I am not afraid of European influences. The point is to use them, as Ellington did, as part of my life as an American Negro. Cecil Taylor Read Quote
The emphasis in each piece is on building a whole, totally integrated structure. In doing this, we try to carry on – in ensemble as well as solo sections – the mood of a jazz soloist. I mean that principle of kinetic improvisation that keeps a jazz solo building. Cecil Taylor Read Quote
I discovered very early that it wasn’t quite enough for me to imitate people. Cecil Taylor Read Quote
Find one note on the instrument that pleases you, and then find another note that also pleases you. Cecil Taylor Read Quote
I’m saying that people who are enmeshed in situations of subjugation and have to live, have to find ways to project their dignity as human beings – in spite of all the efforts of those around them to degrade them – I’m saying that this music is the manifestation of the dignity in the life that has always been present. Cecil Taylor Read Quote
They say, ‘We will give you money, but we want you to play this or that.’ And I always thought, ‘If I’m going to do that, I might as well go back and be a dishwasher.’ Cecil Taylor Read Quote
When you play, when you perform, it might be for the last time, so you got to do it. Cecil Taylor Read Quote
