Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor was an amazingly articulate spokesman for jazz, and his profiles on CBS' Sunday Morning television program (where he was a regular beginning in 1981) were so successful at introducing jazz to a wider audience, that sometimes one could forget what a talented pianist he was for over half-a-century. While not an innovator, Taylor was 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 formed his first of many trios. He helped found the Jazzmobile in 1965. In 1969 he became the first Black band director for a network television series (The David Frost Show). He earned his doctorate at the University of Massachusetts in 1975 and founded and served as director for the popular radio program Jazz Alive. Despite his activities in jazz education, Taylor was rarely absent from performances and recordings, always keeping his bop-based style consistently swinging and fresh. He died of heart failure in New York on December 28, 2010, at the age of 89.
© Scott Yanow /TiVo
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The Billy Taylor Touch
Jazz - Released by Rhino Atlantic on Oct 28, 1957
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Music Keeps Us Young
Jazz - Released by Arkadia Jazz on Aug 26, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Ten Fingers, One Voice
Jazz - Released by Arkadia Records on Jan 26, 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free (Music Keeps Us Young)
Traditional Jazz & New Orleans - Released by Arkadia Records on Aug 5, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Billy Taylor Plays Billy Taylor
Jazz - Released by EG Jazz on Sep 1, 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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A Woman in Love
Vocal Jazz - Released by Audiophile on May 20, 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Very Best Of 1945-1949
Bebop - Released by Master Classics Records on Jan 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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At The London House
Jazz - Released by Stardust Records on Jan 1, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Accent on Trumpet
Ernie Royal, Billy Taylor, Oscar Pettiford, James Moody, Keny Clarke
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on Feb 1, 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Eyes Soothe My Soul
Country - Released by Billy Taylor on Feb 9, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wouldn't It Be Loverly (Short Cut)
Arkadia Short Cuts, Billy Taylor
Jazz - Released by Arkadia Records on Feb 23, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ballade (Short Cut)
Arkadia Short Cuts, Billy Taylor
Jazz - Released by Arkadia Records on Feb 16, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Up Jumped Spring (Short Cut)
Arkadia Short Cuts, Billy Taylor
Jazz - Released by Arkadia Records on Mar 8, 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
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Lover Come Back To Me (Music Keeps Us Young)
Traditional Jazz & New Orleans - Released by Arkadia Records on Jul 15, 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo