Taylor Cecil Percival, *15 March 1929 New York, †5 April 2018 New York, American pianist and jazz composer. He learned to play the piano (from the age of 6) and percussion. From 1952 to 1955, he studied at the New England Conservatory in Boston (piano and music theory). He debuted in 1953 with Hot Lips Page’s band, and in 1955 he led a quartet with S. Lacy, B. Neidlinger, and D. Charles (Jazz Advance, 1957), with whom he played at the Five Spot club in New York. In 1957, he performed at the Newport Jazz Festival, and in 1958 at the Great South Bay Jazz Festival. In 1960, he founded The Connection (with A. Shepp replacing Lacy); in 1961 he began collaborating with J. Lyons (which lasted until the saxophonist’s death in 1986), and then with S. Murray and H. Grimes, with whom he performed in Denmark at the turn of 1962/63. He composed and recorded for G. Evans (Into the Hot, 1961). In 1964, Taylor took part in a series of concerts in New York entitled October Revolution in Jazz; in 1964–65, he was a member of the Jazz Composers Guild, during which time he played with A. Silva and A. Cyrille. In 1965, he performed at the Village Vanguard club, in 1968 he recorded with the Jazz Composers Orchestra, and in 1968–70 he played with S. Rivers, among others, with whom he performed in Paris (Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, 1969). In 1970–71, he taught jazz at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, and in 1971–73 at Antioch College in Ohio. In 1973, he received a Guggenheim Fellowship; at that time, he ran his own record label, Unit Core, toured Japan, Europe, and the United States, and performed solo recitals (albums: Tongues, 1975; Air Above Mountains, 1978; Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly! Fly!, 1981); in 1977 he performed in a duet with M.L. Williams (Embraced, 1978), and in 1979 with M. Roach (Historic Concerts, 1984). In 1984, he performed at the jazz festival in Ravenna; in 1988, he gave solo concerts and performed with various ensembles in Berlin (Cecil Taylor in Berlin ‘88, 11 CD, 1989). In 1990, he led the Feel Trio (with W. Parker and T. Oxley), and in the following years he played solo or with small groups; in 1999, he performed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. In the 2000s, he remained active, performing with his own bands, with big bands, and in duets with T. Oxley and D. Duval. The albums recorded at that time (including Taylor/Dixon/Oxley, 2002; The All Notes, 2004; The Last Dance, 2009) contain only concert material.
Taylor was among the most radical, uncompromising, and controversial musicians in the history of jazz. Despite initial lack of recognition, he consistently developed the concept of liberating the piano from its traditional role in jazz bands and jazz music in general. In the early 1950s, he was influenced by D. Ellington, D. Brubeck, L. Tristano, B. Powell, T. Monk, and H. Silver, as well as by the music of Stravinsky, Bartók, and Stockhausen. However, he quickly abandoned traditional patterns; his debut album Jazz Advance already shows his innovative approach to form, improvisation, and tonality. Subsequent albums (including Unit Structures and Conquistador!, 1966) showcase Taylor’s original style with his versatile use of the piano – he employed large sound structures and dense polyphonic textures, use of sharp dynamic contrasts, clusters, repetitions, and glissandos. Extensive improvisations, sometimes lasting over an hour, often became independent pieces, illustrating his abilities as a ‘total’ pianist. In them, the composer treated the instrument in an orchestral, percussive, and forceful manner (striking with his whole hand, fist, or forearm), played at the highest level of dynamics and emotional intensity, and used dizzying tempos. His bold concepts were instrumental in the emergence and development of free jazz, preceding Ornette Coleman’s innovations by several years. Among those influenced by him were pianists A. von Schlippenbach and Y. Yamashita.
