Jazz Articles about Otis Taylor

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Otis Taylor at Dazzle

by Geoff Anderson
June 1, 2024

Otis Taylor Dazzle Denver, Colorado May 16, 2024 Electric banjo? Check. Cello? Check. Synthesizer? Check. A couple of electric guitars and an electric bass? Check. OK, Otis Taylor is ready to play some blues. No, it's not the typical instrumentation for a blues show. But Otis Taylor doesn't put on a typical blues show. Much of Taylor's blues is based on a single chord drone he calls Trance Blues which creates a hypnotic effect, ...

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Otis Taylor: Double V

by Jim Santella
April 21, 2004

Backed by acoustic strings of the more intimate sort, Otis Taylor interprets his original blues tunes sincerely. His homespun voice has a little grit in it. There’s nothing fake about the way Taylor explains it. With blues harp in hand, he takes over with timeless tales and new twists.

Bringing in rotating cellists to accompany was a brilliant idea. The luster of the instrument’s timbre blends appropriately with Taylor’s fluid voice. He’s able to mourn over subjects such ...

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Otis Taylor: Truth Is Not Fiction

by Jim Santella
June 25, 2003

Moving comfortably between acoustic and contemporary electric blues, Otis Taylor brings us an exciting new album with social commentary laced all the way through. This is his fifth album. The seasoned bluesman’s passionate volume of adventurous storytellin’ garnered several W.C. Handy Award nominations this year.

Taylor, 55, grew up in Chicago and Denver. His first love was the banjo, which gets quite a workout on Truth Is Not Fiction. Singing with a down-home ease and a genuine spirit, the bluesman ...