''For Olim'' is a

live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

Cecil Taylor Cecil Percival Taylor (March 25, 1929April 5, 2018) was an American pianist and poet. Taylor was classically trained and was one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an energetic, physical approach, resulting in comple ...

recorded in Berlin, Germany on April 9, 1986, and released on the

Soul Note Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz. History Black S ...

label. The album features a solo concert performance by Taylor. According to the liner notes, the word "Olim" is "an Aztec hieroglyph meaning movement, motion, earthquake." The album is dedicated "to the living Spirit of Jimmy Lyons," the alto saxophone player who worked with Taylor for roughly 25 years, and who died a little over a month after the recording of the album.

Reception

The Penguin Guide to Jazz ''The Penguin Guide to Jazz'' is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which were (at the time of publication) currently available in Europe or the United States. The first nine editions were compiled b ...

'' selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection", stating that "nothing here does anything but speak directly to the attentive listener." The

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

review by

Scott Yanow Scott Yanow (born 1954) is an American jazz reviewer, historian, and author. Life and career Yanow was born in New York City and grew up near Los Angeles. Beginning in 1974, Yanow was a regular reviewer of many jazz styles and was the jazz e ...

states: "One of Cecil Taylor's most satisfying solo concerts, this date features the always uncompromising and adventurous pianist exploring eight of his compositions, including a few that are quite brief (two are under two minutes). The difficult but lyrical live set rewards repeated listenings".

Track listing

:''All compositions by Cecil Taylor.'' # "Olim" - 17:41 # "Glossalalia Part Four" - 5:44 # "Mirror and Water Gazing" - 4:01 # "Living (Dedicated to

Julian Beck Julian Beck (May 31, 1925 – September 14, 1985) was an American actor, stage director, poet, and painter. He is best known for co-founding and directing the Living Theatre, as well as his role as Reverend Henry Kane, the malevolent preacher ...

)" - 6:59 # "For the Death" - 1:33 # "For the Rabbit" - 3:41 # "For the Water Dog" - 1:44 # "The Question" - 3:04 **Recorded in Berlin, Germany on April 9, 1986

Personnel

piano A piano is a keyboard instrument that produces sound when its keys are depressed, activating an Action (music), action mechanism where hammers strike String (music), strings. Modern pianos have a row of 88 black and white keys, tuned to a c ...

References

{{Authority control 1987 live albums Cecil Taylor live albums Black Saint/Soul Note live albums 1980s instrumental albums Solo piano jazz albums