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“I was fortunate enough to have a few memorable encounters with Cecil Taylor, and each time I was struck by his tremendous energy, and the sheer power of his personality--it was like a force field that enveloped you. In the late 90's, when I was working at the Knitting Factory on Leonard street with Àdouble Poisse, late one night we ended up at a bar on 2nd ave in the Village. The place was pretty empty. At a table just behind us, Cecil was sitting by himself. "Is that Cecil?" We decided it was and felt we had to say *something*, so we politely offered a hello and thanks for the music, etc. To our surprise, Cecil invited us to join him at his table, and for the next few hours we had drinks and sat spellbound, while Cecil talked with us, about Duke Ellington (he really emphasized Duke), and his mother; about musicians, and music. It felt like a conversational version of his playing; discursive, probing, intelligent, at times almost overwhelming. Years later, I wanted to invite Cecil to present a master class here at The New School, and Andrew Cyrille graciously arranged an introduction. I was told to call late in the afternoon, and after a few misses, finally heard Cecil's unforgettable voice on the line. As before, our conversation was anything but mundane, and it continued for nearly an hour. We spoke again by phone at least three or four times, and each time it was the same. I couldn't quite believe that I was able to simply call him up--THE Cecil Taylor, for chrissake!--and talk, but he was always charming, candid, and voluble. Ultimately, he agreed to do the master class, but had to cancel at the last minute due to illness. His passing feels like the end of an era when giants roamed the earth. God speed, Mr. Taylor.“ A fb friend _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
