Between 1950 and 1960, jazz was dominated by elegant jazz pianists. The list is long and includes Oscar Peterson, Sonny Clark, Red Garland, Russ Freeman, Lou Levy, Ahmad Jamal and others. A pianist who belongs on this list but is often forgotten is Billy Taylor. Billy's technique was unrivaled in many ways because he covered so much ground effortlessly, from stride and swing to bop and Latin. [Photo above of Billy Taylor]
As bassist and manager John Levy told me in 2010, “Billy was naïve—in a good way. He was an innocent and the classiest musician around. He was strictly educational. He didn’t hang out, and he didn’t hit on women or any of that stuff. He married Teddi and that was it. Everyone loved him.” [Photo above of John Levy on bass with Jimmy Jones on piano by William P. Gottlieb]
Billy formed a trio in 1952 and didn't stop working and recording. Now, Fresh Sound has released three of Billy's rarest albums—Taylor Made Jazz (1957), Uptown (1960) and Custom Taylored (1960). Two of the albums—Taylor Made Jazz and Custom Taylored feature all originals by Billy. Uptown, an album recorded live at New York's Prelude, features three originals, and the rest were other jazz artist's songs.
On these three albums, we're reminded how spry and melodic Billy's compositions are and how good and warmly received he was in a club setting. His technique was always breathtaking and in the pocket. And his sidemen were top-notch. On Custom Taylored and Uptown, Billy worked with bassist Henry Grimes and drummer Ray Mosca. On Taylor Made Jazz, Billy was joined by bassist Earl May and drummer Ed Thigpen. The session also included a chunk of Duke Ellington's band: Clark Terry and Willie Cook (tp), Brit Woodman (tb), Johnny Hodges (as), Paul Gonsalves (ts) and Harry Carney (bs).
To read my five-part Billy Taylor interview, start here (subsequent parts are linked above the red date at the top of each post).
Bill Taylor died in 2010.
JazzWax tracks: You'll find Billy Taylor's Taylor Made Jazz here, and Uptown and Custom Taylored on a single CD here.
JazzWax clips: Here's Theodora from Taylor Made Jazz, a song named for Billy's wife...
Here's Daddy-O from Taylor Made Jazz...
Here's Warm Blue Stream, by Sara Cassey, from Uptown...
Here's Easy Walker from Custom Taylored...
