Product Description

Jazz master pianist, composer, journalist and educator Billy Taylor stands alone both figuratively and literally with his CD. Only the 2nd solo recording in his 65 year career, 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 written by Nat Hentoff). Now at the peak of his powers, he bring 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 & 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 and currently works 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. 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!

Track Listing

1. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams (And Dream Your Troubles Away)
2. In a Sentimental Mood
3. Joy Spring
4. Laura
5. Easy Like
6. Night and Day
7. Can You Tell by Looking at Me
8. Early Bird
9. Tea for Two
10. Solo
11. My Heart Stood Still

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #50178 in Music
• Released on: 1999-01-26
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.com
Because of his tireless work as a jazz educator, author, and TV correspondent, it's easy to overlook the fact that Dr. Billy Taylor is one of today's most comprehensive pianists, as this brilliant and buoyant solo recording--only the second of his more-than-50-year career--shows. In this invigorating mix of bop tunes, ballads, and original compositions, Taylor's septuagenarian swing marvelously encapsulates an encyclopedic range of jazz pianisms into his own personal idiom. On the standards, "Wrap Your Troubles in My Dreams," "Tea for Two," "Laura," and "My Heart Stood Still," Taylor's dedication to melody is only surpassed by his intricate and articulate solos that sing as well as swing. His take on Cole Porter's "Night and Day," and his own offering, "Easy Like," show off his rock-steady, stride-influenced left hand. His other tunes--the Bud Powell-paced "Early Bird," the reflective "Solo," and the willowy "Can You Tell by Looking at Me?"--are more like spontaneous compositions than simple improvisations. With this CD, one can get a first-rate education in America's classical music, thanks to Dr. Taylor's pianistic prowess. --Eugene Holley Jr.

From Jazziz
Rarely are solo-piano records this enchanting. On Ten Fingers - One Voice, Billy Taylor sounds liberated, as if the context has freed him to explore regions he's only hinted at in the past. The result - a mix of standards and three originals - is a marvel of ingenuity.

Whimsically following the music wherever it takes him, Taylor gets into some beautifully unusual spaces. On Clifford Brown's "Joy Spring," the counterpoint generated by Taylor's walking bass and his soloing at times wouldn't sound out of place in a Bach cantata. And his luminous chordal harmonies on Ellington's "In a Sentimental Mood" recall French romantic composers like Debussy.

Taylor's reputation as an articulate jazz spokesman and educator is well-known. Here, he puts his wide-ranging jazz knowledge to use. On "Easy Like," he demonstrates some wonderful stride piano; on "Early Bird" (a tribute to Charlie Parker), he displays a flawless bebop sensibility; and on ballads like "Laura," he is at his most thoughtful and sensitive. He also displays a masterful sense of dynamics, which helps to keep the album constantly engaging - on "Night and Day," he moves from a pensive, quiet introduction to a cascading and bombastic middle section almost in a heartbeat.

Taylor states in the liner notes that he is enjoying playing solo piano more and more these days, which hopefully means more albums like this are on the way.

--- Ezra Gale, JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Erza Dale, Jazziz, May 1999
Rarely are solo piano albums this enchanting...a masterful sense of dynamics, which helps keep the album constantly engaging...

Customer Reviews

Billy Taylor is always a wonderful performer
Those of us fortunate to live in the DC have mamy opportunities to hear Billy perform. I feel bad for everyone else.

Melts in your mouth!
If you want to focus your jazz listening completely on the piano, as I did, then this CD is for you. The lack of drums and bass go unnoticed as Dr. Taylor is able to hold your attention with his magical "10 fingers." The album is totally sweet and I listen to it regularily.

Mellow
This is one cd I can listen to again and again. It makes me want to buy all the Billy Taylor cds.