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Billy Taylor has passed


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I had certain preconceived notions -

Me too, musically, but his three-part Cadence interview turned out to be one of the most entertaining and historically interesting oral histories I've ever read in that magazine. Plus, his playing on the Dizzy/Trane live bootlegs is pretty damn impressive. Be-bop Tatum is the only ready description that comes to mind...

My question is this - will the family have to pay extra to find a coffin with a lid that will accommodate those jumbotron eyeglasses?

RIP, Doctor.

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Billy Taylor - Uptown Live 1960

Billy Taylor, piano

Henry Grimes, bass

Ray Mosca, drums

Pianist Billy Taylor's regular trio of 1960 (which also includes bassist Henry

Grimes and drummer Ray Mosca) sounds quite tight on this live set, even though

they had only been together a brief time. Taylor performs a wide-ranging

program within the modern mainstream of the early '60s, including pieces by

Erroll Garner ("La Petite Mambo"), Duke Jordan and Bobby Timmons (a heartfelt

rendition of "Moanin"), four of his originals (highlighted by the boppish

"Biddy's Beat") and a driving version of "'S Wonderful." Although Taylor's

activities as a highly articulate spokesman for jazz have sometimes

overshadowed his playing, he shows throughout this fine CD reissue that he has

long ranked among the best.

---

This is a GOOD record!

Goodbye, Doctor Taylor.

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Billy Taylor made a number of important contributions to jazz. Not only as a piano player, but as a commentator on the Sunday Morning television program, and as a key person

behind the Jazz Mobile Program that took jazz to the people and provided great music at no cost to the listener. I recall seeing free Jazz Mobile Concerts in Rochester,New york a number

of times and they all featured top level musicians from (primarily) New York City.

i will play one of his CDs to honor him.

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