Freedom and Individuality in the Music of Cecil Taylor

A Master's Thesis written by Matthew Goodheart in fulfillment of his M.A. degree at Mills College in 1996. The paper contains three main sections: Part I examines the historical background of Taylor's early music and the relationship between improvisational practices and the cultural movements of the 1950's and 60's. Part II examines Taylor's liner notes to his 1966 album Unit Structures. Part III documents Goodheart's experiences performing with the Cecil Taylor Orchestra at the 1995 San Francisco Jazz Festival, examining the relationships between the players and material, as well social and gender related interactions.

Part I was used by Alan Silva as program notes to the 2001 Uncool Festival, and sections of Part III were presented at the 1999 Improvising Across Boarders conference at the University of California at San Diego. The paper has been cited numerous times in academic writings, and has appeared on reading lists in several universities.

The thesis is available as a downloadable PDF file. The final page of the appendix, a score written in Taylor's hand, is not included for copyright reasons. Goodheart's handwritten score, taken from dictation during rehearsal, is included.

Click here to download PDF file (10.33 MB, 82 pages).

Musical examples presented in the paper: