Imagine music where time is elastic, harmony serendipitous, and melody illusory. Imagine a piano attacked with a velocity that makes the hands blur. You’re now in a world ruled by the incomparable Cecil Taylor, a cult hero since the ’50s. Though not his strongest work, In Florescence, his first American-label album in a decade, just might bring his epic virtuosity, wit, and emotionalism to a broader audience. The pieces are short, and the bass and drums of William Parker and Greg Bendian are models of reflexive interaction. Taylor treats the keyboard as a percussion instrument, burrowing beyond the surface of musical orthodoxies to suggest the instinctive logic of a raging id. Highlights include tributes to Jimmy Lyons and Steve McCall and the ardently meditative ”Charles and Thee.” On ”Chal Chuiatlichue Goddess of Green Flowing Waters,” he bypasses the keyboard for the piano innards. Of course, it’s not for all tastes-but then what is? A-

In Florescence
  • Music