Cecil Taylor Recordings/Sessions from 1969

Official releases from 1968 sessions:

69.07.29 - Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Jazz View COD 001-003 [The Great Concert Of Cecil Taylor]
69.00.00 - Cecil Taylor Quartet in Europe (Jazz Connoisseur)

(from Rick Lopez' site), "Seed documents via Igor Danilishen and Robert Shapiro. Detailed listing with many additional alternate releases at Robert Shapiro's Sessionography of Cecil Taylor"

Last updated on 3/07

69.01.18

January, 18, 1969

CECIL TAYLOR UNIT

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Andrew Cyrille (dr)

Antioch College, Yellow Springs, Ohio

1. Unidentified Title

[Total time ~67 minutes]

Primary Source: documented by Ed Hazell in his unpubished C. T. discography, also Heinrich Smejkal.

Note3/07: Supposedly a longer version of this exists via anecdote by an anonymous person who allegedly taped it from the speakers of the listening room in the libraby at Antioch. There is no way to verify this story. The 67 minutes was broadcast later on WKCR by Ben Young and, therefore, everyone's copy is from this FM broadcast of an audience tape of a soundboard. haha Supposedly around 80-90 minutes of this show actually exists. There is no way to independently verify this.

69.02.08

February 8, 1969

Cecil Taylor Unit

Cecil Taylor (piano)
Jimmy Lyons (alto saxophone)
Sam Rivers (flute, soprano and tenor saxophone)
Andrew Cyrille (drums)

also, listed in tape:

65.00.00

no date, 1965
Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA

unknown title(s) []

Cecil Taylor Unit

Cecil Taylor (piano)
Jimmy Lyons (alto saxophone)
Sam Rivers (tenor and soprano saxophone, flute)
Andrew Cyrille (drums)

Grinnell College
Grinnell, IA

unknown title [68:24] (minor glitch at 48:07, another-- or possible split track, at 48:50)
unknown title [31:23] (Minor glitches at 27:20 and 28:42)
unknown title [59:41]

[Total time 159:28]

Shelf no. RGA 2839 A2--RGA 2840 A1 - 2 digital sound cassettes (polyester)
Recording Laboratory, William L. Ewell, Jr. Collection (Library of Congress)

"May be a recording of a radio broadcast."

Note: The Library of Congress has two session recordings at this locale. The "1965" date on the first listed is an obvious error. The single tape listed at bottom is probably an excerpted broadcast of the 2-tapes version listed above it. --Rick Lopez

Physical Item RGA 2835 B3 - 1 digital sound cassette (polyester)Tape]
Recording Laboratory, William L. Ewell, Jr. Collection (Library of Congress)

Also, it appears that there are now two versions of this show out there, possibly from two different generation sources. The times are slightly different between the two sources. A thourough analysis needs to be done between these two. --Jason Hook

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, 3CD-R; info via Library of Congress Database}
--------------------------------------------------------------

Also from Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography:

"I received photo copies of the articles from the student newspaper The Scarlet and Black, describing Cecil Taylor's performance at Grinnell. Apparently, it was quite controversial (SURPRISE!!!)..."
--Andrew Galloway correspondence 02.11.28, Cecil Taylor Research List.

* Grinnell College Scarlet and Black, Vol. LXXVI / Friday, February 7, 1969
Cecil Taylor Previewed
Uncompromising Artist Presents New Jazz, By Gary Giddins:

Cecil Taylor, pianist, composer, poet, and all-around musical guru for the jazz advance guard, will be on campus February 6, 7, 8. Leonard Feather has written of him, "The freedom, complexity, harmonic innovation and emotional brilliance of Taylor's playing have established him as one of the truly original minds in American music... Taylor's fast and intricately structured lines, almost percussive in their intensity, have had a stirring effect on the new horn techniques of the 60's... A lack of acceptance by some musicians and critics and pitifully infrequent opportunities to record, have kept Taylor's reputation and following limited to a small but devoted group of admirers.

That's not the half of it. Taylor has been screwed royally by club owners who were more interested in selling drinks then providing a free rein for artistic expression. Record companies have used him for a tax loss and don't bother to distribute. In this, Taylor is not unique. On the contrary, there are very few jazz musicians who have not suffered under a similar strain of capitalism. The new jazz is the bastard child of American music; it can't make it on a popular music level and it is not accepted by the classical elitists. Taylor, however, is an uncompromising artist who puts his craft first and refuses to kiss the asses of the money grabbing critics and hucksuckers who control the (gasp) "music business." Unfortunately, the payoff at times was one major gig a year supplemented by working at Macy's in the afternoons.

And now-- twelve years after his first major date in New York-- the critics and the public who criticized him as being a charlatan and anti-jazz are coming around. Cecil Taylor is a virtuoso pianist who unlike many of his imitators-- some of whom are better known than he-- can express on the keys what's happening in his head. And that's what jazz is about-- expression and communication. This doesn't mean that he is any more accepted by the public. Last August, he despaired as to whether he would ever record again. Those who have heard him, know that if in a hundred years some historian asks whether people in the 20th century could communicate, Cecil and some other musicians like him will serve as one of the new affirmative answers.

Previously our ideas of time and space have been negated in favor of a collective sound emanating from individual musicians surrendering their individuality to a group feeling. This music is not intended for background music; it is a total music.

During their stay here, the Cecil Taylor Unit will be available to the entire campus for discussion, etc. Thursday at 4:00 p.m. there will be a lecture-discussion. Friday at 8:00 p.m. there will be a drum workshop and at 10 p.m. a poetry reading by Taylor. All of these events will be in the South Lounge. The concert is in Roberts, Saturday night at 8:00 p.m.

Open up your mind and give them some of your time. They're worth listening to.

Also this article:

# Grinnell College Scarlet and Black, Vol. ????? / Friday, February 14, 1969
Controversial Concert Defended
By Molly McGuire:

A new breed of music was introduced to Grinnell last weekend in the form of the Cecil Taylor Unit, an avante-guard jazz quartet. If nothing else, the concert became a topic of controversy on campus as the music was foreign and incomprehensible to the ears of most of the audience. Arguments raged over the quality or value of the music itself as well as the advisability of bringing this type of music to Grinnell.

Comments ranged from the facetious Bandstand favorite, "Oh, it didn't have a very good beat and I couldn't dance to it," to the popular, "It stunk!" Those who liked it seemed overpowered by it-- they were completely carried away emotionally: "I was intoxicated by it," was one of the more extreme comments on the positive side.

Generally, however, there seemed to be unfavorable response from the campus. On this note, the S&B talked to Garry Giddins and Lee Shamberg of the Social Co-ordinating Committee to let them explain their reasons for bringing in Cecil Taylor, and also to let them comment on the student reaction.

Their reason for presenting a concert of this type was two-fold. First, Giddins felt that "any controversy started in this conservative melange of apathy and lethargy would be beneficial." Shamberg added, "The concert was a result of a continuous attempt to make the concerts program an organic part of the education process. Education involves a challenge to one's standards and preconceptions."

Secondly, they wanted to expose students to music they may never listen to on their own, or even realize existed. "The importance of the concert," stressed giddins, "was that the students got a chance to hear this music, not whether they liked it or disliked it. One of my hopes in bringing in Taylor was that people would be moved to investigate the music more fully on their own."

Those criticizing the quality of the music itself were severely chided by giddins and Shamberg. They argued that to criticize from a position of total ignorance is "indefensible." Instead of judging the music by the standards of the familiar Western music, they stressed that one must realize that Taylor is working in a different medium, that of an Afro-American culture. giddins stressed, "Whatever similarities there are between Taylor and Mozart are outweighed by similarities between Taylor and Ellington."

giddins was particularly disturbed by the fact that so much of the audience left before and during intermission. He said that if they would have stayed longer they very possibly would have ended up enjoying it (which is what did happen in several cases.) He said that Taylor wasn't playing for those who left, but for those who stayed long enough to enjoy listening to the music as much as he did playing it.

69.04.27

April 27, 1969

The Flying Circus, New York, NY (USA)

THE JAZZ COMPOSERS ORCHESTRA

Mike Mantler (tp,leader)
Cecil Taylor (p)
Pharoah Sanders (ts,bcl)
Don Cherry (cornet,bamboo-fl)
Carla Bley (p)
Gato Barbieri (ts)
Howard Johnson (tu)
Jimmy Knepper (tb)
Julius Watkins (frh)
Bob Northern (frh)
Charlie Haden (b)
Jimmy Garrison (b)
Bob Cunningham (b)
Ron Carter (b)
Andrew Cyrille (dr)
others unknown

1) Communications No.12 (Mantler) ?
2) Communications No.6 (Mantler) ?
3) Communications No.11 (Mantler) ?

Primary source: Heinrich Smejkal: Info from CODA Vol.9, No.2, July/Aug 1969, S.44-46 (Concert review).

69.07.28

July 28, 1969

St. Paul de Vence
Paris, France

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ss; ts)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

1.[c. 110:00]

[Note: "...am not certain the (July 28-29) are 2 different concerts or the
same one. A note in my file claims the 28th consists of '3 linked pieces & an
encore featuring Sam on soprano,' but that doesn't sound like the Shandar &
Prestige set... sometimes a midnite concert (confuses) the date." -Simosko]

[Composition, Cecil Taylor]

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography; info via V. Simosko.}

Cool photo, courtesy of Sam Rivers, of the Cecil/Sam quartet at Cecil Taylor Quartet at Fondation Maeght, St. Paul de Vence at RL's site.

69.07.29

July 29, 1969

Cecil Taylor Quartet: The Great Concert of Cecil Taylor

Cecil Taylor (p; voc-4)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ss; ts)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

Fondation Maeght
St. Paul de Vence *

1.Second Act of A (pt 1) [21:17]
2.Second Act of A (pt 2) [20:51]
3.Second Act of A (pt 3) [18:08]
4.Second Act of A (pt 4) [16:11]
5.Second Act of A (pt 5) [12:45]
6.Second Act of A (pt 6) [20:38]

* Recording has locale as "Paris, France."
"...recorded in St. Paul de Vence which is about 30-40 km northwest of Nice in southern France, i.e. nowhere near Paris! ...an old
error (started by Prestige.)"
--Graham L. Rogers

[Side 6 is an encore, as "it was apparently a complete piece in itself." -Simosko]

[Note: One source has the title of the above piece as "Second Art of A." In "Jazz: America's Classical Music," a book by Grover Sales, Sales indicates he took this title from an LP release.]

Prestige P-34003 (3LP) 1977

[Also:]

Cecil Taylor: Nuits de la Fondation Maeght, Vols. 1-3
Shandar SR 83 507, SR 83 508, SR 83 509 (3LP) FR
Cecil Taylor: Second Act of A, vols. 1-3
RCA/ RCA-6085(M) (LP) 1973 JAP, RCA ?? (LP) 1973 JAP, RCA ?? (LP) 1973 JAP
Cecil Taylor: Fondation Maeght Nights, Vols. 1-3
Jazz View COD 001-003 (3CD)

[Composition, Cecil Taylor]

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, P-34003}

69.10.26

October 26, 1969

Teatro Lyrico
Milan, Italy

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ss; ts; fl)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

1.unknown title [49:54] (incomplete)
2.unknown title [41:48] (incomplete)

I have this at [48:16] seems complete, if any time is missing it may be from the beginning, and I assume it's the first set. Can anyone help me acquire the complete concert? --RL

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, CD-R (incomplete); Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography.}


69.10.XX

Warsaw, Poland

Regarding this alleged show:

"In my opinion CT don't played in Warsaw on 1969, he played a year ago on 18 or 19 October 1968. Jazz Jamboree '68, Poland, Warsaw, Sala Kongresowa, Cecil Taylor - piano solo (USA) [Jazz Jamboree '68 was October 17,18,19, 1968] '69-- this is failure, mistake date of gig. comment: October is typicaly time of Jazz Jamboree in Warsaw Poland who started from 1958. It's mint probable if any (fame) artist who played live gig in Oct., Poland, don't play on JJ. Just check 'festival notes' from 1969 [October, 20-23]; result: CT is not present." [Darek Pietak correspondence to Cecil Taylor Research Group 03.04.11]

69.10.31

October 31, 1969

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ts; fl)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

Hammersmith Odeon
London, England

1.unknown titles [time?]

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography.}

69.11.02

November 2, 1969

BBC-TV
Ronnie Scott's
London, England

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ts; fl)
Andrew Cyrille (d)
Ronnie Scott (announce)

1.announcement [0:26]
2.Fragments [7:30]
3.announcement [0:18]
4.unknown title [10:21]

[Also noted: private tape at "1 track/8:00; November, 1969; London"]

It's all "Fragments Of A Dedication To Duke", the 7:52 track announced as "Extracts from Fragments ..."
--H. Lukas Lindenmaier correspondence to CTResearch-List 03.09.23

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography.}

69.11.03

Cecil Taylor Quartet: Cecil Taylor Quartet in Europe {1}
*UNAUTHORIZED*

Jazz Connoisseur JC 111 (LP) IT

[Also:]

Cecil Taylor Quartet: [Unissued / Private Tape] {2}
"1 track / 74:00"

November 3, 1969
Salle Pleyel
Paris, France

1.Improvisation 1 [21:00] {1}
2.Improvisation 2 [30:00] {1}
3.unknown title [27:30] {2}
4.unknown title [49:00] {2}

[Composition, Cecil Taylor]

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ss; ts)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

other notes:

"The LP Jazz-Connoisseur-JC 111 [69.11.09] in fact is a bootleg, at the time widely distributed in Europe, possibly in the US as well, but it has nothing to do with the 69.11.03 Paris concert(s) [as previously and repeatedly claimed --RL]. I do have on CD two transcriptions of the Paris 69.11.03 concerts: one is a 27:19 fragment said to be from the first concert, the other is (low audio fidelity) 49:30 said to be from the second concert. The music in both of these recordings is quite similiar, both being "Fragments Of A Dedication To Duke", but none of these is identic[al] to the music on JC-111. The recording from first Paris concert is mis-announced by the radio mc (André Francis?) as "Never Mind", by the way."
--H. Lukas Lindenmaier correspondence to CTResearch-List 03.09.23

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, JC 111; Tape}
other notes:

69.11.04

November 4, 1969

Tivoli
Copenhagen, Denmark

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ss; ts)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

unknown title

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography.}

69.11.05

November 5, 1969

"Newport Jazz Festival"
Folkets Hus
Stockholm, Sweden

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ss; ts)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

Swedish Radio Broadcast

Fragments of a Dedication to Duke Ellington [55:27] / Broadcast Tape
Fragments [50:00] / Private Tape

Track one is also titled "Unit Structures".
Track 2 was recorded by Swedish Radio but never broadcast.

"I have 55:00 mono radio broadcast recording, and I think this is the complete performance of the day ..."
--H. Lukas Lindenmaier correspondence to CTResearch-List 03.09.23

{Primary Source:Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Broadcast CD-R; Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons: A Sessionography.}

69.11.06

November 6, 1969

Berlin Jazz Festival
Berlin, Germany

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ts; fl; voc)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

1.announcement [1:31]
2.Fragments of a Dedication to Duke Ellington [49:40]

"...the 45:++ from radio broadcast is - most probably - the closing section of the performance. There is another radio broadcast 15:45 with something like the first section, and there seems to be a missing link between these broadcasted parts -some say the gap is but a few minutes, others say it might be more, up to 25:00 - I don't know, I only have the two broadcast fragments, and it seems most likely no private audience tape of this concert exists." --H. Lukas Lindenmaier 05.01.03

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Tape, also documented by Ed Hazell in his unpublished C. T. discography (he has date as 69.11.10 and time length as 48')

69.11.09

November 9, 1969

De Doelen Concert Hall
Rotterdam, Netherlands

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ts; ss; fl)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

1.Fragments (incomplete) [58:00]

"Rumors were that the JC-111 is an edited version of the recordings from Rotterdam 69.11.09... JC-111 (LP) IS an edited portion of the broadcast tape from this performance."
--H. Lukas Lindenmaier correspondence to CTResearch-List 03.09.23; 05.01.03

"I've just gone headphones to CDR, speakers to turntable-- note-for-note, trill-for-trill, cymbal-splash-for-cymbal-splash through the first 8 minutes, and there is no doubt in my failing little mind that they are one and the same." --Rick Lopez

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, CD-R; Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography.}

69.11.10

November 10, 1969

Liederhalle
Mozartsaal
Stuttgart, Germany

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ss; ts; fl)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

1.announcement [0:15]
2.Fragments of a Dedication to Duke Ellington (incomplete) [78:27]

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Tape; Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography.}

69.11.30

November 30, 1969

Berlin, Germany

Cecil Taylor Quartet

Cecil Taylor (p)
Jimmy Lyons (as)
Sam Rivers (ts; fl)
Andrew Cyrille (d)

1.Fragments of a Dedication to Duke Ellington [49:00]

{Primary Source: Rick Lopez's Sam Rivers Online Discography, Jan Ström's Jimmy Lyons Sessionography.}