Leaf Palm Hand

Occupation

• Piano: Cecil Taylor
• Drums: Tony Oxley

Leaf Palm Hand is an album of improvised music of Cecil Taylor and Tony Oxley. It is a live recording, which originated in the Congress Hall in Berlin on 17 July 1988.

Genesis

The American pianist Cecil Taylor, one of the central figures of free jazz, and British drummer Tony Oxley were once in 1969 at Ronnie Scott 's Jazz Club met when Taylor there with his quartet ( with saxophonist Jimmy Lyons and Sam Rivers and drummer Andrew Cyrille ) made ​​recordings for the BBC, had then not played together. 1988 suggested that the founder of the journal The Wire Anthony Wood that the two musicians should go in the fall of 1988 on tour. "He knew both of them personally and knew that they were quite as ' difficult ' in the scene. He sat on the spontaneous creativity of musicians, the emotional risks was aware and prepared them independently on their encounter before. The opportunity for a first joint concert of the two musicians resulted in the concert series Improvised MusicII/88, organized by the record label FMP under the EU Capital of Culture activities of West Berlin. Was planned and realized a series of events to Cecil Taylor as the leading American free jazz musicians, from a solo concert on Duo - Taylor encounters with European instrumentalists as far as specially assembled big formations European Orchestra. On the last day of the concert, the first musical encounter between Taylor and Oxley took place, working together since then until today.

The Music

On stage, the Congress Hall of the grand piano and the drums were so far apart that the musicians needed for communication acoustic monitors. But even "the first piano electrified Oxley. " He understood the first notes as " an intuitive promise that signaled musical similarities. " Dem Oxley biographer Ulrich Kurth According going communication between Taylor and Oxley " of musical similarities, which often of course virtuosic and emotional ecstasy can hardly be followed analytically. " means of communication, for example, theme and variation, call and response and motivic chain associations.

It is clear that the title track "Leaf Palm Hand ", a 42 -minute tour de force. In the beginning, Taylor a motif cell in the lower register of the wing before, the call and response represents the octave, which he continues to drive until they " seem to fade away in stochastic run fragments. " After a brief interlude Taylor in the middle register the movement goes in deep soundscapes further, is against the Oxley cymbal sounds. " The structure of the following motif cells (4 ') introduces subtle interactions between the musicians, from which they span a large dynamic arch ", in which the voltage increases further. " These increases often result from repetierten rhythm fragments in shimmering sound structures that reach 19 minutes a first dynamic climax with frenzied clusters and fine-textured drum rolls. " After a decrescendo in which the fast pulse but is retained " appear repeatedly rhythmic game pieces that are reminiscent of familiar jazz Terrain -. , and be dissolved in the same clouds of sound " Both players will now fall back on polyrhythmic structures that taper communication. " After 31 minutes, followed by a neoclassical sounding passage in which Taylor almost traditionally plays piano and seems to dissect Oxley different areas of sound of his drums. " Then they both play rhythmically and synchronously together produce " a kaleidoscope of iridescent sound surfaces. The circuit with its almost wistful memories of the increased movement ( > lyrical cluster <, fading away basin) appears logically reaches. "

The musicians had to give several encores; one of them was " Chimes ". This miniature, with its chromatic basic motif has two dynamic levels. " In an impressionistic chord progression over a major seventh in the middle register Taylor sets attaca with single notes and octaves a dynamic contrast, which acts like a flash " These contrasts engages Oxley with sparse percussion sounds on, partly find both a common pulse.

Title list

Unless otherwise indicated, the compositions by Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley.

Edition history

The album was released both individually FMP and in a complete edition with ten other recordings that emerged in the summer of 1988 in Berlin concerts with Cecil Taylor. In 2008, the album has been reissued by the label Jazz Workshop.

Reviews

Bert Noglik writes in the liner notes of the album: ". Playing very close to each other, chase each other's musical movement - almost like two birds of passage, the oscillation curves SHapINg synchronously with biological instinct " The album was not an attempt " to the lowest common denominator to take but one based on a musical identity opening from both sides, which can lay claim to manifest current sound awareness. "..." the uniformity of rhythmic patterns by breaking succeeded at the same time, to enhance the sense of continuity and intensity. "

Richard Cook and Brian Morton gave the album in The Penguin Guide to Jazz is the highest rating. The album was created at that time as well as the recordings with Derek Bailey, Tristan Honsinger, Evan Parker, Han Bennink and Louis Moholo an " excellent example of Taylor's adaptive skills ."

Thom Jurek of Allmusic gave the album four and a half stars out of five for, finds that it throughout the set was no decline in the intensity of the interaction. " It is one of the most melodic improvisations that Cecil Taylor has presented. " Fire tab notes in light of the new edition of All About Jazz, that it was music that was both relentless novel and strange steadily.

Joe Pierre holds in his criticism for Amazon Album for a " peak " in the series of Berlin encounters Taylors with European musicians of 1988, the FMP documented - Leaf Palm is not a " study of contrasts, but of harmony " (where one can use this term among musicians ).