Cecil Taylor

American pianist Cecil Taylor is one of the great names in jazz history. Classically trained, Taylor combined the compositional grandeur of the European tradition with an intense, idiosyncratic improvisational technique to express emotions, employ his own brand of lyricism inspired by Duke Ellington, and humor. Beginning in the 1950s, the artist shaped a body of work that, in scope and dissonant audacity, made him one of the most original jazz artists of the post-war era. His debut album, Jazz Advance, was released in 1956. He followed with dozens of releases including Unit Structures (1966), the solo Indent (1973), One Too Many Salty Swift and Not Goodbye (1980), Garden (1982), For Olim (1987), and 1998's The Tree of Life (1998). Taylor's final work was the 2011 album Birdland, Neuburg 2011. He passed away in 2018 at the age of 89. Since his entire catalogue has been reissued; the bounty includes many previously unissued live outings including 2026's Fragments: The Complete 1969 Salle Pleyel Concerts.