The Marlowsphere Blog #73
My friend and mentor Dr. Billy Taylor passed on December 28, 2010 of heart failure at age 89. July 24, 2013 would have been his 92nd birthday. Dr. Taylor played a prominent role in my evolution as a composer and educator. Below is Part II of a commentary on our 30-year relationship.
Taking the Plunge Into Music
I finally decided to take the plunge and go where I had feared to go. I had taken some continuing education music theory courses at the New School, but I quickly realized I needed more, much more. In 1995 I was accepted into a City University of New York BA program in classical music at Hunter College. I ultimately went on to pursue the MS in music composition, also at Hunter.
In between all this I was accepted into the BMI Jazz Composers Workshop. One outcome was a first album entitled “A Summer Afternoon With You” with Michael Abene–then associate director of the BMI Workshop–leading a quintet. The first cut on the album is an up tempo homage to Billy entitled “Taylored for Billy.” Virtuoso jazz bassist Chip Jackson, Billy’s long time bassist, was also on the “Summer” album. I eventually charted a big band version premiered by the George Gee Big Band at Swing 46 in New York. A trio version of the piece was performed by Cyrus Chestnut at the 2012 Montreal Jazz Festival. The big band version was performed by the Manhattan School of Music Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra under the direction of multi-Grammy nominee Bobby Sanabria in spring 2013. And this summer the piece was performed as part of the Louis Armstrong Summer Camp concert in New Orleans.
A second album “Making the Music Our Own,” is also Taylor-influenced. This CD is a collection of Hebraic melodies I had arranged in various jazz, Afro-Cuban, and Brazilian styles. I got the title of the CD from a story Billy used to tell about an interaction he had with Duke Ellington. The story goes something like this:
Billy was playing with a small ensemble at the Hickory House in New York when in walks the Duke. During a break the two sit together and chat. At some point in the conversation Billy says to Ellington “How can I improve my playing, especially when I’m playing your music?” Ellington thought about this question for a while and finally responded, “Find a way to make the music your own.” Billy told this story at an IAJE conference concert right before he played a version of “A Train” in a sultry, slow moving style with a major tenth spread in the left hand.
I never forgot that moment and immediately thought of it when devising the title for the aforementioned album.
Staying in Touch With My “Jazz Father”
Over the years I stayed in touch with Billy by phone, at several IAJE conferences, and at talks he gave at Lincoln Center. Every time we met I was greeted with an enthusiastic smile. We sat several times together for lunch. One time he talked about his trip to China in the 1980s which greatly interested me because I am drafting a book on this same subject following my two visits to China in 2000 and 2006. Each time we interacted I felt the conveyance of respect from him for what I was doing. This only elevated my respect for him. Every moment I was with him was a special time. And there was no such thing as a short conversation. He gave of himself in a way I have not experienced with anyone else.
Billy was kind enough to provide a comment on the tray card of my fourth album, “Wonderful Discovery” an all-Latin tinged album with Grammy winner, piano virtuoso Arturo O’Farrill leading a group of some of the best Latin players in New York. All the compositions were original, except for my Latin-funk arrangement of “Summertime.”
He took the time to call me personally to convey his response to the music. He gave me permission to quote him. This is what he said of the album:
“I love what you did with ‘Wonderful Discovery.’ The solos are terrific, the songs are great.
What I love is the feeling of the old Machito band–all those rhythms and the fact there is so much melody.
And you got the right musicians to play the music.”
Billy had played with the Machito band in the 1940s.
I was able to return the favor, so to speak, for Billy’s generosity with me over the years by inviting him and his trio to perform at the Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Concert Series at Baruch College. In 1996 we were then in our fifth year. Billy and his trio, including bassist Chip Jackson and drummer Winard Harper, performed for a full house in our then 1,200 seat auditorium. Billy was his usual high-level performer and educator, always interacting with the audience before each piece, always talking about the music and what it means. History will be the ultimate judge, but at heart I think Billy was an educator (his doctorate in education, notwithstanding). He used every opportunity to talk about the music, not just in a pedagogical style, but to convey the cultural and social importance of the music. What a teacher!
The last time I had contact with Billy was for his 88th birthday. I called to sing “Happy Birthday” to him. I do this for all my close friends and relatives. And now he is gone. My biggest regret is that I did not have more contact with him in his last year. This was a great man, moreso for his humanity than for his numerous musical talents. To say that he influenced tens of thousands of people would be a gross understatement. This man did an enormous amount for jazz and American culture. I can envision numerous programs will be named in his honor in the future and deservedly so. He won’t be forgotten. His legacy and what he stood for will live on in all those whose lives he touched.
Billy once told me how proud he was of me for the work I was doing. I was in my early sixties when he conveyed this to me. I floated several inches above the floor for some time after hearing this from one of the great men of the 20th century. We all need a mentor and a role model, regardless of age and level of accomplishment and I am no exception.
When I introduced Billy and the Billy Taylor Trio at the Baruch College Milt Hinton Jazz Perspectives Concert Series 17 years ago I said to the audience then that if I had a chance for a second life, I would want to come back as Billy Taylor. I feel the same today. I miss my “jazz father” very much.
A book (authored by Dr. Taylor with Dr. Teresa L. Reed) was recently published on his jazz life, appropriately titled The Jazz Life of Dr. Billy Taylor. Please look for my review in a forthcoming issue of The New York City Jazz Record.
Please write to me at meiienterprises@aol.com if you have any comments on this or any other of my blogs.
Eugene Marlow, Ph.D.
July 29, 2013
© Eugene Marlow 2013