Serial collaborators Tony Oxley and Cecil Taylor had this 2002 show recorded, and Discus have released it as a showcase for the kind of joyful power of which the duo was capable of. That it is the overriding sensation that comes from Being Astral And All Registers: joy; at times an utterly maniacal joy but joy nevertheless.
The feeling of freedom that flows throughout the two long pieces here is something that leaps from the speakers and suffuses the listener. They each start slowly, but once the rhythm is rolling, the piano is battered like another percussion instrument and Taylor’s hands rattle from one end of the keyboard to the other, as if chasing a herd of troublesome mice. Oxley follows closely behind, reacting immediately to the notes at hand, at times sounding like somebody clearing out their garage.
I have no idea what encompasses his percussion setup, but it sounds as though it entails far more than drums. There are points where the doomy low notes of the piano are accompanied by the sound of squealing car tyres or cardboard boxes and bags. I mean, at one point, it sounded as though a trolley car was being pushed off a cliff, with the bell clanging while Taylor beat the piano to a point where you thought it might collapse as the audience whooped in delirious anticipation. Some of the deep, resonant notes here feel like a slap on the back from some enormous, effusive uncle who doesn’t know his own strength, but their interplay is exquisite and their energy is something else, because the effort that is being expended here is palpable. They are both engaging in some workout and nothing is repeated. That is the extraordinary aspect; every step, every moment is a fresh outbreak of thrilling adventure, but the sweet thing is every now and again, just for a second, the piano arrives at a brief reminder of something from the past. It might be a snippet of some ragtime melody or a hint of a classical piece, or maybe he has just remembered that he wanted to throw in some juxtaposition; and then they dash back off into the undergrowth, scaring up the birds and animals and scampering like truants away from civilisation.It is impossible for the listener to second-guess where the duo will go, and it is a little like being blindfolded and put on a roller-coaster. There is no precedent, so everything feels fresh and the intuition is a marvel. The sounds and textures both of the piano and percussion are so varied that at times the percussion is lighter than the piano and comes across like a blustering snowstorm, whirling in your eyes, surrounding you with soft whiteness and preventing you from putting one foot in front of the other. At other points, the exquisite tones of the piano in the gentler sections are urged and harried by the explosive percussion or maybe the wash of the sea overtakes you as cymbals spray and slap against the bows.
The relentless invention shown by Taylor and Oxley here is second to none, and the best thing to do is just sit back and allow the uproar to engulf you and be swept away.-Mr Olivetti-
