Unit Structures cover

Unit Structures

Released

On Taylor’s first of two 1966 recordings for Blue Note, he and his regular partners, alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons and drummer Andrew Cyrille, were joined by two bassists (Henry Grimes and Alan Silva), trumpeter Eddie Gale and multi-reedist Ken McIntyre. These four medium-length pieces, powerfully recorded, are a showcase for Taylor’s dense but comprehensible compositional voice as much as his playing. There are melodies here; the expressionistic solos are natural outgrowths, not mere eruptions; and Cyrille’s furious but precise drumming locks it all in place.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Hindsight cover

Hindsight

Ken McIntyre
Fly or Die cover

Fly or Die

Jaimie Branch
Ask the Ages cover

Ask the Ages

Sonny Sharrock
Gifts cover

Gifts

Dave Douglas
Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou cover

Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou

Les Georges Leningrad
I've Seen a Way cover

I've Seen a Way

Mandy, Indiana
Hagar’s Song cover

Hagar’s Song

Jason Moran, Charles Lloyd
Melaza cover

Melaza

Scorch Trio
Tauhid cover

Tauhid

Pharoah Sanders
Theirs cover

Theirs

Thumbscrew