Jazz Articles about Billy Taylor

Billy Taylor: Billy Taylor Trio with Earl May/Percy Brice

by David Rickert
November 25, 2003

Billy Taylor has lurked behind the scenes for years, never quite achieving the fame he deserved, and his legacy will probably rest largely on his efforts as an educator to bring jazz to a wider audience. That is a shame, because Taylor was quite a accessible pianist and his extensive catalog remains largely out of print. Fortunately, Fantasy has released this two-fer CD, featuring two sessions from 1954 and 1955 that amply demonstrate what a great pianist he truly is. ...

Billy Taylor: Ten Fingers -- One Voice

by Jack Bowers
February 1, 1999

I love piano players who swing. I especially admire 77–year–old pianists who swing like they’re 27. It follows logically that Billy Taylor would be among my favorite pianists, an assessment that is emphatically underscored by his marvelous new solo album, Ten Fingers — One Voice, a thoroughly entrancing tour de force on which Billy takes dead aim at half a dozen standards, two Jazz staples and three of his own compositions, and scores a sonic bull’s–eye on every one. The ...

Billy Taylor: Ten Fingers - One Voice

by Jim Santella
January 1, 1999

At 77, pianist Billy Taylor serves the jazz world through his profiles of musicians on CBS-TV’s Sunday Morning, and as host of NPR’s Billy Taylor’s Jazz at the Kennedy Center broadcasts. Taylor’s book for Hal Leonard,The Billy Taylor Collectionis due out in January 1999.

Versed in all aspects of solo piano performance, Dr. Billy Taylor demonstrates different piano styles for his audience, styles that range from stride piano to bebop and into hard bop improvisation. “Tea for Two, with all ...