Looking Ahead!
| Looking Ahead! | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1959 | |||
| Recorded | June 9, 1958 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 41:47 | |||
| Label | Contemporary | |||
| Cecil Taylor chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [1] |
| The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [3] |
| The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide |  [2] |
Looking Ahead! is the second studio album by American jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, recorded for Contemporary Records in June 1958 and released the following year. The album features bassist Buell Neidlinger, drummer Denis Charles, and vibraphonist Earl Griffith.
Reception
[edit]The AllMusic review by Brian Olewnick states: "Looking Ahead! does just that while still keeping several toes in the tradition. It's an amazing document of a talent fairly straining at the reins, a meteor about to burst onto the jazz scene and render it forever changed... Looking Ahead! is a vital recording from the nascence of one of the towering geniuses of modern music and belongs in any jazz fan's collection".[4]
The authors of The Penguin Guide to Jazz awarded the album 3½ stars, commenting: "the most pensive of Taylor's early recordings may be the best place to start in appreciating his music," and noting that "Toll" "embarks on a new journey towards his own territory."[3]
Track listing
[edit]- All compositions by Cecil Tayor except as indicated
- "Luyah! The Glorious Step" - 6:25
- "African Violets" (Earl Griffith, Taylor) - 5:12
- "Of What" - 8:18
- "Wallering" - 5:22
- "Toll" - 7:38
- "Excursion on a Wobbly Rail" - 9:04
- Recorded at Nola's Penthouse Studios, New York City, on June 9, 1958
Personnel
[edit]- Cecil Taylor - piano
- Buell Neidlinger - double bass
- Denis Charles - drums
- Earl Griffith - vibraphone
References
[edit]- ^ AllMusic Review
- ^ Swenson, J., ed. (1985). The Rolling Stone Jazz Record Guide. USA: Random House/Rolling Stone. p. 189. ISBN 0-394-72643-X.
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1380. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ Olewnick, B. AllMusic Review accessed July 9, 2009.
Further reading
[edit]- Draper, Jason (2008). A Brief History of Album Covers. London: Flame Tree Publishing. pp. 32–33. ISBN 9781847862112. OCLC 227198538.
