Air Above Mountains < Buildings Within > cover

Air Above Mountains < Buildings Within >

Released

This live LP, recorded at Moosham Castle in Langau, Austria in 1976, may be Taylor’s most stunning solo performance. He was at a creative peak as an improvising pianist in the early 1970s, beginning with the albums Indent and Silent Tongues and leading to this marathon (76 minutes on CD, up from roughly 45 on the LP). Taylor lays down a few relatively simple figures at the beginning of the concert, then spins out lyrical extrapolations of those, broken up by dense clusters of notes that are more percussive and textural than melodic. By the end, it’s like he’s pulled a single spool of thread from his pocket and woven a tapestry before your eyes.

Phil Freeman

Recommended by

Suggestions
Bag It cover

Bag It

The Thing
Funky Donkey, Vols. 1 & 2 cover

Funky Donkey, Vols. 1 & 2

Luther Thomas, Saint Louis Creative Ensemble, Human Arts Ensemble
Actions cover

Actions

Fire! Orchestra
Kabalaba cover

Kabalaba

Art Ensemble of Chicago
Halo cover

Halo

Bill Laswell, Andy Hawkins, Azonic
Dialectic Soul cover

Dialectic Soul

Asher Gamedze