For Olim is a live album

Live album

A live album is a recording consisting of material recorded during stage performances using remote recording techniques, commonly contrasted with a studio album...

 by Cecil Taylor

Cecil Taylor

Cecil Percival Taylor is an American pianist and poet. Classically trained, Taylor is generally acknowledged as one of the pioneers of free jazz. His music is characterized by an extremely energetic, physical approach, producing complex improvised sounds, frequently involving tone clusters and...

 recorded in Berlin, Germany on April 9, 1986 and released on the Soul Note

Black Saint/Soul Note

Black Saint and Soul Note are two affiliated Italian jazz independent record labels. Since their conception in the 1970s, they have released albums from a variety of influential jazz musicians, particularly in the genre of free jazz.-History:...

 label. The album features a solo concert performance by Taylor.

Reception

The Penguin Guide to Jazz

The Penguin Guide to Jazz

The Penguin Guide to Jazz is a reference work containing an encyclopedic directory of jazz recordings on CD which are currently available in Europe or the United States...

selected this album as part of its suggested "Core Collection" stating "nothing here does anything but speak directly to the attentive listener." The Allmusic review by Scott Yanow

Scott Yanow

Scott Yanow is an American jazz commentator, known for many contributions to the Allmusic website, for writing ten books on jazz and for reviewing jazz recordings for over 30 years.-Biography:...

states "One of Cecil Taylor's most satisfying solo concerts, this date features the always uncompromising and adventurous pianist exploring eight of his compositions, including a few that are quite brief (two are under two minutes). The difficult but lyrical live set rewards repeated listenings". The album was identified by Chris Kelsey in his Allmusic essay "Free Jazz: A Subjective History" as one of the 20 Essential Free Jazz Albums.

Track listing

All compositions by Cecil Taylor.

1. "Olim" - 17:41
2. "Glossalalia Part Four" - 5:44
3. "Mirror and Water Gazing" - 4:01
4. "Living (Dedicated to Julian Beck)" - 6:59
5. "For the Death" - 1:33
6. "For the Rabbit" - 3:41
7. "For the Water Dog" - 1:44
8. "The Question" - 3:04
   • Recorded in Berlin, Germany on April 9, 1986