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The 26th Annual IAJE Conference: A Memorable Event
by Jack Bowers
This article was first published on All About Jazz in February 1999. The 26th Annual Conference of the International Association of Jazz Educators (IAJE) was held January 6-10, 1999 at the Disneyland Resort Hotel and Convention Center in Anaheim, California, and if there was one meaningful lesson to be learned by these Jazz mentors about the choice of venue, it is that bigger ain't necessarily better. But more about that later. We should first report ...
Continue ReadingJazz vs. Classical Funding
by Nicholas Krolak
Throughout jazz history there has been a desire among the jazz community to see the music respected on the same level as western classical music. It is after all, jazz is America's classical music. As Dr. Billy Taylor explains, “Classical music must be time-tested; it must serve as a standard or model; it must have established value; and it must be indigenous to the culture for which it speaks. Jazz meets the criteria of classical music. Because it is particularly ...
Continue ReadingBilly Taylor - Gerry Mulligan: Live at MCG
by AAJ Italy Staff
Sono otto gli standard e due le composizioni originali di questa ottima incisione del ’93, firmata dall’inedito duo Mulligan/Taylor. Incontri come questo, all’insegna del bel suonare, imperversano da sempre nei festival e nella produzione discografica. A rendere interessante l’ascolto del disco è la classe immensa del magnifico baritonista. È una vera goduria per il fortunato acquirente del CD ascoltare il suo fraseggio sciolto e rilassato nelle ennesime rivisitazioni di temi immortali quali “Stompin’ at Savoy”, “Come Sunday” e “Body and ...
Continue ReadingBilly Taylor and Gerry Mulligan: Live at MCG
by Woodrow Wilkins
The typical jazz listener easily tires of hearing standards covered by newer artists. However, it's occasionally good to hear the masters revisit some of these old compositions--a way of staying connected. Jazz legends Billy Taylor and Gerry Mulligan have done that with Live at MCG. The Manchester Craftsmen's Guild is a non-profit organization in Pittsburgh, USA whose mission is to preserve, present and promote jazz. In doing so, MCG brings in artists such as Taylor and Mulligan to entertain and ...
Continue ReadingBilly Taylor and Gerry Mulligan: Live at MCG
by Joel Roberts
Dr. Billy Taylor has spent so much of the latter part of his nearly sixty-year career in jazz as an educator and broadcaster that it's easy to forget what a brilliant pianist he is. This splendid 1993 date, billed as his first-ever performance with the late baritone sax legend Gerry Mulligan, should serve as a reminder of Taylor's often overlooked talents--as well as a valuable addition to Mulligan's legacy. The album features the two veterans, Taylor, then ...
Continue ReadingBilly Taylor: Taylor Made at the Kennedy Center
by Jim Santella
Dr. Billy Taylor and friends begin this concert performance compilation with homage to early bebop as Terence Blanchard recalls the loose, pioneering spirit of Diz and Stanley Turrentine does his best to interpret Bird's spirit in his own way. Russell Malone and Stefon Harris broaden the scope, turning Taylor's idea into a thrilling jam session that presents Jazz at the Kennedy Center with open ears and smiling faces. Tradition has been served.
Performed and recorded between 1999 and ...
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