The pianist Cecil Taylor died at the age of 89. Here is all you want to know, and more!
Biography - A Short Wiki
Became known as one of free jazz’s pioneers who was admired for his energy, improvisation, and complexity at the keyboard.
His mother, herself a dancer, pianist, and violinist, sparked his interest in ballet.
Quotes
"The quality of life, values that go down to doin’ that, that’s the issue.
"I’m saying that people who are enmeshed in situations of subjugation and have to live, have to find ways to project their dignity as human beings – in spite of all the efforts of those around them to degrade them – I’m saying that this music is the manifestation of the dignity in the life that has always been present.
"They say, ‘We will give you money, but we want you to play this or that.’ And I always thought, ‘If I’m going to do that, I might as well go back and be a dishwasher.’
"If you take the creation of music and the creation of your own life values as your overall goal, then living becomes a musical process.
"Mother, being a pianist, told me how to play with my fingers on the piano.