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| 5.521 Ft
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| 1. | Introduction by Dr. Ron McCurdy
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| 2. | Impromptu
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| 3. | Body & Soul
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| 4. | Conversion
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| 5. | Titoro
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| 6. | Côte d'Ivoire -- Third Movement/Suite for Jazz Piano & Orchestra
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Jazz / Bop
Billy Taylor Producer, Piano, Liner Notes
Chip Jackson Bass
Alan Silverman Mastering
David Ruffo Engineer, Mixing
Jim Anderson Associate Producer
Linda J. Bramble Project Coordinator, Liner Notes
Mitchell Seidel Photography
Winard Harper Drums
One of the highlights of the 2001 IAJE Conference in New York City was a live performance just prior to the presentation of the NEA Jazz Masters Awards by veteran jazz educator, pianist, and composer Billy Taylor, accompanied by bassist Chip Jackson and drummer Winard Harper. Just shy of 80 years old at the time, the pianist delivers a masterful program. Taylor's "Impromptu," which he first recorded nearly 40 years earlier, is a dazzling piece divided into two parts, opening with a furious latin-flavored theme, then segueing into a slower tempo to feature delicious solos by both Jackson and Harper before returning to the initial high-octane pace. One would almost think it's impossible to come up with a novel approach to the venerable standard "Body and Soul," but Taylor succeeds with a dramatic solo introduction that sounds very fresh. "Conversion" was inspired by Jackson's working with the changes to "Out of Nowhere," so Taylor wrote the piece to feature his talented bassist, while "Titoro" is a driving latin feature for Harper. The final track is an excerpt from Taylor's "Suite for Jazz Piano and Orchestra," which involved transcribing a part written for the strings to be played by the trio. Since there was no announcement that this set was being recorded, IAJE Conference attendees will be especially delighted to acquire this souvenir of a memorable evening. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide
Billy Taylor
Active Decades: '40s, '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s and '00s
Born: Jul 24, 1921 in Greenville, NC
Genre: Jazz
Styles: Bop, Ballads, Hard Bop, Mainstream Jazz, Standards
Billy Taylor has been such an articulate spokesman for jazz, and his profiles on CBS' Sunday Morning television program (where he has been a regular since 1981) are so successful at introducing jazz to a wider audience, that sometimes one can forget how talented a pianist he has been for the past half-century. While not an innovator, Taylor has been flexible enough to play swing, bop, and more advanced styles while always retaining his own musical personality. After graduating from Virginia State College in 1942, he moved to New York and played with such major musicians as Ben Webster, Eddie South, Stuff Smith (with whom he recorded in 1944), and Slam Stewart, among others. In 1951, he was the house pianist at Birdland and soon afterward Taylor formed his first of many trios. He helped found the Jazzmobile in 1965; in 1969, became the first black band director for a network television series (The David Frost Show); in 1975, he earned his doctorate at the University of Massachusetts; and he both founded and served as director for the popular radio program Jazz Alive. But despite his activities in jazz education, Taylor has rarely gone long between performances and recordings, always keeping his bop-based style consistently swinging and fresh.
---Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
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