Cecil Taylor: Flashing Spirits

There is a gift that keeps on giving nature to jazz music. Whether unearthing previously unknown archival recordings or niche labels getting long overdue vinyl re-pressings, fans of the genre have no shortage of new-to-us releases hitting the market every year.

Such is the case with Flashing Spirits, the latest release documenting the prolific partnership of pianist Cecil Taylor and drummer Tony Oxley. Captured live at the 1988 Outside in Festival in Crawley, England, the performance consists of one extended 38-minute improvisation and two shorter encores. The short-lived festival took pride in presenting "new music" at a time when adventurous, outside sounds were far from mainstream, and a number of outstanding bootleg and official releases have come from Outside In sets.

Oxley and Taylor played together for the first time just a few months before this festival appearance, as part of Taylor's prolific West German residency documented on the landmark In Berlin 88 (FMP, Destination-Out, 2015) boxset. The duo's working relationship would prove fruitful for years to come. Performing as the Feel Trio with bassist William Parker, and alongside Bill Dixon, Anthony Braxton, and others, Oxley and Taylor collaborated up until the pianist's final public performances in 2016.

On the new release's feature improvisation, we hear the duo locked into subliminal communication, pushing each other's instruments to their limit. Oxley's playing is fiery and free, with a dizzying array of cymbal washes and drum rolls pulling sounds from the drummer's expansive kit. There are few percussionists as unique in their approach to the instrument as Oxley, and "Flashing Spirits" captures him in peak form. Matching Oxley's intensity, Cecil Taylor's fingers seem to glide over the piano, summoning volume from the instrument that few others have been able to replicate. 30 years into his career at the time of this recording, Taylor seems as comfortable as ever.

Understanding that 38-minute piano-drum duo improvisations are not for the faint of heart, patient listeners will find endless crevices and corners to explore in "Flashing Spirits," with repeated plays revealing deeper moments of conversation between Taylor and Oxley.

"Encore 1" is brief and joyful, the two composers taunting each other in a playful chase. On "Encore 2," Oxley explores the literal edges of his instrument, clicking bells and cymbal rims as Taylor gently winds down their performance.

With Flashing Spirits, Burning Ambulance continues its excellent work as a blog-turned-record label. Following archival releases from Anthony Braxton and newer recordings from Ava Mendoza, Ivo Perelman, and Taylor-acolyte Matthew Shipp, the newest Burning Airlines release is a welcome addition to the Taylor-Oxley catalog and not just for completists alone.

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