Taylor, Cecil - Akisakila CD
SKU
URP-SGJZ 2069
“This concert is one of the few from the 1970s (recorded in 1973) that features Taylor with a trio; in this case, it was composed of the late saxophonist Jimmy Lyons and drummer Andrew Cyrille. The material is one extended improvisation entitled "Bulu Akaskira Kutala."
The early '70s was Taylor's most articulate period of his method of propelling dynamic energy forth into conical spirals of harmonic mystery and danger. While his music had dispensed with the notions of form and interval long before this, the simultaneous explosion of group energy reached its first zenith during this period.
It is also clear how dependent Taylor was on Lyons' voice. Lyons was one of the few alto players who understood the place he held in the music of Taylor, not only in the band. He would carry forth an extended harmonic idea as a soloist, but also as a sounding board as to which voicings Taylor could color -- which corner to turn and how fast to get there before moving off in a different direction. Cyrille, was, arguably a better drummer in the context of the Cecil Taylor Unit than Sunny Murray in his ability to understand that Taylor was also a drummer with a keen lyrical sensibility, no matter how angular. Cyrille's fills, weaves, dances, and shutter-stop rhythmic invention played counterpoint and complement to Taylor's sharp legato style that held at its core the very essence of rhythm in improvisation.
The concert reaches its summit about a third of the way into the second disc, when all three players move around a sharp and complex harmonic fragment that opens up the inside of the collaboration, goes into overdrive, and breaks wide open. Taylor is playing large chords and right-hand trills in jagged repetition, which brings Cyrille's bass drum and cymbals up and spreads them out, with Lyons playing a glorious counterpoint with furious legato phrasing that embodies and bridges both statements. It's a segment of pure wonder and raw power. This date, though recorded a decade later, is a fine complement to Nefertiti, the Beautiful One Has Come.”-Thom Jurek/AllMusic
- LabelSolid
- UPC4526180715511