In the Brewing Luminous

"Cecil Taylor's life was a chain of mysteries that resulted in a beautiful necklace of precious sounds, dances, and poetry—he himself called it music. Philip Freeman's book In the Brewing Luminous gives us a wonderful insight into Cecil's life and work. Hopefully, this book will inspire us all in ways we cannot imagine." – William Parker

For over 60 years, Cecil Taylor's music marked the outer limits of avant-garde jazz. His volcanic piano improvisations—technically overwhelming, with tireless energy and often marathon-length—were considered the epitome of free jazz. But Taylor was much more than that: he was one of the most important composers and arrangers in jazz (and America), with a unique, instantly recognizable compositional voice and a radical method of communicating his musical ideas—a method that essentially taught his ensembles a whole new language.

In the Brewing Luminous is the first comprehensive biography of Cecil Taylor. It accompanies him from his birth in 1929 to his death in 2018—and beyond. The book offers a detailed analysis of his extensive oeuvre: from solo performances to duos to large ensembles, from works for dance and theater to his poetry. It also sheds light on the cultural environment in which he worked—Taylor was not a loner, but a fixture on the New York cultural scene and was welcomed with open arms in Germany, Italy, Japan, and many other countries. Nor did he work in isolation – his bands were central creative partners, and his music would be unthinkable without musicians such as alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons, bassist William Parker, and drummer Andrew Cyrille. Many of these companions are discussed in detail in the book.

Philip Freeman is an experienced music journalist and author of the books New York Is Now!: The New Wave Of Free Jazz, Running The Voodoo Down: The Electric Music Of Miles Davis, and Ugly Beauty: Jazz In The 21st Century. He lives in Montana.

With a contribution from Markus Müller.

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