Cecil Percival Taylor was an American pianist and poet.
William Parker is an American free jazz double bassist. Beginning in the 1980s, Parker played with Cecil Taylor for over a decade, and he has led the Little Huey Creative Music Orchestra since 1981. The Village Voice named him "the most consistently brilliant free jazz bassist of all time" and DownBeat has called him "one of the most adventurous and prolific bandleaders in jazz".
Jimmy Lyons was an American alto saxophone player. He is best known for his long tenure in the Cecil Taylor Unit. Lyons was the only constant member of the band from the mid-1960s until his death. Taylor never worked with another musician as frequently as he did with Lyons. Lyons' playing, influenced by Charlie Parker, kept Taylor's avant-garde music tethered to the jazz tradition.
Frank Wright was an American free jazz musician, known for his frantic style of playing the tenor saxophone. Critics often compare his music to that of Albert Ayler, although Wright "offers his honks and squawks with a phraseology derived from the slower, earthier funk of R&B and gospel music." According to AllMusic biographer Chris Kelsey, Wright "never recorded even a single record under his own name for a major label; he was 'underground' his entire career." In addition to tenor saxophone, Wright also played the soprano saxophone and bass clarinet.
Raphe Malik, born Laurence Mazel was an American jazz trumpeter.
Glenn Spearman was an American jazz tenor saxophonist. He was associated with free jazz and experimental music.
Dark to Themselves is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded at the Ljubljana Jazz Festival, Yugoslavia, on June 18, 1976, and released on the Enja label. The album features Taylor on piano with alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, tenor saxophonist David S. Ware, trumpeter Raphe Malik, and drummer Marc Edwards. The original LP release presented the music in edited form, while the CD reissue contains the complete performance, restoring sections that were previously excised.
Cecil Taylor Unit is an album by Cecil Taylor recorded in April 1978 and released on the New World label. The album features three performances by Taylor on piano with alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, trumpeter Raphe Malik, violinist Ramsey Ameen, bassist Sirone and drummer Ronald Shannon Jackson. The album was recorded during the same sessions that produced 3 Phasis. Taylor is heard on a 96-key Bösendorfer piano about which he commented: it "will stop you cold if you're not ready."
3 Phasis is an album by Cecil Taylor recorded in April 1978 and released on the New World label. The album features three performances by Taylor with Raphe Malik, Jimmy Lyons, Ramsey Ameen, Sirone and Ronald Shannon Jackson. The album was recorded during the same sessions that produced the Cecil Taylor Unit.
Winged Serpent is an album by Cecil Taylor recorded in Milan, Italy on October 22–24, 1984 and released on the Soul Note label. The album features performances by Taylor with Jimmy Lyons, Enrico Rava, Tomasz Stanko, Frank Wright, John Tchicai, Gunter Hampel, Karen Borca, Andre Martinez, William Parker and Rashid Bakr who are billed as The Orchestra of Two Continents.
Olu Iwa is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded in Berlin, Germany on April 12, 1986 and released on the Soul Note label. The album features a concert performance by Taylor with Thurman Barker, William Parker and Steve McCall with Earl McIntyre, Peter Brötzmann and Frank Wright added on one track.
Nailed is a live album by Cecil Taylor, Evan Parker, Barry Guy and Tony Oxley recorded on September 26, 1990 at the Bechstein Concert Hall in Berlin and released on the FMP label.
Alms/Tiergarten (Spree) is a live album by Cecil Taylor with the Cecil Taylor European Orchestra recorded in Berlin on July 2, 1988, as part of month-long series of concerts by Taylor and released on the FMP label.
The Short Form is an album by American jazz trumpeter Raphe Malik, which was recorded live at the Fire in the Valley Festival in 1996 and released on the Eremite label. He leads a quartet with tenor saxophonist Glenn Spearman, bassist George Langford and drummer Dennis Warren.
ConSequences is an album by American jazz trumpeter Raphe Malik, which was recorded live at the 2nd Fire in the Valley Festival in 1997 and released on the Eremite label. He leads a quartet with tenor saxophonist Sabir Mateen, bassist William Parker and drummer Denis Charles in one of his last recorded performances.
Companions is an album by American jazz trumpeter Raphe Malik, which was recorded live at the 1998 Vision Festival during a Jimmy Lyons tribute and released on the Eremite label. Malik leads a quartet with the members of the Trio Hurricane: tenor saxophonist Glenn Spearman, bassist William Parker and drummer Paul Murphy.
Uhuru na Umoja is an album by American free jazz saxophonist Frank Wright recorded in 1970 in Paris, originally released on the French America label and reissued on CD in 2004 by Universal France. Wright leads a quartet featuring alto saxophonist Noah Howard, who composed each of the tracks, pianist Bobby Few and bebop drummer Art Taylor in his first free jazz date. "Oriental Mood" and "Aurora Borealis" are the same compositions as "Mount Fuji" and "Queen Anne", from Howard's The Black Ark album.
Looking East: A Suite in Three Parts is a double album by American jazz trumpeter Raphe Malik featuring a quartet with reedman Sabir Mateen, bassist Larry Roland and drummer Codaryl "Cody" Moffett, which was released on the Boxholder label. The album documents a concert performance organized by the Boston Creative Music Alliance in 1999.
Qu'a: Live at the Iridium, Vol. 1 is a live album by pianist Cecil Taylor. It was recorded at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City in March 1998, and was released later that year by Cadence Jazz Records. On the album, Taylor is joined by saxophonist Harri Sjöström, bassist Dominic Duval, and drummer Jackson Krall. The recording is the companion to Qu'a Yuba: Live at the Iridium, Vol. 2, recorded on the same date.
Alan Silva & the Sound Visions Orchestra is a live album by multi-instrumentalist Alan Silva. It was recorded in May 1999 at St. Nicholas of Myra Church in New York City during the annual Vision Festival, and was released in 2001 by Eremite Records. On the album, Silva is joined by a large ensemble known as the Sound Visions Orchestra.
