Air Above Mountains
Occupation
- Piano: Cecil Taylor
Air Above Mountains ( Buildings Within) is a jazz album by Cecil Taylor in a solo concert in Moosham castle in the district Tamsweg (Salzburg ) was incorporated on 20 August 1976. The album was initially released in 1978 in abridged form as in LP Enja before the full recording was released in 2002 as a compact disc.
The album
In the 1970s, several solo albums Taylors were published. The album was recorded during an open-air festival, which Friedrich Gulda curated at Schloss Moosham. There, Taylor also met other musicians like Gulda, with whom he played in a duo, but also to Albert Mangelsdorff, Stu Martin, Barre Phillips, John Surman and Ursula Anders; the recording appeared on Gulda Album Message from the land.
This was preceded by the appearance in Austria Taylor's solo concert in 1974 at the Montreux Jazz Festival; the pianist had played there his five -part work Silent Tongues, supplemented by two encores. Released it's on the same album Silent Tongues (1201 Music), the 1974 jazz album of the year in the international critics' poll of Down Beat.
In Silent Tongues " Taylor moved deftly between quasi- classical moods and eruptive volcanoes of dissonance ," Ted Gioia wrote:
Gary Giddins deals with the special function of the addition in Taylor's solo concerts; " Outspoken in its brevity it has the effect to lift the curtain and allow the magician, in relative obscurity to understand some of his tricks. " In Air Above Mountains this to Ray Noble The Very Thought of You Track reminiscent of 1934.
Title list
- Cecil Taylor: Air Above Mountains ( Buildings Within) ( Enja 3005 ST)
Reception
For Scott Yanow is Taylor's solo play music that never runs out of energy. Taylor plays the piano like a drum set, with an emphasis thunderous sounds; which he left only occasionally for calmer lyrical passages, which are also provided with a large amount of tension.
In the meeting for Allmusic, who distinguished the album with four stars, Scott Yanow wrote: Except for a few brief moments, his music is pretty intense, percussive, crowded and flooded with passion. Taylor's long-time fans will find much to admire here, while newcomers are well advised to first his earlier (and less dissonant ) sessions turn of the 1950s.
The British music magazine Gramophone wrote: The air in Austria stimulated Taylor in 1976 to one of his most inspired solo sets. Originally published only in excerpts on an LP, the full version now makes sense. The wonderfully clear and detailed recording makes this an excellent example of this solo pianist.
The French Jazz Hot noted: On this CD, the pure energy of the concert is [ captured ], released by the broad resonance of the Bösendorfer.
Richard Cook and Brian Morton rated the album in The Penguin Guide to Jazz with 3 ½ ( out of 4) stars.
Craig Taborn called Taylor's concert recording as a model for his ECM album Avenging Angel ( 2011).
Editorial notes
The album was released in 1978 in Europe on Enja Records ( 3005 ST) and in the United States licensed to Inner City Records (IC 3021 ) in abbreviated form on 51 minutes. 2002 concert in the complete and re-mastered version was re-released on compact disc. , As well as in Japan on Ward Records ( TKCW - 3219 ).