The overwhelming majority of Taylor’s solo piano recordings were live. He only entered the studio alone twice, for 1973’s Solo and this 1981 release on the German label MPS. It’s one of his best-sounding records, exquisitely recorded and performed on a Bösendorfer Imperial, a grand piano with 97 keys and a full eight-octave range. He dips into that thundering bass zone a few times, but much of the music is soft and lyrical, exploring concepts like a cat entering a room for the first time. The individual tracks are short, but the first five function as a suite, a wave of ideas gradually cresting, then rolling back.

– Phil Freeman