral: You have to bring something to this music to be able to hear it.

When I was 20 I was too young to understand the music. When I was 35 I was ready.

This ain't no easy listening music.

Comparing Dom Minasi to Jim Hall or John McLaughlin is laughable. That is not to dismiss him but rather to distinguish his interesting interpretations from genuine masters of the instrument. Enjoy him but A-B this recording to John Abercrombie or Pat Metheny in their more avant garde outings in order to hear the difference between a player and a pretender.

With cover art and typography reminiscent of Dave "Fuze" Fiuczynsky's great disc, Jazz Punk, you get a vague feel of the general direction of this altogether astounding recording. Indeed, the Fuze might be the closest analog to Dom Minasi (with echoes of Nguyen Le, Tisziji Muñez, Shawn Lane, John McLaughlan, and Jim Hall [!]), but there's really no one much like him, at least that I've ever heard. He's got the fleetness of McLaughlan in his prime, the delicacy and cool fluidity of Jim Hall, the monster technique of Shawn Lane and Tisziji Muñez, the wild conceptual power of Nguyen Le, and the totally gonzo approach of the Fuze. Add the adventurous rhythm team of Ken Filliano (acoustic bass, and one of the most talented arco players alive) and Jackson Krall (drums, a hugely under-regarded player) and you've got maybe the most incredible jazz guitar trio discs ever recorded.

Talk about deconstruction! Some of the most famous and most recorded jazz standards ("Autumn Leaves," "All Blues," "On Green Dolphin Street," and "Well You Needn't") come out sounding like something from Jupiter. Something from Jupiter you'd actually like to hear. But nothing like you've ever heard before. Somehow, no matter how far out he goes--and let me tell you, sometimes it's a question as to whether or not he's even in the same solar system or maybe even the same universe--it all makes a weird kind of sense. The strange thing is he achieves this all with an entirely classic solid-body guitar jazz tone. No strange distortions, effects, or pedals; just jaw-dropping technique. True, he plays an awful lot of notes. But I'm not sure I'd want any of them eliminated.

The truth of the matter is that Dom Minasi plays more guitar than anyone in the history of the instrument. And, amazingly, despite his extreme virtuosity, there's always so much sheer musicality present, so much pure creativity, that he and his almost equally incredible bandmates never lapse into mere cleverness or virtuosity for its own sake.

Essential for all who love jazz guitar and for anyone interested in checking out a player with out of this world chops.

"Goin Out Again" Reviews

"A guitarist who weaves musical strings in a variety of styles from Avant-garde to Free jazz, with a hard rock mentality; Minasi and trio are truly expressive and free...Only adventurous and open minded individuals need apply."
Mark F. Turner - all about Jazz

"Dom Minasi for years out of circulation, is back out on the scene. Jazz and jazz guitar are better for it." Ted Kane - jazzreview.com

"...Dom Minasi has returned with a vengeance... `attitude' is the operative word here, as the three musicians project a high level of energy, suggestive at times of the intensity of rock rather than jazz, that continues unabated throughout the CD....Minasi extends the harmonic implication of some of jazz's most original performers...he reassures his fast-growing base of enthusiasts that this is a guitar trio like no other recording today." Don Williamson - jazzreview.com

"Midway between abstract experimentation and standards recreation, Minasi is using his plectrum like a shovel to carve out his own niche. This session should appeal to audiences who appreciate either of those genres."
Ken Waxman - Jazz Weekly

"Dom Minasi carries the aura of a rock star. (In metaphor only; no rock here.) For a guitarist steeped in the tradition as well as the avant garde, this feature makes him special." Nils Jacobson - allaboutJazz

"...another set of adventurous trio music..." David R. Adler - All Music guide

"I'm reminded of the tradition of jazz musicians who went against the grain, who kept playing the way they played because that's what they heard, just as Van Gogh painted things the way he saw them." Marshall Bowden Jazzitude

"Minasi shines through with a fresh and personal style that touches on the past, yet delivers compelling notions for the future\" Jay Collins - Cadence

This is a very dark and sinister record, but never the less my personal all time favorite. Everything about the record is amazing. From the begining of "Student Studies Part 1" Jimmy Lyons frist echo call and response lines sets the mood, and it's dark very dark. Cecil Taylors playing is hard and intense, at times with furious attack, with unsurpassed control of his instrument. Alan Silva adds much color to the ensemble, he bows his doublebass at length and adds to the sinister flavor.

Andrew Cyrille is Cecils match on the drums. Everything about this record is great! Five stars is minimum, I think it deserves the old Crown :0)