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 Complete Recordings: 1945-1955
Bebop - Released by Tritone on 7 Apr 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1945 - 1949
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Taylor Made Jazz
Jazz - Released by Fresh Sound Records on 1 Nov 1959
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Billy Taylor Touch + Billy Taylor at the London House
Jazz - Released by Circadian Jazz on 20 Feb 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Cross Section (Remastered)
Jazz - Released by Avid Entertainment on 3 Jun 2016
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1950 - 1952
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 Jun 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Billy Taylor Trio With Ed Thigpen & Earl May
Jazz - Released by Ascension Records on 30 May 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Blue Eyes Soothe My Soul
Country - Released by Billy Taylor on 9 Feb 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 23 Feb 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Ballade (Short Cut)
Arkadia Short Cuts, Billy Taylor
Jazz - Released by Arkadia Records on 16 Feb 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 8 Mar 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
75 Jazz Classics
Jazz - Released by Classic Music International on 30 Jun 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Meets the Jazz Greats: Know Your Jazz
Jazz - Released by Ascension Records on 29 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Billy Taylor Selected Favorites
Jazz - Released by Charly Records on 21 Mar 2011
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Complete Jazz Series 1952 - 1953
Jazz - Released by Complete Jazz Series on 29 Jun 2009
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 15 Jul 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Wouldn't It Be Loverly (Music Keeps Us Young)
Traditional Jazz & New Orleans - Released by Arkadia Records on 10 Jun 2022
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
The Billy Taylor Trio with Candido (Bonus Track Version)
Jazz - Released by Circadian Jazz on 1 Jan 1954
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Up Jumped Spring (Radio Mix)
Jazz - Released by Arkadia Records on 10 May 2024
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
I'll Never Run Away
Electronic - Released by ALMIGHTY1 MUSIC on 29 Dec 2023
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo