A couple of unrelated avant-garde dates are combined on this single CD from 1998. There are three selections from
Cecil Taylor's 1961 Quintet (featuring pianist
Taylor, bassist
Henry Grimes, drummer
Sunny Murray, altoist
Jimmy Lyons, and tenor saxophonist
Archie Shepp) with trumpeter
Ted Curson and trombonist
Roswell Rudd added on the third cut, "Mixed." "Bulbs," which includes some hints of R&B, is particularly intriguing. This date as a whole was one of
Cecil Taylor's last ones on which he still had a connection (if loose) to more traditional straight-ahead jazz. Normally, the
Taylor set is combined with a few unrelated selections headed by trumpeter
Johnny Carisi (and issued under
Gil Evans' name even though the arranger had nothing to do with either session). In this case, the
Taylor date is matched with trombonist
Roswell Rudd's Everywhere, a 1966 Impulse album that also features altoist
Robin Kenyatta (who comes across as the date's strongest soloist),
Giuseppi Logan on flute and bass clarinet, both
Charlie Haden and
Lewis Worrell on basses, and drummer
Beaver Harris. Of their four selections there are tributes to
Eric Dolphy (
Logan's contribution to the set) and
Herbie Nichols, an odd revival of
Bill Harris' "Everywhere," and the best performance, a spirited "Yankee No-How." Although not
Rudd's greatest album, there are enough fascinating ensembles on this set for it to nearly hold its own with
Taylor's more essential session. ~ Scott Yanow