Neil Ardley's Mike Taylor Remembered, from 1973

 

I've posted Neil Ardley before, who I think is a genius composer.  His Time Flowers from back here went on to become one of my favorite listens of this past year or so, and it still amazes me: I wish I could listen to it every day but I wouldn't then have time for other stuff.  I thought I posted most of Neil's earlier material in 2020, here.  On this one though he conducts and arranges, but plays music written by Taylor.  Information can be found here.  Note that Henry Lowther plays on this one too, along with Sulzmann and many other luminaries.

Notes:

Recorded over 2 days in June 1973 at Landsdowne Studios, Holland Park, London. This music was orchestrated and arranged based on manuscripts recovered from a dustbin in a residence vacated by Mike Taylor while still alive. Mike Taylor died 3½ years prior to these recordings being made.

If like me you weren't sure who that is, Mike Taylor was a jazz pianist and composer some of whose stuff appeared on albums by supergroup Cream and Jack Bruce, but whose own work I think is neglected.  He died at age 31.  Although I'm not sure his compositions for Cream are all that worth hearing, definitely not when you compare with what Jack Bruce did and went on to do subsequently.

I See You is an example of his highly original songwriting skills (vocals by Norma Winstone):

Son of Red Blues features the band, with orchestral parts written by Neil: