John Taylor Turner Sims Concert Hall, Southampton
Pianists of John Taylor's class are so rare they should have to atone for their gifts by performing every day. But even if they did, British audiences would probably still treat their heroes lightly. Maybe it's because we are an island joined to the United States by a common language that their fashionable young jazz stars claim the headlines while our homegrown talent is forced to find recognition in mainland Europe. But Taylor had the last laugh in the wonderful acoustics of the Turner Sims Concert Hall. With Palle Danielsson on bass and Martin France on drums, he is touring his album Angel of the Presence. Elegant and at times impressionistic, Taylor stalks a song, following its trail with allegory, and then pounces, revealing its meaning through masterful use of tension and release. On originals such as 'In Cologne' or 'Dry Stone' the crystalline brilliance of his fingering concealed subtle harmonisations below. With Danielsson and France subordinating their individual techniques to his style, he made sure his audience recognised what continental audiences could have told them years ago - that he's one of the great jazz pianists.
· John Taylor's 'Angel of the Presence' is released by Cam Jazz
