2 Ts for a Lovely T is a 10-CD limited-edition live album by American pianist Cecil Taylor. It was recorded during August 27 - September 1, 1990 at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London, and was released in 2002 on the Codanza label. The album features the group known as the "Feel Trio," with Taylor on piano, William Parker on bass, and Tony Oxley on drums.[1][2]

2 Ts for a Lovely T
Live album by
Released2002
RecordedAugust 27 – September 1, 1990
VenueRonnie Scott's Jazz Club, London
GenreFree jazz
LabelCodanza Records
Cecil Taylor chronology
Celebrated Blazons
(1993)
2 Ts for a Lovely T
(2002)
Double Holy House
(1993)

Reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
The Guardian     [3]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings    [4]

In a review for The Guardian, John Fordham wrote: "These sessions reveal the high-pressure intricacies of a Taylor improvisation with remarkable clarity. Oxley's flickering, clickety figures, tiny ringing sounds, tabla-like sonorities and shimmering splashes complement Parker's thick, pliable sound and impulsive ingenuity, and Taylor's headlong runs and fierce density are beautifully caught by the recording - it's like having a grand piano in your room, particularly with the muscularity of the instrument's bass register... The transparency of the sound enhances the differences of intensity and shape across these shows, though the set is intentionally a chronicle of the way a brilliant free-improvising ensemble works over a sustained period, rather than the interpretation of a repertoire. A very specialised item, certainly, but for Taylor disciples, and the more generally musically curious, it is breathtaking."[3]

The authors of the Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings wrote: "It's rare that Taylor has been documented at such length, and the results will repay study by all his admirers."[4]

John Eyles, writing for All About Jazz, commented: "2 Ts for a Lovely T, recorded live during a 1990 five-night residency at Ronnie Scott's, London, benefits from its sheer scale and the group interactions it captured. When all three are playing flat-out at the same time, the results are simply breath-taking."[5]

Track listing

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All compositions by Cecil Taylor.

Disc one
  1. "Epicritic (Pertaining To Cutaneous Sensitivity) Part 1" – 42:29
  2. "Epicritic (Pertaining To Cutaneous Sensitivity) Part 2" – 10:48
Disc two
  1. "Peduncle (The Support Of An Inflorescence)" – 43:32
Disc three
  1. "Logozo Scampers (Tortoise)" – 42:06
Disc four
  1. "Owele Standing (Small Bird)" – 46:16
Disc five
  1. "Pineal (Black Dot)" – 41:34
Disc six
  1. "Proxumal (Nearest) Part 1" – 43:45
  2. "Proxumal (Nearest) Part 2" – 1:48
Disc seven
  1. "Tellurian (Pertaining To Earth Or Its Inhabitants)" – 32:10
Disc eight
  1. "Alumo" – 43:55
Disc nine
  1. "Tayassus Pecari" – 41:03
Disc ten
  1. "Peat" – 36:24

Recorded during August 27 - September 1, 1990 at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London.

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ "Sessionography of Cecil Taylor". EFI.group. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  2. ^ "Cecil Taylor Feel Trio* – 2 Ts For A Lovely T". discogs.com. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  3. ^ a b Fordham, John (September 20, 2002). "Cecil Taylor Feel Trio: 2 Ts For A Lovely T". The Guardian. Retrieved March 23, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1383. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
  5. ^ Eyles, John (May 17, 2018). "Cecil Taylor". All About Jazz. Retrieved March 23, 2021.