Cecil Taylor (Les Grandes Répétitions, 1968)

De L’Autre Coté du Chemin de Fer (“Across the Tracks“) is a rare document of Cecil Taylor in action in December 1966, a week after he recorded Student Studies aka The Great Paris Concert with Jimmy Lyons on alto sax, Alan (curiously billed as Ron in the film credits) Silva on bass and Andrew Cyrille on drums. For some inexplicable reason the quartet set up in a room in the Place des Vosges, built by Henry IV in the Marais district of Paris in the early years of the seventeenth century. A long way indeed from the ghettos hinted at in the title of the documentary, where Taylor claims much of his musical education took place (though we all know he was also well-versed in twentieth century mainstream classical music, thanks to his studies at the New England Conservatory). Pressed for his opinions on Stockhausen, Bach and Cage, the pianist responds drily, “they were not of my community“, at which point the film cuts to some gratuitous not to mention incongruous archive footage of coloured folks tapdancing. By the end of the session Taylor is clearly getting fed up at being prodded for a definition of improvised music. From “the problem with written music is that it divides the energies of creativity“ to “music does not exist on paper“ he finally comes up with “improvised music is one thing, and other things are.. other things“ (!) before calling a halt to proceedings with a cursory “you’re welcome.“ The music, fortunately, tells another more exciting story, but not without casting doubt on some of the pianist’s statements – the presence of music stands and manuscript paper certainly testifies to the existence of some kind of score; Alan Silva has always maintained that Taylor’s music in 1966, not only on Student Studies but also Unit Structures and Conquistador! was notated with considerable precision, and the exchanges here between Lyons, curiously framed in a huge empty fireplace, and Taylor, huddled over his piano, bear that out. Forget the silly question and answer session, the washed-out colour and strange home movie montage, and experience one of modern music’s greatest working groups in full flight.