Cecil Percival Taylor (born March 15 or March 25, 1929 in New York City) is an American pianist and poet. Along with saxophonist Ornette Coleman, he is now generally acknowledged to be one of the innovators of free jazz. Taylor's music is cited by critics, however, as some of the most challenging in jazz, characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing exceedingly complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and intricate polyrhythms. At first listen, his dense and percussive music can be difficult to absorb, and his piano technique has often been likened to drums and percussion rather than to any other pianists, and resembling modern classical music as much as jazz. Biography Taylor began playing piano at age six and went on to study at the New York College of Music and New England Conservatory. After first steps in R&B and swing-styled small groups in the early 1950s, he formed his own band with soprano

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