Bill Dixon & Cecil Taylor - Duets 1992
The Free Jazz Collective
100
By Stef
Without a doubt, this is one of the albums of the year, and this for several reasons, even apart from the quality of the performance itself, which is very high. First, it is a rare meeting of two masters who both shaped modern free music to what it is today. They have inspired creative artists and they have been mentors to many. Second, it is amazing that these duets dating from 1992 are now finally released, and available for music lovers around the world, if it was not for the fact that - third - discussions will rise about the high price of 94$ for a limited print edition of 665 copies. I can already anticipate the comments and the Facebook discussions.
For those of you who have followed the two artists' music over the years, this album is not comparable to the trio album with Tony Oxley released in 2002. The absence of the drums makes the music even more singular. And amazingly enough, the only other album on which both men collaborated was Taylor's "Conquistador" from 1966.
The music on this album is driven by a desire for abstraction, a desire to rise above the descriptive, figurative, foundational patterns. They want to break through conventions and because of that also create something higher, more valuable, more universal. Both artists hated the narrowness of definitions, including concepts such as 'blues' and 'jazz'. Once you define things, you put a frame around them, you box them in. Both men went in the other direction, and nothing can be more free and challenging and rewarding than a duo improvisation. That's why the pieces have no titles either. Naming them would mean to restrict them with words, to label them with existing linguistic categories or imagery.
The A-side starts with spacious and slow trumpet sounds, enhanced with reverb and resonating in empty space, supported by precise, almost impressionistic piano playing by Taylor. Both are very attentive to each other, on the edge of listening, deep in the music they create, which turns darker and more dramatic as the improvisation evolves, and the original calm becomes an agitated nervousness of speedy interactions, only to move into more experimental territory where bare sounds and silence dominate the dialogue, and the piece ends open-ended, hesitating between welcoming stretched phrases and unpredictable sonic bites.
On the B-side some of the most remarkable moments of virtuosity can be heard when both musicians challenge each other in rapid-fire interaction, enjoying the game, enjoying the music they produce which even pushes Taylor into some classical music, inserting a playful minuet in the middle of a dark storm. Their music is austere in a sense, not only because of the duet configuration, but because both musicians try to reach some kind of musical essence, unburdened by flourishes and embellishments and superfluous technical prowess or even cultural baggage. They keep this single voice throughout the album. This is their unique music, and there is actually nothing like, anywhere else. There are no digressions from this well-kept level of musical abstraction. At the same time, and paradoxically maybe because of this austerity, the music is incredibly rich, with both artists demonstrating the depth of their art, full of unexpected changes, with deep emotions and constantly evolving and shifting roles between clarity and darkness. This is full co-creation. There are no moments when one instrument is supportive of the other. There is no concept of soloing over chords here, there is not one real moment of soloing as such: just a continuous stream of interaction between both instruments and both artists.
There is also some anger in the music, especially on Side C, when Dixon's trumpet bursts turn aggressive and violent, accentuated by dark and percussive rumblings on the piano. There has always been anger in the attitudes of both Dixon and Taylor with regard to society and the establishment, its prejudices and injustice. But here they don't dwell on it. They deal with it and create something above the din of normal life, something that is in entirely different space, one of technical competence supporting inventive creativity and disciplined freedom. The music is in a realm of its own, open-ended, open-textured, free.
All this results in an album of a rare beauty. It's aesthetic is austere, and it will require a lot of listening to really appreciate its full power.
Bill Dixon passed away in 2009, and Cecil Taylor last year. It is wonderful to have both masters back with us, even if only musically, and together, for a phenomenal collaboration that demonstrates their value and what they have contributed to free music.
Note: A last comment on the price: 665 vinyl copies at a price of 94$ plus shipping costs may seem excessive. I do not think it is. Compared to many other value-less things we buy and use only once (food, drinks, ...), this is an album to have and to cherish. You will listen to it a lot. Think of the cost per time you listen to it, and then how you enjoy the music. How much is that worth? Music is not a commodity. If labels and musicians want music to be considered valuable, they should treat it themselves as if it was very precious. Don't let the price discussion cloud the value of this album.
Wed Aug 07 04:00:00 GMT 2019