W. Allen Taylor

Winner of the San Francisco Bay Area's first "Jazz Search West Competition” in 2010, W. Allen Taylor is a jazz vocalist from the old school, combining originality with a style reminiscent of the golden age of jazz singing. With vocal influences that include Al Jarreau, Betty Carter, Nat King Cole, Eddie Jefferson and Little Jimmy Scott, he explores the classic jazz standards with a richly dynamic approach.

As a band-leader and guest vocalist, Mr. Taylor has appeared in many popular Bay Area and DC Area venues. In the Bay Area, at Anna's Jazz Island, Slates Jazz Supper Club, The Jazzschool, Piedmont Piano Company, Avonova, The Sound Room, the Seahorse Supperclub, Geoffrey’s Inner Circle, and the 57Th Street Gallery. And in the DC Area, at Alice's Jazz & Cultural Society, The Brixton, Mr. Henry's, Twins Jazz, JoJo Restaurant, Columbia Station, and the Westminster Church Jazz Night.

Mr. Taylor is a former member and featured soloist with the Oakland Jazz Choir, the Jazz Singers Collective and the East Bay Center Jazz Ensemble. And has also been a frequent featured vocalist with the Yancie Taylor Jazztet, the Noel Jewkes Quartet and the Sharp Five Jazz Band in the Bay Area.

Equally at home with ballads, bebop and the blues, W. Allen Taylor is a singer blessed with a solid vocal range and a fluid scat that will leave you swinging!

Awards

Winner of the San Francisco Bay Area's first "Jazz Search West Competition” in 2010.

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