Cecil and Structure

Back when I was first getting into free jazz I'd heard the mention of Cecil Taylor as the most advanced and contraversial pianist in the entire field. He was often mentioned as the "atonal" improviser and treated as if his music had only the most superficial relationship to jazz....basically the rhythm section and horns lineup was seen as the only vestiges of jazz tradition in his music. Then I heard my first Cecil recordings and I wondered what the fuss was about. Cecil's first Transition recordings and his album with Trane revealed a pianist who was quirky and interesting...but sounded more like an offshoot of Monk than some radical atonal improvisor. Of course once I listened to later albums like Unit Structures or the solo albums his unique vision became apparent to me. But even at his most radical I believe that Cecil's music has never lost this connection to tradition and in fact is still based on chord changes to this day.

A close listen to Conquistador in particular illustrates what I mean. The opening of the tune features solos over changing harmonic structures. Most of these structures can be reduced to minor sixth chords or half diminished chords. Cecil never voices these chords in traditional ways but his figures and choice of seconds and clusters show the harmonic underpinnings of these.chords, which are also strongly implied in the pre-written lines and in Jimmy Lyons'improvs. Once you get tot the head proper the "tune" sounds almost like classic Blue Note era hard bop. Throughout the rest of the cut these minor sixth chords are never far in the background. The music may have moments that fly into less tonal regions but for the most part the changes stand.

This remains true over the years as Cecil's style matures. For example, the second cut on Taylor, extraordinary Winged Serpent (Sliding Quadrant) CD is obviously based on a predetermined set of chord changes...along with a beautiful melody that sounds like it jumped out of the Ellington Orchestra Songbook. Close listens to even dense orchestral works like Melancholy or Owner of the Riverbank suggest that the structure may be flexible but there are still underlying changes in Cecil's music. And everyone who plays with Cecil that I know insists that they are playing changes.

To me this confirms that, despite apprarances to the, contrary even music as radical as CT's music has a deep and abiding relationship to the jazz tradition. Wynton Marsalis to the contrary this music has a history and a deep connection to the Ellington and Monk. Rather than the backwater of jazz that some would like to claim it is, Taylor has much to teach a willing listener....even a neo-con bopper. It just takes a little work and some open ears.