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Noel Taylor

Noel Taylor is an active musician, now living in Lisbon, Portugal. Whilst living in London he was a part of the free improv scene, frequently playing at venues such as the Vortex, Battersea Arts Centre, Cafe Oto, Iklectic. He has released CD's via the label, citystream; with 'Bay's Leap', 'Splatter', a duo with Niko Meinhold, a duo with Alberto Popolla, 'Uncle Rabbit', the 'Improvising Clarinet Ensemble' , a project named 'Stones of Contention' recorded in Sicily with a sextet, 'Quartet Exquis' (in Portugal during the Covid lockdown) ,and solo and group releases on net labels - Headphonica and Clinical Archives. He formerly ran a monthly evening of free improvisation and experimental music called the 'Luna Fringe' in North East London. He is very open to collaborations with other musicians. He has been a frequent member of the London Improvisers Orchestra, doing numerous conductions, and has also played, and done conductions, with the Berlin Improvisers Orchestra. He has a strong association with Berlin, and has visited frequently, playing at major vewnues, such as B Flat, Schlott and the Jazz Keller. Since moving to Portugal, he has met and played with many other local musicians, such as Carlos Zingaro, Paulo Chagas, Maria do Mar, Maria Radich, Luis Martins, Pedro Melo Alves and many others. He toured Portugal with versions of Splatter, and with Bay's Leap, and have been featured on RTP2 radio.


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Noel Taylor and Alberto Popolla - All Fall Down (Citystream, 2010) ****

Noel Taylor and Alberto Popolla - All Fall Down (Citystream, 2010) ****

Source: Free Jazz by Stef Gijssels

By Joe Higham This 14 track CD is possibly one of the most delightful wind duos I've heard for a long time, and it's easy listening! By using the words easy listening I'm certainly not trying to evoke the image of James Last or Bert Kaempfert, here we have music that whilst pushing at barriers is quite unpretentious, even the length of the tunes is very modest, with the majority of the pieces having an average of 2 to 3 ...

About 'Border Patrol' "this duo can create suspense : sparse clarinet tones, and the use of extended techniques on the piano strings, make you want to know what is coming next, how these otherworldly sounds will evolve, merge, bounce back. Without working with themes or even recognisable patterns, the two musicians master and integrate the legacy of their training : from classical music, jazz, blues to more modern aspects of new music and avant-garde, nicely navigating between romantic lyricism and abstract tension and discovery, this is music with character and vision. Both are also great at using silence and pace in the development of their improvisations." Stef Gijssels, http://freejazz-stef.blogspot.com/2010/05/piano-and-reeds.html

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