Jazz Articles

Taylor's Universe: Across the Universe

by Dave Wayne
May 1, 2016

Back in the day, record companies would occasionally issue “Greatest Hits" compilation albums. Usually cheaply packaged (no gatefold, no credits, no liner notes, etc.), these collections were a convenient way to have all of an artist's big hits (plus some filler) in one convenient location. Record companies reaped huge profits from these collections and, perhaps, took a little contractual pressure off of the artist. With the advent of streaming and iTunes, Greatest Hits collections have been rendered unnecessary. What's replaced ...

Taylor's Universe: From Scratch

by Dave Wayne
May 18, 2015

If nothing else, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and studio rat Robin Taylor is consistent. Stylistically, he's done it all. His recordings-all self-produced and issued on his own Marvel of Beauty imprint-over the past two decades encompass everything from ambient soundscapes to free improvisation to straight-up hard rock. The past decade or so finds Taylor working exclusively with what can be termed instrumental progressive rock. Sadly, this sort of pigeonholing glosses over the fact that there's a considerable amount of jazz-based improvisation in ...

Robin Taylor: Evidence

by Dave Wayne
February 2, 2014

2013 was a banner year of sorts for Robin Taylor and his band, Taylor's Universe. The Copenhagen-based composer, keyboardist, and guitarist completed two albums Evidence, and Worn Out (Marvel of Beauty, 2013) and both stand among his finest work. A studio-bound aggregation, Taylor's Universe specializes in very personal and distinctive take on progressive rock. Instead of vocals, however, Taylor's Universe features horn soloists who find lots to say over the music's complicated chord progressions. Though Taylor clearly is not trying ...

Taylor's Universe: Worn Out

by Dave Wayne
March 23, 2013

One can only hope that Robin Taylor was being ironic when he titled his latest collection Worn Out. Musically, it follows in the footsteps of his recent recordings with Taylor's Universe; Kind of Red (Marvel of Beauty, 2012) and Return to Whatever (Marvel of Beauty, 2009). But there's a freshness, fire and vigor here that suggests the Danish multi-instrumentalist and composer still has plenty of lead in his pencil. The personnel on Worn Out is also largely the same as ...

Taylor's Universe: Kind of Red

by Dave Wayne
May 6, 2012

Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor is something of a musical polymath who's recorded extensively in a number of disparate musical arenas, including free improvisation (with his group Taylor's Free Universe), hard rock (with Art Cinema), electronic soundscapes, and jazz-rock fusion. With Kind of Red, Taylor's stylistic focus is firmly in the general area of instrumental progressive rock.Taylor's appealing, evocative, minor-key compositions typically have a somber demeanor that is offset by driving, often odd-metered rhythms. Though he plays all the ...

Taylor's Universe: Kind of Red

by Mark Redlefsen
April 7, 2012

Leader of the band Taylor's Universe, multi- instrumentalist, composer, producer, and record label owner Robin Taylor hails from Denmark. With the title of his 30th release, Kind Of Red, Taylor cleverly tips a hat to the iconic album Kind of Blue (Sony, 1959) by trumpeter Miles Davis, and possibly also to King Crimson's Red (Atlantic, 1974). Taylor has had a number of releases under different banners over the last few decades. For all those needing to catch up, Kind of ...

Robin Taylor - Taylor's Free Universe: Two-Pack

by Glenn Astarita
November 16, 2011

Danish progressive-rock denizen Robin Taylor employs a green approach with the packaging of this double mini-disc set, packed in small cardboard sleeves. However, the minimalist product design is offset by several ferocious works, spanning the prog element and free-floating jazz improvisation. Taylor has been carrying the prog torch since 1991 and is a mainstay in the newer slants of this genre, where the classic concepts attain a fruitful medium with expansive persuasions. Composed of firm back-beats, cascading keys, ...

Taylor's Universe: Artificial Joy

by Glenn Astarita
March 5, 2010

Danish composer and multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor is one of the hardest working progressive rockers in the business. Based on the strength of his rapidly growing discography and forthright intentions, his Taylor's Universe band features some longtime collaborators, despite occasional personnel shifts. Artificial Joy remains consistent with his penchant for imbuing knotty deviations on top of burgeoning pulses, such as the resonating “Work," that resembles the massive keys-sax assault, executed by prog favorite Van Der Graaf Generator.

Taylor's music gushes forth ...

Art Cinema: Art Cinema

by Glenn Astarita
September 17, 2008

Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor might be considered a modern day professor of progressive rock. He fuses the best of the past while instilling a sense of newness into his expanding discography. Art Cinema signifies a project that was brought about via Taylor's musical relationship with guitarist Michael Denner, who appeared on Soundwall (Independent, 2007), by Taylor's Universe.

Taylor's Art Cinema intimates a new modus operandi, namely due to the addition of Jytte Lindberg and Louise Nipper, who alternate ...

Taylor's Universe with Karsten Vogel: Oyster's Apprentice

by John Kelman
October 13, 2006

If I learned anything on my recent trip to Punktfest in Norway, it's that there's a world of music out there which is lucky if it even receives a passing nod in North America. The internet has made it possible to gain access to much of this material, although one has to know where to look. The stylistically flexible Danish multi-instrumentalist Robin Taylor nearly gave up music at one point, like so many before and since--but beginning in the mid-1990s, ...