Unit Structures

About

Cecil Taylor, the defining pianistic voice of the jazz avant-garde and one of its most far-sighted bandleader, made two albums for Blue Note, <i>Unit Structures</i> and <i>Conquistador!</i>, during the course of 1966, both with similar lineup. He had emerged in the mid-’50, rooted in the swinging language of Ellington, Monk, and Horace Silver but clearly heading toward his own groundbreaking approach. By the time of <i>Unit Structures</i>, he had broken free of straight rhythm and conventional band interplay toward a dense, dissonant, abstract sound articulated by two basses (Alan Silva and Henry Grimes), three horns (trumpeter Eddie Gale, saxophonists Jimmy Lyons and Ken McIntrye), and drums (Andrew Cyrille). <i>Unit Structures</i> wa, in fact, Taylor’s name for a compositional method, as the authors Gary Giddins and Scott DeVeaux have explained: “Rather than compose a single theme to spur improvised variation, Taylor constructed his works out of module, or units; the group worked through each unit in sequence.” But the aura of Taylor’s music is perhaps better grasped through the words of the composer himself, from his extensive liner note essay: “The paths of harmonic and melodic light, give architecture sound structures acts creating flight. Each instrument has strata. Physiognomy, inherent matter-calling-stretched into sound (Layers) in rhythms regular and irregular measuring coexisting bodies of sound.” .

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