Jazz Articles about Billy Taylor

Learning the Art of Jazz, Part 2

by Monk Rowe
December 13, 2022

Jazz vs. Classical Funding

by Nicholas Krolak
June 9, 2021

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 ...

Billy Taylor - Gerry Mulligan: Live at MCG

by AAJ Italy Staff
January 4, 2008

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 ...

Billy Taylor and Gerry Mulligan: Live at MCG

by Woodrow Wilkins
December 7, 2007

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 ...

Billy Taylor and Gerry Mulligan: Live at MCG

by Joel Roberts
October 13, 2007

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 ...

Billy Taylor: Taylor Made at the Kennedy Center

by Jim Santella
August 19, 2005

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 ...

"Bebop" from Taylor Made Piano

by AAJ Staff
June 2, 2005

By Billy Taylor Chapter 9: Bebop Originally published in 1982, this book is an invaluable and popular resource for both music students and professional musicians alike. Billy Taylor conveys the history and development of America's classical music, jazz, through a unique perspective--that of practicing musician, jazz pianist and educator. This excerpt is taken from the chapter on Bebop.