Richard Fairhurst & John Taylor: Duets | Album Review

Duets
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Artist: Richard Fairhurst & John Taylor
Genre: Jazz
Label: Basho Records

This duet by an emerging pianist and his mentor would have been of interest anyway – an opportunity to hear one of the most influential voices in European jazz (surprisingly) make his first two-piano recording.

But events have overtaken Duets, and it now stands as the only two-piano recording – and one of the last musical utterances – by the great John Taylor, who died earlier this month.

This gentle-spoken dialogue with a talented protege is all you would expect from such a master – thoughtful, explorative, revelatory, mischievous, with nods to his own formative influences, pianist Bill Evans and Taylor’s long-time collaborator, the late trumpeter and composer Kenny Wheeler.

Other epitaphs will no doubt follow, but this is a poignant listen nonetheless.

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Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin

Cormac Larkin, a contributor to The Irish Times, is a musician, writer and director