Billy Taylor

American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster, and educator (1921-2010)

Born: 24 July 1921
Greenville
Died: 28 December 2010
Manhattan
Country: United States
Active: 1943–
Record labels: Atlantic Records
Discography: 23 albums

Biography

Billy Taylor was a jazz musician who played piano. Billy Taylor was born on 24 July 1921 in Greenville and died on 28 December 2010 in Manhattan. The music is usually filed under jazz. Record labels: Atlantic Records. The discography here lists 23 albums, from “Cross Section” (1956) to “Love Songs” (2013). Honours include National Medal of Arts (1992), North Carolina Award for Fine Arts (1993) and honorary doctor of the University of Miami (1998).

Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the artistic director for jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. A jazz activist, Taylor sat on the Honorary Founders Board of The Jazz Foundation of America, an organisation he founded in 1989, with Ann Ruckert, Herb Storfer and Phoebe Jacobs, to save the homes and the lives of America's elderly jazz and blues musicians, later including musicians who survived Hurricane Katrina. Taylor was a jazz educator, who lectured in colleges, served on panels and travelled worldwide as a jazz ambassador. Critic Leonard Feather once said, "It is almost indisputable that Dr. Billy Taylor is the world's foremost spokesman for jazz."

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Discography

Studio and live albums

Cross Section 1956

One for Fun 1959

Taylor made Jazz 1959

Interlude 1961

Impromptu 1962

Right Here, Right Now! 1963

I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free 1967

David Frost Presents OK Billy 1970

Jazz Alive: The Billy Taylor Trio In Live Performance 1979 · Live

Juicy Lucy 1979

Live at Storyville 1979 · Live

Solo 1988

Dr. T 1993

It's a Matter of Pride 1994

Homage 1995

Billy & Wes 1997

Ten Fingers, One Voice 1999

Billy Taylor With Four Flutes 2000

Taylor Made At The Kennedy Center 2005 · Live

Live at MCG 2007 · Live

Love Songs 2013

Brazilian Beat

Introducing Ira Sullivan

Also plays on

Albums where Billy Taylor is credited as a sideman

1956	This Is How I Feel About Jazz — Quincy Jones	piano
1958	Stay With Me — Billie Holiday	piano

Standards written by Billy Taylor

Title	Key	Form	Groove
I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free	F major	A · 16	Even eighths

Awards

1992 National Medal of Arts
1993 North Carolina Award for Fine Arts
1998 honorary doctor of the University of Miami
2004 Grammy Awards
2005 Grammy Trustees Award
NEA Jazz Masters

Historic 78 rpm records

BLUE STEW BRICK FLEAGLE'S RHYTHMAKERS · Billy Taylor · "Half-Valve" · Brick… archive.org ↗
DEEP PURPLE MELVIN MOORE · Kai Winding · Warne Marsh · Billy Taylor · Jack… archive.org ↗
"IMPROVISATIONS IN ELLINGTONIA" PART I - LOW COTTON Rex Stewart · Barney Bigard · Django Reinhardt · Billy Taylor ·… archive.org ↗
"IMPROVISATIONS IN ELLINGTONIA" PART IV - I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW Rex Stewart · Barney Bigard · Django Reinhardt · Billy Taylor ·… archive.org ↗
"IMPROVISATIONS IN ELLINGTONIA" PART III - FINESSE Rex Stewart · Barney Bigard · Django Reinhardt · Billy Taylor ·… archive.org ↗
REXATIOUS REX STEWARTS ELLINGTONIANS · Rex Stewart · Lawrence Brown · Johnny… archive.org ↗
"IMPROVISATIONS IN ELLINGTONIA" PART II - MONTMARTRE Rex Stewart · Barney Bigard · Django Reinhardt · Billy Taylor ·… archive.org ↗
TOP AND BOTTOM DUKE ELLINGTON'S SEPTET · Cootie Williams · Barney Bigard · Johnny… archive.org ↗