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John Taylor Sextet: Fragment

By Chris May
July 12, 2022
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The not-for-profit Jazz In Britain label is one of the unsung heroes of British jazz. And if it is being sung, apologies, it deserves to be sung louder. While it is fitting that the musicians who make up London's new alternative jazz scene receive a massive shout out, the players who came before them, who paved the way for British jazz's current explosion, tend to get overlooked.

Slowly, this is changing, and Jazz In Britain is in part responsible. The label has released albums by, among others, pioneering musicians such as

Tubby Hayes

saxophone, tenor
1935 - 1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Tubby Hayes,

Joe Harriott

saxophone
1928 - 1973

" data-original-title="" title="">Joe Harriott, Neil Ardley,

Harry Beckett

flugelhorn
1935 - 2010

" data-original-title="" title="">Harry Beckett,

Ray Russell

guitar, electric
b.1947

" data-original-title="" title="">Ray Russell,

Mike Osborne

saxophone, alto
1941 - 2007

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Osborne,

Kenny Wheeler

flugelhorn
1930 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Wheeler,

Mike Gibbs

composer / conductor

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Gibbs,

Don Rendell

saxophone
b.1926

" data-original-title="" title="">Don Rendell and

Ian Carr

trumpet
1933 - 2009

" data-original-title="" title="">Ian Carr. Some of these albums have never been released before, others slipped under the radar because they came out on tiny and often shortlived labels.

John Taylor

piano
1942 - 2015

" data-original-title="" title="">John Taylor's Fragment, recorded live in London's Capital Radio studio in 1975, is one such rediscovered treasure. It was released on fellow pianist

Gordon Beck

piano
1935 - 2011

" data-original-title="" title="">Gordon Beck's cassette-only label, Jaguar, and promptly disappeared without trace. It was Taylor's third album, and his second fronting his sextet. On all but two tracks, he plays electric piano. The lineup is trumpeter and flugelhornist Kenny Wheeler, tenor and soprano saxophonist

Stan Sulzmann

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Stan Sulzmann, who is also heard on flute, trombonist

Chris Pyne

trombone
b.1939

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Pyne, bassist

Chris Laurence

bass, acoustic
b.1949

" data-original-title="" title="">Chris Laurence and drummer and percussionist

Tony Levin

bass
b.1946

" data-original-title="" title="">Tony Levin. Two years later, Taylor went on to form Azimuth with his wife, the singer

Norma Winstone

vocals
b.1941

" data-original-title="" title="">Norma Winstone, the duo soon becoming a trio with the addition of Wheeler.

Taylor's 1970s sextet has been overshadowed by Azimuth and his later recordings as a bandleader, but the two albums which were released—the first was Pause, And Think Again (Turtle, 1971), which also featured Winstone—deserve wider currency. Taylor was not just a lyrical and harmonically adventurous composer, his architecturally conceived arrangements could make a mid-sized band sound practically orchestral, and he pulls the trick off often on Fragment. The music is energetic, complex without being difficult, and often intense. To complete the picture, Taylor and the three horns are in fine soloing form, as is bassist Laurence, who gets several opportunities to shine on the 17 minute "For Chris."

It all adds up to a great album.

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Track Listing

Interfusion; Fragment; The Other One 1; Happy Landing / Easter Eve; The Other One 2; Room For Improvement; For Chris; Irene.

Personnel

John Taylor

piano

Kenny Wheeler

flugelhorn

Stan Sulzmann

saxophone, tenor

Chris Pyne

trombone

Chris Laurence

bass, acoustic

Tony Levin

bass

Additional Instrumentation

John Taylor: electric piano, piano; Ken Wheeler: trumpet, flugelhorn; Stan Sulzmann: tenor and soprano saxophone, flute; Tony Levin: drums, percussion.

Album information

Title: Fragment | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: Jazz In Britain

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