1989 · Album
Regalia
Recorded June 26, 1988, Berlin · FMP · Personnel: [Cecil Taylor] (piano), [Paul Lovens] (drums)
Two Masters Finding Space Together
Taylor had to adjust his own playing, and spaciousness not normally present on his recordings emerged.
What makes Regalia stand out is Paul Lovens. Taylor is the name on the marquee, but Lovens is the reason this recording breathes differently than Taylor's solo work or his other group sessions. Lovens is a drummer of nuance and often subtlety, building his sound on intricate execution and color rather than raw power. Placed opposite Taylor's torrential piano, he could have disappeared or fought back. Instead, he found a third way: articulation of speed and softness that forced Taylor to meet him halfway.
Taylor's usual approach is maximalist — dense, fast, often overwhelming in its accumulation of ideas. Lovens changed that calculus. By refusing to fill every gap, by choosing space over velocity, he created room in the mix where Taylor's lines could land with clarity. The result is a peculiar kind of conversation where two strong voices actually listen to each other. AllMusic reviewer Thom Jurek called it rare, and he was right: there's a percussive lyricism here, a softness in Taylor's playing, that simply doesn't appear elsewhere in his catalog.
Recorded live in Berlin over a single night, Regalia captures Taylor late in his career, still searching, still willing to reshape his approach for the right collaborator. The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings awarded it 4 out of 4 stars, confirming what the ear hears — this is one of Taylor's most accessible and genuinely moving recordings, not because he compromised, but because he found someone who made him want to.
Who's playing
Cecil Taylorpiano
Paul Lovensdrums
Where next?
More by Cecil Taylor
All 77 albums →
