Cecil Taylor Michigan State University April 15th 1976

[David Ayers]

PS - we really *do* need an 'archival releases' forum...

[Clunky]

I see that has been up on dime in the past. Wonder how legit this is. I can't seem to find much

[colinmce]

Label listed at DG is Hi-Hat (UK)

[CraigP]

Pre-ordered through Amazon. Thanks for the heads-up!

[walt]

I'd love to have more music from this edition of the Cecil Taylor Unit(i love Dark To Themselves).If this is a boot,which it appears to be, then i can live without it.Hopefully, one day it'll be issued legit.I won't hold my breath.

Edited 26 Apr 2015 by walt

[paul secor]

Doesn't sound legit. I already have a lot of Cecil recordings and probably don't need this one. Unless I find that it is legit, I'll pass.

[Chuck Nessa]

No money from here unless.........

I might be different if you don't know the subject.

Edited 25 Apr 2015 by Chuck Nessa

[John L]

Cecil had a great band then.

[erwbol]

I see that has been up on dime in the past. Wonder how legit this is. I can't seem to find much

Info file from the Dimeadozen torrent below. Sound quaility is not particularly good imo.

Cecil Taylor Unit

The Power Center

Michigan State University at Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, Michigan

United States of America

15 April 1976

Cecil Taylor (piano)

Jimmy Lyons (alto sax)

David S. Ware (tenor sax)

RaphÈ Malik (trumpet)

Marc Edwards (drums)

01. Wavelets Part One 1:53

02. Wavelets Part Two 8:31

03. Wavelets Part Three 22:07

04. Petals 13:51 (incomplete, cuts out)

Total Time: 46:24

FM>?>Trade CD>EAC>FLAC>Vuze>Dimeadozen

Broadcast Recording

Original broadcast WCBN-FM / National Public Radio "Jazz Alive"

This tape is the second set of the Ann Arbor concert. Track one is an interesting piece in that it differs from the usual Taylor ensemble methodology: The piece begins with a drum solo (there is a split-second drop-out about 1:00 in); leads into a piano-tenorsax duet; [11:00 in] segues into a piano-altosax-drum trio segment; [18:00 in] becomes a piano-trumpet duo until ending.

Does a recording of the first set exist? Reference is also made to a tape at 50:00 with "Heather" and an unknown title. óRL

There is also a tape circulating listed as "2 tracks, 48:00."

On this tape the tracks have been somehow reversed. The sound quality (not very good on track 1) descends to near horrible on the "unknown title," and proceeds to the end commentary by A.B. Spellman of NPR's "Jazz Alive." The 2nd track begins and ends with edit cuts. Taylor's voice is not heard here.

Drummer Marc Edwards:

"We did a torrid [first] set... After we finished playing, we were taking a break, and Cecil told us that we had to do a second show. I was completely burned out. I started off the set doing a drum solo. I don't recall the breakdowns that followed. I think Cecil and Jimmy played together, David S. Ware may have soloed by himself or he may have performed as a duo with Malik. It's hard to recall now. Eventually, the entire band did play together as an ensemble towards the end. I don't know the name of that piece."

The applause following track one leads to Cecil Taylor's calling out "Petals... just once through... Petals..." The very ending of this track is cut offó(just a few moments from where the announcement by NPR appears on the inferior tape discussed above.) óRL

Marc Edwards: "I remember the 'Petals' composition to this day. Cecil wrote wonderful melodic lines. We had a ball playing that piece during a tour on the West Coast and later, in Europe. We first performed this song during the band's one week stay at the KeyStone Korner in San Francisco."

Marc Edwards (after hearing the tape): "I was under the impression that we were going to do only one set. When Cecil announced that we were going to play some more, I was surprised. The second set begins with a drum solo... Cecil's bands do not generally provide many opportunities for drum solos. This concert presents a rare chance to hear me in this context. My primary function was to play behind the band members supporting their musical ideas and concepts. To become a good soloist, one has to solo on a regular basis. What the fans heard on the second set was the stuff that I play behind the ensemble. Towards the very end of my solo, I began to get the hang of it. Just as I started moving into a different area, Cecil and David began to play. They had quietly entered the stage. The audience was great responding favorably to what I had played. (Fans interested in hearing more should listen to my drum solo on the Black Queen CD. 'Bumblebees and Marigold Flowers' is good. 'Pi R Squared,' from the Time & Space Vol. 1, is another interesting solo. A musician's playing really does improve as the years go by.

Getting back to the second set, David S. Ware's performance with Cecil was outstanding. During those days, critics and writers labeled David as just another screaming fiery tenor saxophonist. David S. Ware is much more than that. Unlike most Free Jazz saxophonists, David has far more range and depth. He and Cecil are in fine form, exploring the musical layers melodically. This a side that many writers couldn't hear. Jimmy and RaphÈ followed, each performing in a similar spirit that pervaded the second set. Jimmy Lyons is no longer with us. If he were alive, I would love to work with him. The passage of time has helped me to mature. With the knowledge that I now have, I would know how to support his improvisations better."

{Primary Source: CD-R; Marc Edwards for venue infoófrom a notice referenced in The Michigan Daily, dated Friday, April 16, 1976, Vol. LXXXVI, No. 161. }

Discographical information adapted from the David S. Ware sessionography: http://www.bb10k.com/WARE.disc.html#76.04.15

[Hot Ptah]

One thing not correct about the release is that the Power Center in Ann Arbor is at the University of Michigan, not Michigan State University. The two schools are noted rivals.

I saw the Cecil Taylor Unit in October, 1978, at the Power Center in Ann Arbor. It was a great and memorable concert . One odd detail I remember-Jimmy Lyons smoked cigarettes continually onstage, stopping only when he put the mouthpiece into his mouth. There was quite a cloud of smoke above him at all times.

[paul secor]

One thing not correct about the release is that the Power Center in Ann Arbor is at the University of Michigan, not Michigan State University. The two schools are noted rivals.

I saw the Cecil Taylor Unit in October, 1978, at the Power Center in Ann Arbor. It was a great and memorable concert . One odd detail I remember-Jimmy Lyons smoked cigarettes continually onstage, stopping only when he put the mouthpiece into his mouth. There was quite a cloud of smoke above him at all times.

Hat Hut issued a postcard with a swirl of smoke around him. Unfortunately, that smoke eventually killed him.

[felser]

I'll pass, go to "Dark to Themselves" when I want to hear this group.

[T.D.]

One thing not correct about the release is that the Power Center in Ann Arbor is at the University of Michigan, not Michigan State University. The two schools are noted rivals...

Yeah, I was just about to comment on that hilarious blunder, which (IMO) casts considerable doubt on the "legitimacy" of the release.