The last documented public appearance of Mike Taylor was on November 8th, 1968 at the London Conway Hall for "Jazz is Alive & Well" festival. As for many other events in Taylor's life that evening was signed by some accidents.
I've told it in my book:
"(...) It's probably the last time Hiseman met Mike, just before the gig the pianist had to play; a trio at the Conway Hall, in Red Lion Square, on November 8th at a Jazz is alive and well festival as the backing band to the New Jazz Orchestra (starting at 7.30 pm, tickets from 5s). It was promoted by the London Jazz Centre in association with the Arts Council of Great Britain.
It was more importantly an act of friendship, that Hiseman and Rubin felt towards Taylor, because they were conscious of the difficulties he now had coming to terms with reality.
Dave Gelly, on stage with the New Jazz Orchestra, was a witness to the evening: “These, I'm fairly sure, were the first jazz events in Britain to be subsidised through the Arts Council and a great deal hung on their success. As far as I remember, the plan for the evening of Friday 8th November was for the NJO play the opening and closing sets (to include `Ballad` and `Study`) and for Mike to have a spot in the middle.
Came the first interval and Mike had not appeared. Howard Riley and Barry Guy, who happened to be in the audience, played the middle set instead. Mike, looking completely out of it, turning up about ten minutes before the end”. [118]
“Mike didn't turn up till just before the end looking dreadful, so we didn't play”, Rubin confirmed in his diary. It will be the last time he will see Mike alive...
At this point it was no surprise that Jazz Journal, reporting the evening, wrote: “The supporting group, the Mike Taylor Trio, failed to appear due to a misunderstanding”. [119]
It was more importantly an act of friendship, that Hiseman and Rubin felt towards Taylor, because they were conscious of the difficulties he now had coming to terms with reality.
Dave Gelly, on stage with the New Jazz Orchestra, was a witness to the evening: “These, I'm fairly sure, were the first jazz events in Britain to be subsidised through the Arts Council and a great deal hung on their success. As far as I remember, the plan for the evening of Friday 8th November was for the NJO play the opening and closing sets (to include `Ballad` and `Study`) and for Mike to have a spot in the middle.
Came the first interval and Mike had not appeared. Howard Riley and Barry Guy, who happened to be in the audience, played the middle set instead. Mike, looking completely out of it, turning up about ten minutes before the end”. [118]
“Mike didn't turn up till just before the end looking dreadful, so we didn't play”, Rubin confirmed in his diary. It will be the last time he will see Mike alive...
At this point it was no surprise that Jazz Journal, reporting the evening, wrote: “The supporting group, the Mike Taylor Trio, failed to appear due to a misunderstanding”. [119]
[118] D. Gelly, Mike Taylor Remembered, 2007 op. cit. Asking Barry Guy about that evening, he replied me: “I must say that this bit of history eludes me! I am sorry not to offer you further information about this occasion. Perhaps Howard would be the best person to help since he has a good archival memory and may have known Mike personally. Obviously I remember his presence on the music scene, but I became involved in the free music with a different set of guys circling around John Stevens and The Little Theatre club. I do not recall Mike being part of this, but I may be wrong. Check with Howard, that’s best”. Even if requested to contribute with a memory about it, Riley never replied. Anyway it's significant that Riley had a two-parts interview for the British Library in 1990 about the history of English jazz, where he told to journalist Andy Simons, that Taylor's two albums produced by Denis Preston were among his favourites ever;
[119] Jazz Journal, December 1968, page 24. The Guardian, reporting the event the day after, wrote: “The Mike Taylor trio, also booked for the concert, never appeared and in their place we had an enjoyable set by Riley, Jon Hiseman (the N.J.O.'s magnificent drummer) and bassist Barry Guy. In this context of free-form trio jazz Guy has no superior and he stole this part of the show...”;
[119] Jazz Journal, December 1968, page 24. The Guardian, reporting the event the day after, wrote: “The Mike Taylor trio, also booked for the concert, never appeared and in their place we had an enjoyable set by Riley, Jon Hiseman (the N.J.O.'s magnificent drummer) and bassist Barry Guy. In this context of free-form trio jazz Guy has no superior and he stole this part of the show...”;
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