2004 · Album
Algonquin
Recorded February 12, 1999, Library of Congress · Bridge Records · Musicians: Cecil Taylor (piano), Mat Maneri (violin)
Two Voices in the Library of Congress
Maneri and Taylor's ideas bounce off one another, feed each other, intertwine, with a warmth that shapes moments of real connection.
The Library of Congress commissioned this work, and on February 12, 1999, Cecil Taylor and violinist Mat Maneri recorded it in that institution's halls. It's a three-movement structure built on restraint and conversation — not the explosive free playing Taylor is known for, but something slower-burning and more intimate. The amplified violin sits surprisingly well alongside Taylor's piano; there's actual balance here rather than the usual acoustic mismatch when strings meet keys at full volume.
In the first movement they play as a duo, ideas genuinely bouncing between them. Maneri's second-movement solo is relaxed and emotionally direct, finding melody in Taylor's harmonic territory without imitating him. When Taylor takes the third movement alone, his playing is impressive but also restrained — measured exploration rather than the full-throttle assault of his most famous recordings. That final duo passage tightens the energy back up, ending with more drive than what came before.
This is late-career Taylor doing something specific and deliberate. Not a peak moment in his discography, but worth hearing if you already know his work and want to understand how he sounded in a setting that asked for collaboration instead of domination. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings gave it 3.5 out of 4 stars. If you're new to him, start with Conquistador! (1966) or Unit Structures (1966) instead.
Who's playing
Cecil Taylorpiano
Mat Maneriviolin
