Originally recorded in 1970 for Philips and reissued on CD in 2002 by Jazzprint, Flare Up is the seminal debut album as a leader from Barbados-born trumpet and flugelhorn legend Harry Beckett. A towering landmark of the late-1960s/early-1970s British jazz explosion, the album features a phenomenal, star-studded lineup of UK jazz giants—including saxophonists John Surman, Mike Osborne, and Alan Skidmore, pianist John Taylor, vibraphonist Frank Ricotti, bassist Chris Lawrence, and drummer John Webb. Showcasing Beckett’s warm, lyrical tone and adventurous compositions, Flare Up effortlessly bridges vibrant modal grooves, intricate ensemble passages, and fiery free-bop improvisations.

On Conflagration, the legendary avant-garde jazz engine known simply as The Trio expands their sonic borders into a towering, historically volcanic, and masterfully panoramic big band configuration. Originally recorded in 1971 and preserved beautifully on compact disc in 1995 by the specialized independent legacy imprint BGO Records, this monumental milestone stands as an exceptionally fluid, high-octane monument capturing the absolute zenith of the British creative music movement. Spanning over 48 minutes of immaculate high-fidelity spatial design, the 6-track expansive landscape operates with an intense, beautifully syncopated, and masterfully balanced avant-garde kinetic energy. The core unit—featuring saxophonist John Surman, bassist Barre Phillips, and drummer Stu Martin—is augmented here by a dazzling pantheon of international vanguard icons including Dave Holland, Chick Corea, John Taylor, and Kenny Wheeler. Together, they shatter traditional orchestral boundaries with absolute uninhibited velocity, tracking spectacular landmarks from the roaring, dense horn clusters of the title track Conflagration to the sprawling, modal landscapes of Malachite and the deeply poetic, space-conscious architecture of Afore The Morrow. This archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious free jazz purists, British jazz historians, and big band avant-garde collectors worldwide.

On Phone, a towering, historically luminous, and masterfully panoramic Mediterranean collective alignment steps into the studio to deliver an absolute masterpiece of cross-cultural vocal and instrumental architecture. Released in 1998 by the prestigious Italian vanguard chamber-jazz imprint EGEA, this magnificent milestone stands as an exceptionally fluid, deeply poetic exhibit of modern creative music, fusing advanced post-bop geometry with traditional Mediterranean ethnic currents and avant-garde vocal exploration. Spanning over 52 minutes of immaculate high-fidelity spatial design, the 9-track landscape operates with an intense, beautifully fluid, and masterfully balanced acoustic energy. Vocal visionary Maria Pia De Vito treats the human voice as a brilliant, uninhibited improvisational instrument, darting masterfully alongside Gianluigi Trovesi's crying alto clarinet lines—firing off spectacular landmarks like the shifting, theatrical opener Voulez-Vous…?, the deeply moving, rhythmically rich Scugnizzeide, and the expansive, hypnotic structures of Notturno macedone. Driven by De Vito's evocative vocal telemetry, Trovesi's woodwind genius, John Taylor's pristine, rolling grand piano layouts, Enzo Pietropaoli's anchoring double bass foundations, and Federico Sanesi's delicate, multi-layered tabla and percussion currents, this archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious vocal jazz purists and avant-garde collectors worldwide.

On Requiem for a Dreamer, the legendary British piano titan, master composer, and ECM veteran John Taylor steps into the studio alongside an elite, historically luminous quartet configuration to deliver a towering, deeply moving, and masterfully panoramic acoustic document. Released in 2011 by the prestigious Italian vanguard imprint CAM Jazz, this magnificent milestone stands as an exceptionally fluid, high-velocity exhibit of modern European jazz architecture at the absolute peak of its poetic depth. Spanning over 46 minutes of immaculate high-fidelity spatial design, the 7-track landscape operates with an intense, beautifully fluid, and masterfully balanced kinetic energy. Taylor acts as a brilliant sonic visionary from the piano bench, shaping complex modal spaces, rolling chordal waves, and asymmetrical rhythmic tapestries—tracking breathtaking highlights like the somber, elegiac title track opener Requiem for a Dreamer, the sprawling improvisational playground of Somebody I Used to Be, and the knotty, rhythmically shifting structures of Ice 9. Driven by Taylor's crystalline grand piano layouts, Julian Argüelles's fiercely expressive tenor and soprano saxophone lines, Palle Danielsson's majestic double bass foundations, and Martin France's painterly, polyrhythmic drum telemetry, this archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious jazz purists and contemporary creative music collectors worldwide.

On Journey's End, the iconic virtuoso double bassist Miroslav Vitouš leads a magnificent, deeply evocative quartet session that stands as a shimmering landmark of European contemporary jazz. Released in 1983 by ECM Records, this poetic and highly improvisational masterpiece brings together an absolute dream team of label legends: British saxophonist John Surman, English pianist John Taylor, and legendary Norwegian drummer Jon Christensen. Operating with a staggering level of telepathic communication, the ensemble crafts a spacious, fluid, and brilliantly texturized sonic world. From the haunting, folk-inflected beauty of the opening U Dunaje U Prespurka to the intricate, post-bop movement of Paragraph Jay and the airy, open-ended dialogues of Windfall, the music balances deep structural intellect with pure spontaneous interaction. Guided by Vitouš' incredible, soaring bowed bass work and Taylor's cascading piano lines, the album remains a definitive, deeply expressive acoustic document that completely encapsulates the pristine, atmospheric aesthetic of the ECM sound.

Recorded live in Birmingham during a Contemporary Music Network tour in 2002, Tramonto finds UK pianist John Taylor (1942-2015) in celebratory, outgoing mood, fronting one of his most dynamic and quick-witted groups, with US musicians Marc Johnson and Joey Baron – the energetic team that would later collaborate on the critically-lauded ECM recording Rosslyn. Here the repertoire features the well-known Taylor tunes “Pure and Simple”, “Between Moons” and “Ambleside” (heard in an epic 15 minute version), as well as the Ralph Towner-composed title track and Steve Swallow’s “Up Too Late”, which swirls from bop phrasing to free playing, and includes high arco soloing from Johnson, and skittering drums from Baron. In all, a welcome reminder of what a creative force John Taylor could be, as leader of an outstanding piano trio.

Although it is easy to stereotype Peter Erskine as a fusion drummer due to his notable work with Weather Report, in reality he is a very flexible percussionist. On his trio session for ECM, Erskine is mostly content to back his sidemen (pianist John Taylor and bassist Palle Danielsson). This CD is actually most interesting for the playing of Taylor who contributes three of the originals and plays in a style not that far from Keith Jarrett

Azimuth, the trio of pianist John Taylor, trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and singer Norma Winstone, already sounded like a fully-fledged ensemble when this, the group’s first album was released in 1977. Expanding and roaming beyond the spectrum the vocal jazz genre was usually limited to, Azimuth proved of a progressive spirit from the start. Upon the debut’s release, Melody Maker remarked that “this album may (…) be the first sign of [John Taylor’s] evolution into a genuinely important composer: behind its graceful flowing beauty lies a spirit of inquiry which will surely lead further.”

Trumpeter Kenny Wheeler and his sidemen on this quintet CD (guitarist John Abercrombie, pianist John Taylor, bassist Dave Holland and drummer Peter Erskine) had all worked together previously in different settings. Their familiarity with each other's playing came in handy for the frequently intuitive session which consists of explorations of six of Wheeler's complex but often-melodic originals (including "The Widow in the Window," "Hotel Le Hot" and the lengthy "Ana"). Kenny Wheeler's music occupies its own unique area between post bop and free jazz and virtually all of his recordings are recommended to adventurous listeners, including this one.

Oddly enough, this outing signifies British pianist John Taylor's first "ECM Records" issued solo effort, especially when considering the artist's twenty-five year tenure with this notable record label. Here, Taylor employs one-time Bill Evans trio bassist Marc Johnson, and New York City based drummer Joey Baron for a set consisting of Taylor originals, such as the mood evoking, "The Bowl Song," and others. A seminal "ECM" session ace, Taylor has graced recordings by drummer Peter Erskine and trumpeter Kenny Wheeler throughout his distinguished career.