John Taylor (jazz)
| John Taylor | |
|---|---|
Taylor in 2008
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| Background information | |
| Born |
25 September 1942 Manchester, England |
| Died | 17 July 2015 (aged 72) Segré, France |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Pianist, Composer |
| Instruments | Piano, organ, synthesiser |
| Years active | 1969–2015 |
| Associated acts | Kenny Wheeler, John Surman, Norma Winstone |
| Website | johntaylorjazz |
John Taylor (25 September 1942 – 17 July 2015) was a British jazz pianist born in Manchester, England, who occasionally performed on the organ and the synthesiser.
John Taylor was a self taught pianist. With his family, he moved from Manchester, first to the Midlands and then to Hastings where he played locally. In 1964 Taylor became a civil servant, moved to London and became involved in the free jazz scene.
Taylor first came to the attention of the jazz community in 1969 when he partnered with saxophonists Alan Skidmore and John Surman. He was later reunited with Surman in the short-lived group Morning Glory and in the 1980s with Miroslav Vitous's quartet.
In the early 1970s, Taylor was accompanist to the singer Cleo Laine and started to compose for his own sextet. He also worked with many visiting artists at Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in London, and later became a member of Scott's quintet.
In 1977 Taylor formed the trio Azimuth, with Norma Winstone and Kenny Wheeler. On some of the group's recording Taylor played synthesiser and organ. The group was described by Richard Williams as "one of the most imaginatively conceived and delicately balanced contemporary chamber-jazz groups". The trio made several recordings for ECM Records and performed in Europe, the USA and Canada.
The 1980s saw Taylor working with groups led by Jan Garbarek, Enrico Rava, Gil Evans, Lee Konitz and Charlie Mariano as well as performing in duos with Tony Coe and Steve Arguelles. Composing projects included a commission for the English choir Cantamus Girls Choir with Lee Konitz and Steve Arguelles and pieces for the Hannover Radio Orchestra with Stan Sulzmann. Taylor also performed on David Sylvian's song "Laughter and Forgetting", on which Kenny Wheeler also featured.
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