Record Reviews

MIKE TAYLOR ~ MANDALA JAZZ IN BRITAIN 23 (Barcode: 5060774190173) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by British Jazz pianist / composer Mike TaylorFind albums by this artist, one of the mythical figures of the British Jazz scene, due to his tragic death at a ridiculous young age and an extremely limited recorded legacy. Taylor recorded only two albums (“PendulumFind albums with this title” 1966 and “TrioFind albums with this title” 1967) before he died at the age of 30 in 1969. The album presents a live recording of five tracks, captured nine months before this lineup recorded Taylor’s debut album “Pendulum”. He is accompanied by saxophonist Dave TomlinFind albums by this artist, bassist Tony ReevesFind albums by this artist and drummer Jon HisemanFind albums by this artist. Of the five tracks one is a standard and four are original composition by Taylor, two of which appear on the tribute album “Mike Taylor RememberedFind albums with this title” by Neil ArdleyFind albums by this artist. Although the music on this album is by far not as revolutionary or groundbreaking as on “Pendulum”, it is a time capsule of a work in progress, which eventually brought the quartet together into the perfection demonstrated on the debut album and which would make Taylor to crystalize his musical ideas to break the barriers of “swing” and John ColtraneFind albums by this artist’s influence, to achieve the Freedom the debut albums so potently demonstrates. The sound quality of the recording is far from ideal, but certainly good enough to enjoy the music and hear some details. Hiseman is way up in the mix while Reeves is almost inaudible, and the piano is also far behind the saxophone, which takes most of the soloing space. The deconstruction of Thelonious MonkFind albums by this artist’s tune is definitely not as radical as on the debut, but comparing the two versions again shows a path Taylor and his quartet were taking. Overall this is splendid document of the era and the formative years of independent British Jazz, which is not following the American influence any more than absolutely necessary. Tomlin bravely takes upon himself the front-line responsibilities, with Taylor pushing the music from behind, and obviously exploring new ground. The rhythm section is absolutely perfect for the job, with Reeves’ musicality and Hiseman’s technical brilliance laying out a firm basis for the two soloists. However, the album also shows clearly how difficult it was to boldly step into the Free / open playing at this time, and the music is at all times strongly bonded to “swinging” at all cost, despite the relative freedom Taylor demonstrates while playing his odd chord sequences behind the swinging foreground. Overall this is a first class discovery, which blissfully appears on record five and a half decades later, which should make every true British Jazz fan happy. Kudos to Jazz In Britain for digging this one out and bringing it up to the surface!

Updated: 06/06/2021Posted: 06/06/2021

CD 1 Digipak Recommend To A Friend

MIKE TAYLOR ~ PENDULUM SUNBEAM 5034 (Barcode: 5051125503414) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2007 Pianist / composer Mike TaylorFind albums by this artist was the most enigmatic figure on the British Jazz scene in the 1960s. His genius was almost completely unknown to most and just a handful of close friends / musicians had the opportunity to work with him and hear his music. His eccentric personality, which bordered on the mentally unstable and his tragic death at a ridiculous young age cut his career short, leaving a legacy of just two albums, of which this is the first. Anybody listening to this album will surely realize that this is one of the most daring and earliest modern British Jazz recordings and it parallels (in time and complexity) to the most advanced Avant Garde Jazz experiments happening across the Atlantic. Taylor’s unprecedented and unconventional approach to music was so ahead of its time that it’s truly mind-boggling. The quartet playing on this recording includes Taylor on piano, Dave TomlinFind albums by this artist on soprano saxophone, Tony ReevesFind albums by this artist on bass and Jon HisemanFind albums by this artist on drums (the last two were of course to form the band ColosseumFind albums by this artist a few years later). The sound of the quartet is somewhat similar to John ColtraneFind albums by this artist’s legendary quartet, but Taylor plays quite differently than McCoy TynerFind albums by this artist of course. The music includes three Jazz standards (on what used to be Side A) and three original compositions by Taylor (on Side B). The treatment of the standards is an absolute hair-raising experience, with Taylor de-composing / de-structuring the original harmony and re-assembling the pieces together in a completely new way. His original compositions are awesome as well, exposing a new musical universe. The entire album is a knockout from start to finish and listening to it over 40 years after it was recorded should still produce Goosebumps on every sensitive listener’s skin. BTW people unaware of Jon Hiseman’s early Jazz days should check out his recording with another great British pianist Howard RileyFind albums by this artist on Howard’s debut album DiscussionsFind albums with this title. Taylor was about to record only one more album, called simply TrioFind albums with this title, with Jon Hiseman and Jack BruceFind albums by this artist on bass (Bruce was very much involved with the British Jazz scene before his adventure with CreamFind albums by this artist – see Jack’s debut album Things We LikeFind albums with this title), who was a friend of Taylor, as were the other members of the Graham Bond OrganizationFind albums by this artist. Also it’s really strange that Taylor’s fate was in many ways similar to that of Bond’s, both ending their lives in a suicide / accident, following a long period of mental instability. This album is a central piece of the puzzle forming the birth of modern British Jazz and no serious follower of that scene can afford not to have this album in his collection. Beyond essential!

Updated: 06/06/2021Posted:

CD 1 Remastered Essential Recommend To A Friend

MIKE TAYLOR ~ PREPARATION SUNBEAM 1101 ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 1965 Released: 2021 This is an archival album by British Jazz pianist / composer Mike TaylorFind albums by this artist recorded in a quartet setting with saxophonist Dave TomlinFind albums by this artist, bassist Tony ReevesFind albums by this artist and drummer Jon HisemanFind albums by this artist. The album, taken from a rehearsal tape recorded by Reeves shortly before the recording of Taylor’s debut album “PendulumFind albums with this title”, presents five tracks in the same running order as the studio album, preceded by two tracks that do not appear on the album, together seven tracks, five of which are Taylor’s originals and two are standards. The album includes an extensive thirty-two pages long booklet, written by Richard Morton JackFind albums by this artist, which describes in great detail the sad story of Taylor’s life, his mental illness and tragically premature death. The tape, incidentally found by Reeves fifty-five years after it was recorded, is a mono recording, but the sound quality is not as poor as some people claim and the music can be heard loud and clear. British Jazz enthusiasts will most probably have a copy of “Pendulum” already in their collection, so this album does not offer a great historical added value, but on the other hand, considering how little music Taylor managed to record during his lifetime, every note on this album becomes invaluable. The music is of course a wonderful glimpse at the birth of modern British Jazz, influenced by the Free Jazz explosion in American Jazz at the time, but reshaped and domesticated into the proto-modernistic British experience, which eventually emancipated British Jazz from the American bondage. The performances are somewhat more spontaneous than those on the studio album and all showcase the great talents of the four musicians involved. Overall, this is a most welcome addition to Mike Taylor’s limited recorded legacy and British Jazz fans surely will appreciate the fortunate incidents behind this release. Thank God for the invention of sound recording, which allows us to immortalize the music we all love so much. Wholeheartedly recommended!

Updated: 12/01/2022Posted: 12/01/2022

CD 1 Remastered Recommend To A Friend