Such is the overwhelming idiosyncrasy of Taylor’s language it’s easy to overlook the fact that it was not created in a vacuum. He had to come from ‘somewhere’ and draw on established sources. Like all originals, he had influences and inspirations. Hence these performances from an early 1960s European trio tour are vital in affording that insight and do not disappoint. Although the incessantly probing, poundingly percussive approach to the keyboard is already a signe particulier, Taylor’s debt to the founding fathers, from Johnson and Tatum to Nichols and Powell, is clear in the more conventional rhythmic-harmonic moments where swing and changes are relatively easy to follow, though they are like flashes such is the speed of execution. In any case there is something deliciously subversive about hearing Taylor’s riptide interpretation of an American songbook staple such as ‘What’s New?’, in which the romanticism is inflamed rather than extinguished, whereas the wider point about the pianist’s aesthetic – melody is as effective in the bass as it is in the treble or mid – is consistently made throughout the set. Alto saxophonist Jimmy Lyons and drummer Sunny Murray stake a claim as some of the best accompanists Taylor ever had, especially the former for the sheer pungent strength of his tone, while bassist Kurt Lundstrom is an effective guest on the bonus track from a gig at the Golden Circle.