Having put this together for my own study purposes, I thought I’d share it on YouTube (and here) for anyone else who might be interested – a compilation of just the ensemble composed passages or “heads” (though that word seems somewhat inappropriate given the length and complexity of some of them) from the 1976/77 Cecil Taylor Unit unofficial concert recordings in my possession. I’ve only included single versions of any compositions which I’ve identified as being performed at multiple concerts, and I also don’t believe that any of these are the same as the piece featured on Dark To Themselves. In some cases, I’ve kept in brief solo or improvised passages where they seem to me to function as bridges between different motifs of an integral thematic statement (by “brief”, I mean up to a few minutes – in a typical set by this band, each of the horns takes one main solo of between 10-15 minutes duration, in addition to which Taylor solos at length at least once). Obviously this is not the proper form in which to experience this Unit’s music – it’s particularly galling not to have included any of Jimmy Lyons’s solos, which especially at the Montreal and Hamburg concerts are about as great as any playing I’ve heard by him – but hopefully it sheds some light on the sheer quantity of music Taylor composed for this band and how little of it is represented on their one official album. So for those of you who like the sound of such a thing, here’s an hour and a quarter’s worth of CT-the-composer in 1976/77. (Note: these are in chronological order, and for those with a low tolerance for lo-fi the concerts from Hamburg onwards are considerably better recorded. So if you find yourself struggling with the sonic quality of the first few tracks, maybe consider skipping forward to track 6 rather than giving up entirely.) Go to it on YouTube for full track source info and indexes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-90KZQjjr90
The Unreleased 1976-77 Cecil Taylor Unit Compositions
Having put this together for my own study purposes, I thought I’d share it on YouTube (and here) for anyone else who might be interested – a compilation of just the ensemble composed passages or “heads” (though that word seems somewhat inappropriate given the length and complexity of some of them) from the 1976/77 Cecil Taylor Unit unofficial concert recordings in my possession. I’ve only included single versions of any compositions which I’ve identified as being performed at multiple concerts, and I also don’t believe that any of these are the same as the piece featured on Dark To Themselves. In some cases, I’ve kept in brief solo or improvised passages where they seem to me to function as bridges between different motifs of an integral thematic statement (by “brief”, I mean up to a few minutes – in a typical set by this band, each of the horns takes one main solo of between 10-15 minutes duration, in addition to which Taylor solos at length at least once). Obviously this is not the proper form in which to experience this Unit’s music – it’s particularly galling not to have included any of Jimmy Lyons’s solos, which especially at the Montreal and Hamburg concerts are about as great as any playing I’ve heard by him – but hopefully it sheds some light on the sheer quantity of music Taylor composed for this band and how little of it is represented on their one official album. So for those of you who like the sound of such a thing, here’s an hour and a quarter’s worth of CT-the-composer in 1976/77. (Note: these are in chronological order, and for those with a low tolerance for lo-fi the concerts from Hamburg onwards are considerably better recorded. So if you find yourself struggling with the sonic quality of the first few tracks, maybe consider skipping forward to track 6 rather than giving up entirely.) Go to it on YouTube for full track source info and indexes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-90KZQjjr90
Alex Ward Music Blog 
Thank you for putting this together! I love listening to these “heads.” Passages like these really are scattered throughout Taylor’s work, at least from “Conquistador” on, and it’s only right and fitting to call them compositions, in spite of the prevailing notion (including my own untutored listening) of him as primarily an improviser. It’s great to have these all put together like this for concentrated listening. What gorgeous, inspiring, and life-affirming melodies these are! What I hope to do over the next couple of years is play this over and over many times (I burned it to CD for better portability and availability) and get these melodies more ingrained in my memory, then go back to the full-length pieces and greet these heads as old friends whenever they show up, in the midst of whatever maelstrom the band is cooking up. Of course (as I am behind in everything) I still have yet to work my way through your list of recurring compositions from ’62 to ’86, but it’s something to look forward to in my continuing journey with the work of these wonderful musicians (of course Cecil, but also especially Jimmy Lyons!). Thanks again for sharing the fruits of your studies.
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Thanks Sam, very glad you’ve found the compilation to be of value! As you say, they’re wonderful compositions, and even though in some ways it feels strange to divorce them in this manner from the improvisational activity that was the lifeblood of Taylor’s music, I do also find it rewarding (and it seems you do too) to just bathe in this particular aspect of CT’s creativity for a while every now and again. Also, on a different subject, thank you very much for the kind words on your blog about the “Volition” album by my Item 10 ensemble a few weeks back – I’ve been feeling a little bit like I’d managed to just drop that album into the void without it really being noticed at all, so it’s very gratifying to know that someone’s out there enjoying it. Cheers!
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