2081

"Alex Taylor's lyrics are inspired by a dystopian sci-fi novel by Kurt Vonnegut, and the deliciously bleak mood recalls John Taylor's work with David Sylvian. This distills many of the features associated with Taylor's music - tricksy time signatures, surprisingly funky modal jazz solos, elegant lead lines - to create a highly English form of soul music".

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"Listeners may have typecast [Taylor] as a lyrical pianist through his projects for ECM. But there was much more to this British virtuoso, as evidenced by 2081, which features his gifted singer-songwriter son Alex, drummer son Leo and Oren Marshall on tuba, a refreshingly distinctive bass voice. Based loosely on themes from the 1961 Kurt Vonnegut story "Harrison Bergeron", th song cycle was originally commissioned by the Cheltenham Jazz Festival for an octet, but the lean and provocative quartet gains power in compacted sinew. The pianist flexes his graceful style and improvisational powers within the parameters of the six-piece work, while fully respecting the ensemble ethos ... On the title track, Alex wends easily over an odd metric plan, with a sure tone and understated style suggesting Kurt Elling and Theo Bleckmann".