''The Eighth'' is a live album by Cecil Taylor recorded at 2nd Freiburger Jazztage in Freiburg, Germany on November 8, 1981 and released on the

Hat Hut Hathut Records is a Swiss record company and label founded by Werner Xavier Uehlinger in 1974 that specializes in jazz and classical music. The name of the label comes from the artwork of Klaus Baumgartner. Hathut encompasses the labels hat ART, h ...

label. The album features performances by Taylor with

Jimmy Lyons Jimmy Lyons (December 1, 1931 – May 19, 1986) was an American alto saxophone player. He is best known for his long tenure in the Cecil Taylor Unit. Lyons was the only constant member of the band from the mid-1960s until his death. Taylor never ...

, William Parker and Rashid Bakr. The album was originally released as an LP titled ''Calling it the Eighth'' in 1986 then rereleased as on CD featuring unedited performances in 1989 and remastered in 2004.Cecil Taylor Sessionography
accessed 16 July 2009.

Reception

The

All About Jazz ''All About Jazz'' is a website established by Michael Ricci in 1995. A volunteer staff publishes news, album reviews, articles, videos, and listings of concerts and other events having to do with jazz. Ricci maintains a related site, ''Jazz Near ...

review by Chris May states "'Calling It The 8th' is a 59-minute double-fisted, elbows-on-the-keyboard, off-the-gauge hurricane of passion, counter-rhythm and chromaticism. Its ten-minute reprise, 'Calling It The 9th,' achieves the same level of overwhelming intensity. But if you can surrender yourself to the onslaught and stay the course, you'll emerge invigorated and uplifted, bloody but stronger. It's a prize worth fighting for". A reviewer for

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

commented: "Listened to casually (though it's hard to imagine this music listened to casually), one hears four virtuosi... playing maelstroms of dense music. Closer listening reveals symphonic ambition, mystical leanings, and the magic of numbers."

Track listing

:''All compositions by Cecil Taylor.'' # "Calling It the 8th" - 58:10 # "Calling It the 9th" - 10:50 :*Recorded in Freiburg Germany on November 8, 1981

Personnel

* Cecil Taylor:

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

: alto saxophone, vocals * William Parker: bass, vocals * Rashid Bakr: drums, vocals

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Eighth 1981 live albums Cecil Taylor live albums Hathut Records live albums