Jean-Luc Godard once claimed that “film begins with D.W. Griffith and ends with Abbas Kiarostami.” One could also say that jazz begins with Buddy Bolden and ends with Cecil Taylor . From his emergence in the mid-1950s until his passing in 2018, Taylor not only disassembled jazz and reconstructed it in his own style, but also found ways to make the world listen. The avant-garde revolution of the ’60s produced many visionary jazz musicians, but few were able to perform at both Carnegie Hall and the White House. Live at the KiMo Theater Albuquerque 1979 , the latest release from Taylor’s archives, is a recently uncovered live set originally intended for broadcast on NPR. Though it may not have made it to the airwaves, the fact that it was even considered for mass consumption speaks to Taylor’s unique visibility as an atonal jazz pianist.

It also represents a unique moment in his career.…