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
Ocean Bridges cover

Ocean Bridges

Damu the Fudgemunk, Raw Poetic, Archie Shepp
God cover

God

Rip Rig + Panic
Jazzpar 2000 Quintet cover

Jazzpar 2000 Quintet

Jörg Huke, Aage Tanggaard, Carsten Dahl, Tony Coe, Lars Danielsson
Wood Flute Songs cover

Wood Flute Songs

William Parker
Sketches and Ballads cover

Sketches and Ballads

Various Artists, Full Blast
Conquistador! cover

Conquistador!

Cecil Taylor
The Daily Biological cover

The Daily Biological

Chad Taylor Trio
Learning to Cope with Cowardice cover

Learning to Cope with Cowardice

Mark Stewart & The Maffia
Debut cover

Debut

Björk
Black Unity cover

Black Unity

Pharoah Sanders