Cecil Taylor in Paris (1968)

The brand-new restoration of Cecil Taylor à Paris, courtesy of INA, will be premiered at the 2025 edition of Il Cinema Ritrovato. – EK

“He doesn’t come from my community,” replies avant-garde jazz pianist Cecil Taylor, hidden deep behind dark glasses, when asked by the interviewer about Stockhausen. The same response follows for questions about Bach and John Cage. In a style characteristic of 1968, the African-American musician, filmed for Cecil Taylor à Paris in an old French palace with oversized chimneys, dismisses European traditions in favour of “across the track” culture – the lived experiences of African-Americans.

Bob Dylan and The Band – The 1974 Live Recordings | My Picks

I delved into the 27-CD set between September 2024 and April 2025, and these tracks — roughly amounting to a double LP — are my picks among the 431 tracks. I took the following factors into consideration:

• Quality of recording (some of the shows had poor sound quality)
• Newness of the song to Dylan's live repertoire (as in 1974)
• My love for Planet Waves and my desire to sample some live versions of it — though, as you'll see, not everything made the cut
• Aiming to highlight tracks that showcase strong features of the Band's accompaniment, particularly Robbie Robertson’s guitar, Rick Danko’s bass, and Garth Hudson’s legendary blanket organ sound
• Original and daring interpretations of oft-played tunes
• The energy of the performance, even if it meant picking some tracks that feature the shouting style I know puts some people off
• Ray Padgett’s remarkably detailed analysis and his sound advice

So, in the order of recording, here is my list:

Date, Venue, Location

Disc number of 27 | Song's name | Duration