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
Fever Bed cover

Fever Bed

Mat Maneri
Omega cover

Omega

Immanuel Wilkins
Pre-Apocalyptic cover

Pre-Apocalyptic

Michael Formanek
Divine Love cover

Divine Love

Wadada Leo Smith
12 Comp (ZIM) 2017 cover

12 Comp (ZIM) 2017

Anthony Braxton
Force Majeure cover

Force Majeure

Brandee Younger, Dezron Douglas