Cecil Taylor – The Complete in Berlin ’88 (13 x CDs Limited Edition)

SUNDAY JAZZ

CECIL TAYLOR

Cecil Taylor – The Complete in Berlin ’88 (13 x CDs Limited Edition)

What you’re looking at here is the most complete and revealing document of Cecil Taylor’s 1988 Berlin residency ever assembled. Originally issued by FMP (Free Music Production) in 1989 as a 10‑CD box, the project captured Taylor at a creative peak,  solo, in duos, in small groups, and at the helm of a massive European orchestra. In 2015, FMP, in partnership with Destination‑Out, made the full archive available again, and that’s where the expanded 13‑CD edition comes into focus. This is the definitive version, gathering not only the original box but every related performance from that extraordinary month.

The structure of the set is part of its power. The first ten discs document the core residency: the orchestra works, the explosive duos with Tony Oxley and Derek Bailey, the trio with Evan Parker and Tristan Honsinger, and the solo concerts that show Taylor’s pianism in its most unfiltered form. These recordings were already monumental, but the expanded edition adds three crucial components that transform the project from a landmark into a complete historical record.

The first rarity is Legba Crossing, a disc originally included only in the first 200 copies of the 1989 FMP box. For years it was one of the most sought‑after items in the free‑jazz collector world. The expanded edition restores it to its rightful place in the narrative. The remaining two discs, Taylor’s East Berlin concert with Günter Sommer and an additional solo performance, were recorded during the same residency but released separately at the time. Bringing them together creates a unified, chronological portrait of Taylor’s month‑long creative explosion.

Why does this matter? Because Berlin ’88 wasn’t just a series of concerts; it was a laboratory. Taylor worked with European improvisers, classical‑leaning ensembles, and drummers from radically different traditions. The music is fierce, intricate, and deeply architectural, but it’s also full of discovery. The 13‑CD edition preserves every angle of that process, including material that was once nearly impossible to find.

For anyone serious about improvised music, this set isn’t optional. It’s a cornerstone, an immersive, uncompromising document of an artist reshaping the possibilities of sound in real time. it’s in line with Albert Ayler’s Spiritual Unity or John Coltrane’s A Love Supreme. It’s simply a must. (B)

Please thanks CPT. HATEMONGER for this rare box set.

" from Cpt. Hatemonger's personal collection, and he hopes you all have a wonderful time listening☺️"

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Track lists

CD01

01 Cecil Taylor Workshop Ensemble - Legba Crossing 48:15

CD02

01 Cecil Taylor & Günter Sommer - Riobec 1 29:13

02 Cecil Taylor & Günter Sommer - Riobec 2 13:13

03 Cecil Taylor & Günter Sommer - Riobec 3 24:43

04 Cecil Taylor & Günter Sommer - Riobec 4 6:45

CD03

01 Cecil Taylor & Paul Lovens - Snake Charm 42:08

02 Cecil Taylor & Paul Lovens - Regalia (dedicated to Paul's Garden and Kitchen Tools) 32:04

CD04

01 Cecil Taylor & Louis Moholo - Remembrance 40:29

02 Cecil Taylor & Louis Moholo - The Great Bear 21:20

03 Cecil Taylor & Louis Moholo - Stone 1:36

CD05

01 Cecil Taylor & Han Bennink - Spots, Circle & Fantasy 1:13:44

CD06

01 Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley - Stylobate 1 17:26

02 Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley - Leaf Palm Hand 42:20

03 Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley - Chimes 3:50

04 Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley - Stylobate 2 3:23

05 Cecil Taylor & Tony Oxley - The Old Canal 2:42

CD07

01 Cecil Taylor European Orchestra - Involution/Evolution 58:51

CD08

01 Cecil Taylor European Orchestra - Weight - Breath - Sounding Trees 

1:03:48

CD09

01 Cecil Taylor, Tristan Honsinger, Evan Parker - The Hearth 1:01:31

CD10

01 Cecil Taylor & Derek Bailey - First Part 29:00

02 Cecil Taylor & Derek Bailey - Second Part 33:02

CD11

01 Cecil Taylor - Erzulie Maketh Scent Part I 33:15

02 Cecil Taylor - Erzulie Maketh Scent Part II 22:06

03 Cecil Taylor - Erzulie Maketh Scent Part III 16:46

04 Cecil Taylor - Water 1:33

05 Cecil Taylor - Stone 1:03

CD12

01 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Reinforced Concrete Part I 13:46

02 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Reinforced Concrete Part II 20:33

03 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Reinforced Concrete Part III 30:22

04 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Stone Part I 1:47

05 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Stone Part II 1:13

06 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Stone Part III 1:13

07 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - The Old Canal 2:00

08 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Stone Part IV 1:47

CD13

01 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Puuc Part 1 38:29

02 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Puuc Part 2 22:37

03 Cecil Taylor solo and with Günter Sommer - Puuc Part 3 11:07

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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.

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