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Taylor Ho Bynum
Taylor Ho Bynum (b.1975) is a musician, teacher, and writer, with a background including work in composition, performance, interdisciplinary collaboration, production, organizing, and advocacy.
His expressionistic playing on cornet and other brass instruments, his expansive vision as composer, and his idiosyncratic improvisational approach have been documented on over twenty recordings as a bandleader and over a hundred as a sideperson. Bynum enjoys playing with friends in collective ensembles like his duo with Tomas Fujiwara, Illegal Crowns (with Fujiwara, Benoit Delbecq, and Mary Halvorson), and Geometry (with Kyoko Kitamura, Tomeka Reid, and Joe Morris), and as a sideperson in Fujiwara’s Triple Double and Shizuko, Reid’s Stringtet and Septet, Jim Hobbs & the Fully Celebrated Orchestra, and Bill Lowe’s Signifyin’ Natives.
From 2004-2019, Bynum maintained an ever-evolving ensemble that morphed between his Sextet, 7-tette, 9-tette, and 15-piece Plustet. Always anchored by a core trio with Mary Halvorson and Tomas Fujiwara, the Sextet’s final version included Bill Lowe, Jim Hobbs, and Ken Filiano, after an earlier iteration with Matt Bauder, Jessica Pavone, and Evan Patrick O’Reilly. The musicians who helped expand the group into larger ensembles include Vincent Chancey, Jay Hoggard, Jason Kao Hwang, Ingrid Laubrock, Tomeka Reid, Stephanie Richards, Steve Swell, Stomu Takeishi, Chad Taylor and Nate Wooley. Most of these recordings are on Firehouse 12 Records, the label he co-founded with Nick Lloyd in 2006, including the “accidental trilogy” that concluded the journey: Navigation (2013), Enter the PlusTet (2016), and The Ambiguity Manifesto (2019).
Bynum is also recognized for his “Acoustic Bicycle Tours” (East Coast 2010, West Coast 2014), where he traveled to concerts solely by bike across thousands of miles. Other long-running projects included Bynum’s SpiderMonkey Strings (an improvising chamber ensemble), Masters of Ceremony (an interdisciplinary dance/music quartet with Rachel Bernsen, Melanie Maar, and Abraham Gomez-Delgado), Positive Catastrophe (a 10-piece Latin free-jazz band co-led with Gomez-Delgado), and the collective
ensembles the Thirteenth Assembly (Fujiwara, Halvorson, and Pavone), the Convergence Quartet (Alexander Hawkins, Dominic Lash, and Harris Eisenstadt), and Book of Three (John Hebert and Gerald Cleaver). The Temp, a secular oratorio for orchestra, big band, vocal soloists and choir, with a libretto by Matthea Harvey, premiered in February 2020. Previous works for orchestra have been performed by the Scottish BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Tri-Centric Orchestra.
Bynum’s two decades of work with Anthony Braxton is recognized as one of the most generative partnerships of that legendary composer’s career, with projects ranging from duos to orchestras and everything in between. During Bynum’s stewardship of the Tri-Centric Foundation (which he served as executive director from 2010-2018), he produced many major Braxton projects, including two massive Trillium operas, two immersive Sonic Genome performances, and multiple festivals, box sets and albums. Bynum also worked closely with such departed masters as Bill Dixon and Cecil Taylor, with other collaborative credits including The Aardvark Jazz Orchestra, Nels Cline, Emily Coates, Bill Cole, Kris Davis, Ensemble Musikfabrik, Stephen Haynes, John Hebert, Fred Ho, Jason Kao Hwang, Titus Kaphar, Ingrid Laubrock, Living by Lanterns, Nicole Mitchell, Joe Morris, Kwaku Kwaakye Obeng, Mali Obomsawin, William Parker, Matana Roberts, Eliott Sharp, Wadada Leo Smith, Tyshawn Sorey, Yo La Tengo, and Zemog El Gallo Bueno.
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Illegal Crowns: Unclosing
by John Sharpe
When a band of four leaders in their own right still exists over ten years after its inception, then something worthwhile is afoot. Illegal Crowns comprises the familiar American triumvirate of guitarist Mary Halvorson, cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, who first crossed paths with French pianist Benoît Delbecq in 2012. Their third album Unclosing follows on from an eponymous debut (Rogue Art 2016) and the sophomore No-Nosed Puppet (Rogue Art , 2020). An accomplished blend of accessibility ...
Continue ReadingTaylor Ho Bynum, Manhattan Transfer, Andrew Hill and others
by Jerome Wilson
This show features music from a wide range of artists including Taylor Ho Bynum, Nicole Mitchell, Andrew Hill and Manhattan Transfer among others. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Kenny Wessel Quartet “Bone Dance" from Weights & Measures (Nonotes) 01:01 Bjorn Wennas “Static" from Static (Beartones) 07:18 Host Speaks 14:02 Darrell Katz and OddSong “Gerbils" from Jailhouse Doc with ...
Continue ReadingTomas Fujiwara's Triple Double: March
by Jerome Wilson
This is the second release by drummer and vibraphonist Tomas Fujiwara's unique double trio with himself and Gerald Cleaver on drums, Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook on guitar and Taylor Ho Bynum and Ralph Alessi on brass, a group that can be configured as two trios, three pairs of instruments or something in between. The sound of the resulting combinations can come out ambient or raucous, but tends towards an angular prog-jazz fusion sound, that can pack the punch of ...
Continue ReadingTomas Fujiwara's Triple Double: March
by Mark Corroto
Drummer, composer and vibraphonist Tomas Fujiwara did not set out to rebut the saying “familiarity breeds contempt," but March from his sextet Triple Double does just that. His combination of three pairs of double instruments—guitarists Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook, cornet/trumpets Taylor Ho Bynum and Ralph Alessi, plus double drummers Gerald Cleaver and Tomas Fujiwara himself—creates respect, the opposite of contempt. The harmonious and organic nature of this music, first heard on their self-titled debut album Triple Double (Firehouse 12, ...
Continue ReadingTomas Fujiwara's Triple Double: March
by Troy Dostert
Drummer Tomas Fujiwara's March, another offering from his Triple Double sextet, was recorded in December 2019, prior to the widespread racial unrest that followed the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others in 2020. But it feels completely of a piece with those protests, with an unsettled anger and impatience that animate every moment of this absorbing album. Creating music that seems perfectly suited for a tumultuous age, Fujiwara's compositional instincts are spot-on, and he once again marshals ...
Continue ReadingJohn Hébert: Sounds Of Love
by Mark Corroto
In sport, they talk about 'horses for courses,' to describe a parcour suited for particular athletes. That same language can be used to decide an ensemble's lineup for a particular category of music. Bassist and bandleader John Hébert made careful choices to create the quintet to perform music in the spirit of Charles Mingus. In the early 1960s, Mingus toured with saxophonist Eric Dolphy, trumpeter Johnny Coles, pianist Jaki Byard, and drummer Dannie Richmond. For Hébert's touring ensemble from 2011 ...
Continue ReadingAnthony Braxton: 12 COMP (ZIM) 2017
by Jerome Wilson
There had been just a slow trickle of recordings from Anthony Braxton, but all at once he made up for lost time with two major releases. One is a 13 CD box set of performances of standards. The other is a collection of recordings of original compositions that form part of his latest musical concept, ZIM Music, twelve works that run for a total of more than 11 hours and are released on a single Blu-Ray disc. ZIM ...
Continue ReadingWhat's New From Taylor Ho Bynum
Source:
Chris Rich
New CDs
Next, a trio recording with guitarist Joe Morris and bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, is now available for pre-order from Porter Records; very intimate and intense improvisational chamber music. And two other recent CDs are still warm from the oven: The Throes, a quartet with Nate Wooley on trumpet, Ken Filiano on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara on drums, and Book of Three , a collective trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Gerald Cleaver. All music I am very proud ...
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Taylor Ho Bynum + Vasco Gato at BYPASS #2 Launch: Sao Luiz Theatre, Lisbon, Portugal
Source:
Alvaro Seica
LAUNCH BYPASS #2 Performance by Taylor Ho Bynum & Vasco Gato Curators Álvaro Seiça Neves & Gaëlle Silva Marques Teatro São Luiz | Winter Garden | Lisbon, Portugal Monday, October 4, 7 pm BYPASS presents, on the day of the launch of its 2nd issue, the music concert/performance between the North American musician Taylor Ho Bynum and the Portuguese poet Vasco Gato. TAYLOR HO BYNUM (Baltimore, USA, 1975) Taylor Ho Bynum is a performer on cornet ...
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Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet to Open Firehouse 12's 2010 Fall Jazz Series September 10th
Source:
Improvised Communications
On Friday, September 10th, Firehouse 12 will open its 2010 Fall Jazz Series with a two-set performance by acclaimed cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum's primary ensemble, the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet. This special event, which also marks the launch of Bynum's two-week Acoustic Bicycle Tour across New England, focuses on a brand new book of music made possible with support from Chamber Music America's 2010 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke ...
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Taylor Ho Bynum's Acoustic Bicycle Tour Begins September 10th
Source:
Improvised Communications
One month from tonight, cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum will embark on his Acoustic Bicycle Tour, a two-week, carbon-neutral concert tour of New England that celebrates both the interconnectedness of the region's creative arts communities and alternative ways of thinking about our world.
The first stop will be the opening concert in Firehouse 12's 2010 Fall Jazz Series in New Haven, Connecticut. Performances in all six New England states, featuring a wide variety of collaborators, will follow at venues ranging from ...
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Taylor Ho Bynum to Introduce Revamped Sextet in August
Source:
Improvised Communications
This August, cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum will unveil the latest incarnation of his five year-old working ensemble, the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, when he and the group hit the road to perform a brand new book of music. These pieces are made possible with support from Chamber Music America's 2010 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The four-city tour will begin Friday, August 20th at Ryles Jazz Club ...
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The Jazz Session #178: Taylor Ho Bynum
Source:
Michael Ricci
Cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum has his fingers in so many pies, he should open a bakery. In addition to his recent CD Madeleine Dreams (Firehouse 12 Records, 2009) with his band SpiderMonkey Strings, hes also on a new duo CD, Stepwise (Not Two Records, 2010), with drummer Tomas Fujiwara. And hes helping run the Tri-Centric Foundation, which preserves and advances the music of Anthony Braxton. And he helps run a record label. And hes launching a fall tour by bicycle. ...
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Firehouse 12 to Present Taylor Ho Bynum & Spidermonkey Strings November 21st
Source:
Improvised Communications
On Friday, November 21st, cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum and his improvising chamber jazz ensemble, SpiderMonkey Strings, will present the New Haven premiere of his innovative secular oratorio, Madeleine Dreams, at Firehouse 12. Inspired by the novel Madeleine is Sleeping (Harcourt), a 2004 National Book Award finalist written by his sister, Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, the piece draws text from the book while further exploring its theme of “the logic of dreams.” SpiderMonkey Strings, which takes its name from two mythical tricksters, ...
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Taylor Ho Bynum Coming to NYC's Jazz Gallery November 14-15
Source:
Improvised Communications
On Friday, November 14th and Saturday, November 15th, cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum will perform with three of his own bands over the course of two nights at New York's Jazz Gallery.
These performances are part of a larger tour celebrating both the release of the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet's second recording, Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths (hatOLOGY 675), and the most recent performances of his secular oratorio, Madeleine Dreams, with his improvising chamber jazz ensemble, Taylor Ho Bynum & SpiderMonkey Strings. ...
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Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet Releases "Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths" on Hatology
Source:
All About Jazz
Hatology 675 Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths With Matt Baudet – reeds Jessica Pavone – viola Mary Halvorson – guitar Evan O'Reilly – guitar Tomas Fujiwara – drums Total Time 44:15 DDD Here’s a group of musicians who are making a commitment to the long haul. They are creating music for the third millennium that is savvy enough to ...
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Taylor Ho Bynum Announces Fall Tour Dates
Source:
Improvised Communications
This November, cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum will hit the road to perform with three of his own groups in four different cities over the course of five dates. Bynum will perform with his sextet in New York and Chicago (with his trio opening the New York show) in the first half of the month to celebrate the release of his latest recording, Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths (hatOLOGY 675).
His chamber jazz group, Taylor Ho Bynum & SpiderMonkey Strings, will then ...
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From: MarchBy Taylor Ho Bynum
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