Label: Discus Music

ハモンド・オルガンのみを駆使した長編即興!!イングランド北東部を拠点とする即興ピアニスト兼エレクトロニクス奏者であり、即興演奏家としても知られるPaul Taylor。本作で氏が取り組んだのはハモンド・オルガンによる2つの即興演奏で、氏が抱くプログレッシブ・ロックやコスミッシェ・ムジークへのパーソナルな情熱を作品化したもの。試聴の通り時代性を全く無視した、プログレを実験的且つ即興アプローチに落とし込んだ面白物件で、17分と20分のノンストップ編成で様々な展開を作り上げていきます。





"Taylor's music is sublime, with various monumental structures, yet incredible in its polytonal, polyrhythmic, whimsical characteristics that are so evocative and personal." - New Dawn Of Prog

"Taylor notes that there are ‘certain indelible influences’ in his playing, with nods to phrases from a variety of prog rock classics ..... but his mention of these influences does a disservice to his ability to create, in real-time, pieces that feel so complete and vibrant." - Chris Baber, JAZZ VIEWS

"Paul is an incredible talent on the Hammond, and he shows off his skills on the organ, and experiments and improvises throughout the album, so there is a lot to discover here." - Gabor Kleinbloesem STRUTTER'ZINE


Paul Taylor is an improvising pianist / electronics player based in North East England, and who is often heard as a solo improviser. Here he turns his attention to two improvisations for Hammond organ, an instrument which allows him to explore his passions for both jazz and more progressive / kosmische styles.

The Hammond C3 organ at the erstwhile Sage Gateshead Music Centre (now The Glasshouse International Centre for Music) is a powerhouse of an instrument hidden in plain sight. Concealed in a corner of the basement labyrinth of studios and practice rooms, I've rarely heard or seen it played in earnest by anyone else.

Being privileged to work in an environment surrounded by music and instruments, it did not take me long to encounter this timeless box of tricks. Nor did I need much encouragement to uncover the keyboard, fire up the archaic starting motor and hear the mechanical whirr of the Leslie rotary speaker cabinet scythe through the air. And then to see what I could conjure up from the hidden recesses of the unfamiliar box of tricks.

The piano is my primary instrument, and over the years I have recorded many albums of solo piano improvisation. Although the organ's keyboard is the same as the piano's, the two instruments completely contrast in terms of dynamics, sonic quality and range, and thus require very different approaches to playing and technique. The organ requires greater, or more accurately, different levels of dexterity and physical stamina than the piano, especially when played solo. As well as the necessity to be able to play the keyboard to some standard, there is also a battery of switches, drawbars and pedals to contend with, all of which must be mastered to some extent in order to create a coherent piece of music.

Growing up immersed in the soundworld of progressive rock, albeit doing so anachronistically in the 1990s, an era intrinsically hostile to all things prog, the sound of the Hammond organ in all its infinite glory and permutations has become a familiar landmark in my musical hinterland. It was only a matter of time before I rose to the challenge of creating new music with the Hammond, and I am very grateful for this opportunity to do so.

Although these recordings are completely improvised, the discerning listener will be able to detect certain indelible influences, which I will not divulge here.

I would like to offer my profound thanks to Martin Archer at Discus Music, who initially heard these recordings, saw something in them, had faith in their potential and then invited me to release them as an album.

Paul Taylor, October 2023