Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley Duo…Tonic 11/04/00

[JEigo]

Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley Duo…Tonic 11/04/00

Cecil Taylor is an indomitable musical spirit. One of the true originals of
American music; one who sits atop the Mt. Rushmore of modern jazz giants -
Bird, Trane,Ornette and Cecil. His contributions to the canon of improvised
music cannot be disputed as has been documented on numerous recordings that
have included collaborations with John Coltrane, Steve Lacy and Max Roach. His
influence in free jazz circles have been absorbed in Europe too, where he has
performed and recorded with some of the most important free jazz players on the
Continent, most notably Derek Bailey and Tony Oxley.

Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley have been collaborators since 1988. Their last New
York appearance, over a decade ago, was at Sweet Basil, I believe. So their
Tonic appearance was a cause for joy and a must see event for Cecil and Oxley
fans alike.

The drum has played an important role in Cecil Taylor's musical history. And
since Cecil explores the percussive aspects of the piano as much as he does the
keyboard it was not unusual for him to have chosen this format to explore new
musical possibilities. I am reminded of Cecil's powerful 70s trio with Jimmy
Lyons and Andrew Cyrille as one good example. Andrew was a formidable musical
foil for Cecil, providing a solid percussive foundation allowing Cecil to build
his expansive piano explorations. His duos with Max Roach are masterpieces of
improvisation. One of this past summer's musical highlights was the reuniting
of this legendary duo at the Bell Atlantic Jazz Festival at Columbia
University. So the Taylor / Oxley duo was much anticipated.

The interplay between these two kindred musical spirits is uncanny. Near
telepathic. The fact that Oxley is a good listener, as well as an excellent
drummer, helped to make the dialogue ebb and flow. Immediately you knew you
were in the presence of two articulate, intelligent musicians coming together
to create. Shakespeare and Picasso meet in the jazz loft to swap trade
secrets. Oxley's use of silence, when to lay out and when to build to musical
climaxes, his use of the stick tip, pulling it across the cymbal or his extra
large cow bell were most effective. Cecil charted the course and Oxley
navigated the challenging musical waters. It does not matter when or where you
enter this music. Cecil's concerts are marathons of endurance, challenging the
performer as well as the listener, where a single improvisation can go on for
two hours. It's hard to believe that Cecil is 67. No signs of rust on this
man's chops or musical ideas. I have always marveled at how Cecil can pull you
into his music. Starting with a gentle right hand figure, slowly building his
solo, the left hand comping in demented 'Monkian' rhythm , deceiving your ear
that you've just heard, Lush Life, Round About Midnight, All the Things You
Are, Duke, Monk, Bud, Ives, the history of jazz piano, the history of jazz, all
suddenly transformed by a well placed forearm smash to the black keys. These
are now, for Cecil, signature motifs, that are his and his alone. These he has
created, uncompromisingly for the past forty years. At Tonic he demonstrated,
along with Ornette Coleman, that he might well be the undisputed champion of
improvised music.

Progress Hornsby

[Top_Catt]

In article <20010210153605...@ng-md1.aol.com>,
je...@aol.com (JEigo) wrote:

"Cecil Taylor is an indomitable musical spirit. One of the true
originals of American music; one who sits atop the Mt. Rushmore of
modern jazz giants - Bird, Trane, Ornette and Cecil."

Drop the new alias, Amos... you're not fooling anybody.

T.C.

Sent via Deja.com
http://www.deja.com/

[Jazzfriend]

Top_Catt:

Did you bother reading this whole thing?
It's a promo for Cecil & Oxley by record producer/promoter Jim Eigo. There's
not an Amos lurking around every corner. Lighten up a bit.

Will Smith

[Top_Catt]

In article <20010210172628...@ng-ct1.aol.com>,

I was kidding..! Tongue firmly in cheek, but maybe that doesn't always
come across in writing. Yes, I did read the article--I also caught
Cecil & Tony Oxley live once, about 12 years ago. Tremendous
performance; he has the same level of almost telepathic rapport with
Cecil as any of his best collaborators (and what other drummer has a
cowbell that's about a foot wide?).

[Jazzfriend]

Amos? Subtle enough?

Will

[Monk5by5]

actually Taylor will turn 71 in a couple of months

I was at one of the duo shows with Oxley

45 minutes in, it connected and happened for me - and most of the people there

the sounds of fabric, metal and ivory

[Craig Premo]

Please tell me someone has been recording these concerts he's been having with
Oxley and Elvin Jones!