Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
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Compact Disc (CD) + Digital Album
Billy Taylor: 10 Fingers, One Voice CD in a jewel case.
“Jazz master pianist, composer, journalist and educator Billy Taylor stands alone both figuratively and literally with his Arkadia Records album, “Billy Taylor: 10 Fingers, One Voice”. Only the 2nd solo recording in his 65 year career, the Billy Taylor that emerges here is another jazz surprise – an exhilarating one!
Liberated from all constraints, Billy plays with a joy of self-discovery on swingers that is infectious… Moreover, on ballads here, he plays with a subtle, gently probing romanticism that is never sentimental and thereby is all the more penetrating. In mobile space that is all his own, he swings with more ease, liveliness, and resilience than ever before. He makes the standard songs in the set sound as if he were playing them for the first time. For this listener, the Billy Taylor that emerges here was a surprise – a daring risk-taker who has absorbed the entire jazz tradition but now breaks through as an immediately identifiable personal force.” – (quote from the liner notes by Nat Hentoff)
Now at the peak of his powers, he brings fresh, yet steeped in history of Bop, piano style to this robust collection that features both thoughtful originals and classic standards from accomplished composers such as Dizzy Gillespie, Rogers and Hart, Clifford Brown, Jon Hendricks, and Cole Porter.
His career is recognized with the utmost adoration and respect. Dr. Billy Taylor is one of only three Jazz musicians appointed to the National Council of the Arts, also working as the Artistic Director for Jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and is also known for the artist profiles he hosted as the Arts correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning.
“…In a solo setting, Taylor reinvigorates the concept of instrumental mastery. He is just all over that piano, creating moments that are so musical, one could easily forget the technical mastery involved. …a great mix of tunes and arrangements. The arrangement of “Laura” may be the perfect link between modern solo jazz piano and the impressionist explorations of Debussy and Ravel.” – Cortland Kirkeby, The Reader
Playing with infectious joy and playfulness, Billy Taylor: 10 Fingers, One Voice showcases Taylor’s deliberate and impressive ability to swing dynamically on upbeat numbers and yet play stirringly on softer songs, conveying both his passionate melodic soul and his blissful energy – resulting in a solo piano recording with a depth that makes repeat listening an imperative.
Includes unlimited streaming of Ten Fingers, One Voice
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
...more
“Jazz master pianist, composer, journalist and educator Billy Taylor stands alone both figuratively and literally with his Arkadia Records album, “Billy Taylor: 10 Fingers, One Voice”. Only the 2nd solo recording in his 65 year career, the Billy Taylor that emerges here is another jazz surprise – an exhilarating one!
Liberated from all constraints, Billy plays with a joy of self-discovery on swingers that is infectious… Moreover, on ballads here, he plays with a subtle, gently probing romanticism that is never sentimental and thereby is all the more penetrating. In mobile space that is all his own, he swings with more ease, liveliness, and resilience than ever before. He makes the standard songs in the set sound as if he were playing them for the first time. For this listener, the Billy Taylor that emerges here was a surprise – a daring risk-taker who has absorbed the entire jazz tradition but now breaks through as an immediately identifiable personal force.” – (quote from the liner notes by Nat Hentoff)
Now at the peak of his powers, he brings fresh, yet steeped in history of Bop, piano style to this robust collection that features both thoughtful originals and classic standards from accomplished composers such as Dizzy Gillespie, Rogers and Hart, Clifford Brown, Jon Hendricks, and Cole Porter.
His career is recognized with the utmost adoration and respect. Dr. Billy Taylor is one of only three Jazz musicians appointed to the National Council of the Arts, also working as the Artistic Director for Jazz at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is a recipient of the National Medal of Arts, and is also known for the artist profiles he hosted as the Arts correspondent for CBS Sunday Morning.
“…In a solo setting, Taylor reinvigorates the concept of instrumental mastery. He is just all over that piano, creating moments that are so musical, one could easily forget the technical mastery involved. …a great mix of tunes and arrangements. The arrangement of “Laura” may be the perfect link between modern solo jazz piano and the impressionist explorations of Debussy and Ravel.” – Cortland Kirkeby, The Reader
Playing with infectious joy and playfulness, Billy Taylor: 10 Fingers, One Voice showcases Taylor’s deliberate and impressive ability to swing dynamically on upbeat numbers and yet play stirringly on softer songs, conveying both his passionate melodic soul and his blissful energy – resulting in a solo piano recording with a depth that makes repeat listening an imperative.
credits
released December 28, 2021
Billy Taylor: Solo Piano
Liner notes by: Nat Hentoff
Produced by: Bob Karcy
Total Time: Approx 54 minutes
Unimpressed with the sound of his own voice, Taylor decided at a young age that he would fuse both family pursuits into one
and try to “sing through the piano.” It was a fortuitous decision. After graduating college in 1942, Taylor set out for New York City, jazz capital of the world, to see where his talent would take him....more
The Arkadia Jazz All-Stars deliver a low-lit, elegant take on Duke Ellington classics, each note delivered with tenderness and grace. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 19, 2022
Acclaimed jazz pianist and composer pivots from supporting player to bandleader, joined by a quintet of New York powerhouses. Bandcamp New & Notable Jun 1, 2022