Billy Taylor has passed

[AndrewHill]

RIP. I only own My Fair Lady Loves Jazz, but enjoy it very much. I always wanted to dig into his Prestige sides.

[CJ Shearn]

Damn. Always enjoyed his show on NPR

[brownie]

Goodbye

A respected and respectable musician!

[Christiern]

In 1961, when I told Lil Armstrong that I wanted to produce an album featuring her with a band, she said, "Who's going to listen to that old stuff." I asked her what she listened to, "Thelonious Monk and Billy Taylor," she replied without having to think about it.

I was only 15 and had yet to "discover" jazz when Billy visited Copenhagen, as a member of Don Redman's orchestra, but we met almost twenty years later, when we both worked at WNEW in New York. I told him that he was a Lil Armstrong favorite, and he loved to hear that. One of the things Lil and Billy had in common was that Jelly Roll Morton had passed both their paths—I hope someone has a tape of Billy recalling his encounter.

In 1962, Ornette sent Billy two tickets to his remarkable Town Hall concert, but Billy was not into Ornette's music, so I gave them to me. If nothing else, I will always be thankful for having had that experience.

Death is always sad, but Billy led a full life and he leaves us with many enduring accomplishments. It is the family and close friends we should grieve for.

[Christiern]

That should, of course, be 16 years, not 20. Why can't I edit my post anymore?

[ghost of miles]

He left behind a lot of nice compositions as well.

[Big Beat Steve]

This is sad but I think not quite unexpected at 89, though we may have come to expect those few "survivors" to be around forever. Unfortunately it is not so.

Will spin one of his discs later on too.

[mikeweil]

I remember I really studied his LP with Candido - the conga drummer's solos here are a textbook of soloing on congas and bongos. I like to listen to Dr. Taylor, and although I wouldn't count him among my favorite jazz pianists, I always was and will be very grateful for this album with a conga drummer. Always urged my conga and bongo students to get a copy.

I really can't think of any other album of that era featuring a percussionist like that.

[ghost of miles]

An excellent article by Marc Myers at Jazzwax:

Billy Taylor 1921-2010

[marcello]

I remember I really studied his LP with Candido - the conga drummer's solos here are a textbook of soloing on congas and bongos. I like to listen to Dr. Taylor, and although I wouldn't count him among my favorite jazz pianists, I always was and will be very grateful for this album with a conga drummer. Always urged my conga and bongo students to get a copy.

I really can't think of any other album of that era featuring a percussionist like that.

I put this one on today, also.

In person, with the right band, he swung like a M/F!

Edited December 30, 2010 by marcello

[skeith]

I am not sure if I have any of his music, but I did love his presentations on the CBS Sunday Morning program. Some of the best jazz and discussion of it ever presented on TV, no one else was doing that.

[Christiern]

Interesting, because that CBS Sunday Morning show is the one thing I thought Billy did badly.

[Teasing the Korean]

In addition to the Candido LP mentioned previously, I also have a book he wrote on jazz piano that was a good read during my formative playing years.

[ssjazz]

Is the VIDEO of the remembrance of Billy Taylor that ran on CBS Sunday Morning on January 2 available somewhere?

The Sunday Morning web page lists a remembrance of Billy Taylor that ran on January 2. But the video does not seem to be available on the CBS web page http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/10/26/sunday/main6993125.shtml?tag=hdr;cnav

Interesting, because that CBS Sunday Morning show is the one thing I thought Billy did badly.

[Hot Ptah]

I saw him live in an outdoor concert in Kansas City in the mid-1980s, with a bassist and drummer. I was surprised at the power and intensity of his playing on that occasion. I had come to the concert expecting a rather genteel mainstream performance, and it was not like that. It was much hotter. McCoy Tyner came to mind. Their styles were different, but the level of live intensity was in the same ballpark on this occasion.