John Taylor - Angel Of The Presence (Deluxe Edition) (2021) Hi Res

John Taylor has several strings to his bow: he can play with a certain nonchalance or feverishly throw his notes in a hurry. The introspective pianist of "Insight" or "Rosslyn" - to quote recent records - is more talkative than usual. Vaguely Asian, a composition by Steve Swallow previously recorded by Taylor as a solo, loses some of its abstraction. The drums of Martin France order, channel, bring another light to the piece, a powerful and energetic drummer pushing the pianist into action. With Palle Danielsson to complete it, the rhythm section makes an act of presence. A round and attentive double bass, a sonorous and imposing drums put themselves at the service of the piano, answer and develop its sentences, ready at any time for dialogue, for exchange. The pianist can thus sing louder or indulge in a sensitive and delicate chatter, this somewhat ethereal aspect of his music found in Dry Stone, Fable and Intro to No Particular Song by Kenny Wheeler, three ballads from a recommended album.