Record Reviews

JOHN TAYLOR ~ SONGS AND VARIATIONS CAM JAZZ 7772 (Barcode: 8024709777225) ~ UK ~ Jazz Recorded: 2004 - 2005 Released: 2005 This is a solo piano album by British Jazz pianist / composer John TaylorFind albums by this artist and his debut release on the Italian CAM JazzFind albums on this label label, which released all his recordings in the last in the last decade of his career up to his untimely passing in 2015. This is the first of three solo piano albums he recorded for the label, and was followed by "PhasesFind albums with this title" and "In Two MindsFind albums with this title". The music was recorded at two of the leading European studios: Artesuono (in 2004) and the fabulous Bauer Studios in Ludwigsburg (in 2005) and offers a sublime sound quality. The album presents eleven relatively short pieces, all composed by Taylor. Taylor was blessed not only with a magic touch as a pianist, but also with immense songweaving ability, which placed him on a separate level from most of his contemporaries on the British / European scene. His melodies were always incredibly lyrical, almost sweet, but never corny, lightly touching on the heart´s chords but leaving the deepest of impressions. As a solo piano player he managed to create a magic atmosphere of intimacy between his notes and the listener, which easily bridges over the non-trivial musical ideas, which always sounded perfectly natural in spite of their complexity. There was also always something very "British" about his music, a notion impossible to be explained by words but immediately recognizable to many British Jazz enthusiasts. These pieces sound different every time one listens to them, sometimes merry, sometimes sad, but always beautifully embracing and immediate. In over five decades of listening to his music Taylor always managed to capture my heart unconditionally, and his solo piano recordings are amongst my absolutely favorite musical experiences. Overall this is one of the finest Jazz solo piano trio recordings, not only in Taylor´s discography, but in Jazz history in general, which means it truly is an indispensable ingredient of any serious music collection. Absolutely essential!

Updated: 11/10/2020Posted: 09/09/2020

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