Pianist Cecil Taylor returns to the Cite de la Musique in Paris, France on April 20, 2011 with American poet/playwright Amiri Baraka. The last time the maestro played at the 250-seat amphitheatre was with trumpet player Bill Dixon and drummer Tony Oxley for a two-day stint from October 25-26, 2002.

Taylor has been dubbed “The Sorcerer” by music journalist Nate Chinen at The New York Times; and then there are others like Joe Segal, the owner of the Jazz Showcase in Chicago who advertized Taylor’s concert at his club in October 1974 as “anyone who would like to see a Steinway get demolished by all means come.”

Taylor knows no boundaries when it comes to pianos. His repertoire has included a number of them over the last 7 decades such as the Steinway, Bosendorfer Imperial, Baldwin, Fazioli, and others. Each piano has sounded different in Taylor’s hands and on his recordings, the way each loaf of bread has distinctive nuances shaped by its maker. Taylor’s sonic creations produce sounds and movements that can be found below the surface of the piano’s register. Equally abstract are Taylor’s poetry which contrasts the poetry of Amiri Baraka whom Taylor describes as “a realistic poet.”

Taylor and Baraka’s double bill has been labeled “Diction and Contradiction” to reflect their individuality and opposition. They have taken their show to Lebab Café in Barcelona, Spain on July 16, 2010, and again at the KiMo Theatre in Albuquerque, New Mexico on November 6, 2010.

This is Taylor and Baraka’s third time presenting “Diction and Contradiction” to a live audience. Put together by Ana-Isabel Ordonez from Ruby Flower Records and Association La Belle Usine a.s.b.i., Taylor and Baraka are riding “Diction and Contradiction” as far as they can and finding audiences around the world.

Concert:
April 20, 2011 @ 8pm
Cite de la Musique
252 Rue du Faubourg (off of the Champs Elysees)
Saint Honore, Paris, France
Price: 30 francs, 25 francs
www.sallepleyel.fr
www.cite-musique.fr