20 July 2008

Cecil Taylor Unit, The Power Center, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; 15th April, 1976


In April, sotise posted a stunning Cecil Taylor Unit concert from Berlin in November 1975. This concert is from six months later, and has moments that are equally powerful - the sheer force of Jimmy Lyons' alto in the first section, and his interplay with Cecil and David S Ware, is breathtaking. The recording is from an FM broadcast and is also very good. Many thanks to abbcccus for reseeding this recently on dime.


Cecil Taylor Unit
The Power Center Michigan State University at Ann Arbor
15th April, 1976

Original broadcast WCBN-FM / National Public Radio "Jazz Alive"

Cecil Taylor - piano
Jimmy Lyons - alto saxophone
David S. Ware - tenor saxophone
Raphe Malik - trumpet
Marc Edwards - drums

1 Improvisation [32:10]
2 Cecil Taylor announcement [00:18]
3 Petals (incomplete) [13:46]

18 comments:

Tantris said...

MP3 @ 320
http://rapidshare.com/files/131048046/CTUnitMichigan76.zip

1009 said...

isn't this one six months later than the other set? no cecil expert myself, but it seems like these guys stuck around the unit for a while (into the 80s?), whereas during the akisakila period it was just a trio or quartet. anyone who can straighten this out?

Tantris said...

oh my ... how can I type earlier when I mean later ... I have corrected my intial post ... thanks 1009

Anonymous said...

1009: This same quintet also recorded "Dark to Themselves" (Enja) in June 1976, but didn't hold together for long thereafter. CT's next line-up chronologically appears on the two New World releases from 1978.

1009 said...

thanks for the info glmlr, tantris.

Anonymous said...

This is awesome, Tantris. And C.T. aside, I think it's worth pointing out that Raphe Malik is under-documented. It's great to get more of him.

SOTISE said...

thanks tantris
this is a great compliment to the enja lp.
cheers

sambeck2001 said...

Thank you for this. i love the "dark to themselves" CD, too. trusting to the ct Sessionography there has to be a broadcast recording of an concert in hamburg 1976. anybody out there, who has taped it?

downloading right now.

sambec

Anonymous said...

That would be the University of Michigan, not Michigan State!

centrifuge said...

what a great line-up... thanks tantris!

centrifuge said...

oh yes, and a lovely pic too btw.

Unknown said...

Hi Tantris!
Many thanks for these posts, this one is terrific.
Again you confirm that this is the place.
Oh, and I'm agree with Cent, nice picture too. Tantris, how I'd like to see the whole series of photos. Must be great.

See you!

Tantris said...

Great to hear that you're enjoying this one. On the location, dylanfreak on dime indicated that 'the Power Center is on the University of Michigan Campus ( in Ann Arbor, MI), not Michigan St. University (that is in Lansing, MI ). Just wanted you to have the correct details' - so I suppose this clears that point up.

The photograph is from the same place as the one that accompanied the Ethnic Heritage concert posted here a few weeks ago.

Cheers, t

Hookfinger said...

Ummm..I don't come here nearly as often as I should. Great stuff, and once again, thanks for sharing.

Anonymous said...

Thank you profusely from someone who was actually in the audience the night this was recorded! Can't believe I can hear it again. Thanks!

sambeck2001 said...

Althoug i was asking for it: i found an old cassette tape from 1990 in a bin:

The Cecil Taylor Unit - Hamburg 1976:

http://rapidshare.com/files/135811940/Hamburg1976.rar

Unfortunately only a castrated version. :-(
See info included.

Have fun

sambec

Kevin said...

Haven't been here in awhile, but I can see that you guys haven't slowed down one bit. Any day that I can pick up some more Cecil Taylor live stuff is a good day.

By the way, I just reposted the Brotzman, Hopkins, Ali-Songlines record on Eclectic Grooves. If you didn't get a chance to download it before, it is definitely worth your while.

Best, Kevin

http://eclectic-grooves.blogspot.com

Johnny said...

I saw Cecil Taylor at the Power Center in 1978. By the way this is at the University of Michigan, and not Michigan State as listed on the web page.