Cecil Taylor

Cecil Percival Taylor (New York City, March 25, 1929 – April 5, 2018) was an American pianist, composer and poet.

Cecil Taylor is generally acknowledged to be one of the pioneers and great innovative sources of free jazz. Classically trained, his music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and intricate polyrhythms. His piano technique has been likened to percussion, for example described as "eighty-eight tuned drums" (referring to the number of keys on a standard piano).