Cecil Taylor

" Taylor's Quartet featuring Lacy also appeared at the 1957 Newport Jazz Festival. Taylor Lyons and drummer Sunny Murray (and later Andrew Cyrille) formed the core personnel of The Unit Taylor's primary group effort until Lyons's premature death in 1986. His piano technique has been likened to percussion for example described as "eighty-eight tuned drums" (referring to the number of keys on a standard piano).

Classically trained Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His piano technique has been likened to percussion for example described as "eighty-eight tuned drums" (referring to the number of keys on a standard piano). His music is characterized by an extremely energetic physical approach producing complex improvised sounds frequently involving tone clusters and intricate polyrhythms.