2018-19 Guide To Yellow Springs

53 Y e l l ow S p r i n g s N ews the Guide to YelLow Springs y 2018 - 1 9 By Dave Barber The late American jazz pianist Cecil Taylor was a pioneer of what is called free jazz — music which often discards notated scores and breaks with meter and con- ventional harmonic progression. In the late 1960s and early ’70s, Taylor taught at Antioch College. Taylor, who died in April 2018, was invited to Antioch by professor John Ronsheim. The two had been friends while students at the New England Conserva- tory 20 years before. Ronsheim became an academic and Taylor paved a singular path as one of the most adventurous figures in contemporary music. One recording, captured by Antioch student Jim Klein, cap - tures Taylor in the classroom in 1969. “I’m asking you to perhaps at least con- sider the idea that music and the enjoy- ment of it does give you a responsibility to those people who have given you the enjoyment … so that you might conceivably make other people’s lives — your own, your friends’ lives — better,” Taylor said. At the center of Taylor’s work at Antioch was the Black Music Ensemble, an orches- tra of students who would create a canvas for large scale works. Bassoonist Karen Borca was Taylor’s assistant at Antioch. She had been introduced to Taylor’s musical world while a student at the University of Wisconsin. “It was a composing lab,” says Borca. “[Taylor] was always composing stuff but he wanted to work with larger ensembles and this was an opportunity for him to do that. And of course he was writing music every day. Bringing in new stuff every day.” Borca performed in the Black Music Ensemble, which included musicians who traveled to Yellow Springs from across the country to study with the pianist. Taylor’s residency would wind down in the spring of 1973 as funding ran out amid financial upheaval at Antioch. Major lifetime achievement awards — including a MacArthur Fellowship, an NEA Jazz Master Award, and in 2016 a 10-day celebration of his career at the Whitney Museum in New York, have provided polish for his place in history. For many, including the musicians who studied with him at Antioch over 40 years The avante-garde jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, here photographed circa 1965, taught music at Antioch College in the late 1960s and early 1970s.   Cecil Taylor's  y  Free jazz y • Submitted photo by chuck stewart, courtesy of Kevin Fisher ago, Cecil Taylor remains an electrifying performer and a galvanizing symbol of the sacrifices that are part of creating art without compromise. Special thanks to Jim Klein, Larry Blood and Scott Sanders of Antiochiana. This article, shortened for print, was originally published by WYSO. The full article can be viewed at: www.wyso.org/post/open- space-creativity-cecil-taylor-antioch. 1 One-,two-,three-bedroom TOWNHOUSE APARTMENTS with 1½ baths on W. North College and W. Center College streets. Laundry facilities on site. HAWTHORNE P L A C E 937-324-3606 Whether it’s talking through ideas, or working out alternate living plans while a project is in progress, we work with you each step of the way to realize and fulfill your living space needs. Advance planning will help us to better satisfy your building needs schedule ● GENERAL CONTRACTING ● ADDITIONS ● INTERIOR & EXTERIOR UPGRADES ● KITCHENS & BATHS ● ASPHALT & METAL ROOF ● CUSTOM WOODWORKS (937) 767-1880 OFFICE (937) 776-1237 CELL 3970 ST. RTE. 370, YELLOW SPRINGS, OH 45387 COMPLETEBUILDINGSERVICELLC@YAHOO.COM WWW.COMPLETEBUILDINGSERVICELLC.COM COMPLETE BUILDING SERVICE,LLC FROM CONCEPT TO COMPLETION JUAN RODRIGUEZ