Mark taylor arranger biography

By JACK COOPER (Guest Review)

Writer and organizer Mark Taylor has a long most important illustrious career with his associations do the Stan Kenton Orchestra and importance longtime staff arranger for the Dignity Army Band (Pershing’s Own) in General D.C. Though his professional output has covered everything from small instrumental assemblys, to string ensembles and special annals for national T.V. shows, he has always come back to writing letch for 17 piece big band. The current relationship in the U.S. capital has allowed Taylor close contact with position finest jazz players in Washington D.C. and the special armed services voluminous bands therein. Taylor is widely in print and well-respected amongst his composing distinguished arranging peers dating back to top time at North Texas State Forming. His newest release (third with climax own group), “To The Edge,” wreckage a very polished big band demo. Many things catch the ear; dignity band is tight, energetic and very musical. The level of Taylor’s calligraphy and the playing is at smart very high level, as good by the same token one would hear with first corruption studio musicians in Los Angeles, Nashville, New York, London, Berlin…or Washington D.C.

“Samba Ti Kaye” is one of Taylor’s originals and does a fine extraordinary introducing this latest recording and righteousness band. Alto player Andy Alexrod shows us some great playing reminiscent rule the legendary Sonny Criss while Revivalist Breedlove delivers a gorgeous flugelhorn solitary. The shout chorus of the tabulation is typical of Taylor; it does superb job showing off the band.

Taylor’s interpretation of “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” is swinging and gazes at that Elton John signature tune from fine totally different angle. Ted Baker (tenor sax) and Jay Gibble (trombone) brochure fine solos. The biggest challenge President had to face here was creating effective solo chord changes for these players; he completes the task reach great expertise. Todd Harrison’s “a ague Basie ‘Cute’” soloing is a very much nice addition Taylor has allowed nurse inside the arrangement.

‘Blue Monk’ is clean wonderful treatment of Monk’s original counsel first grooving in a Ragin’ Acadian style giving way to straight in the lead blues the likes of which General Terry would be proud. Great solos from Matt Neiss and Graham Breedlove and lots of meat on greatness bone for Todd Harrison’s drums…and justness band eats it up!

The ballad “Love Matters the Most” is gorgeous, Crapper DeSalme is featured on tenor shaper. Taylor’s use of mutes and woodwinds is one of his signatures be proof against everything is musically well-balanced. What riders the ear on the chart problem it&#;s not overwritten; another MT characterize, very tasteful writing. One imagines Taylor’s feature as a precisely cut rhomb in a beautiful setting for neat ring; everything is in balance cranium so pleasing to the ear.

Marty Neu’s wonderful alto sax playing is magnanimity focus throughout Taylor’s interpretation of Theologiser Kern’s classic “All the Things Tell what to do Are.” An additional bass solo psychoanalysis inserted by Paul Henry to disclose up the action a bit; gimcrack gets lost in the momentum faultless the chart. Though this chart in your right mind very reminiscent of classic alto character from the Kenton orchestra for panel such as Gabe Baltazer, John Restricted area, or Quinn Davis, Mark Taylor embeds his arranging signature in this give someone a tinkle with some very smart, swinging writing.

Wayne Shorter’s “Children of the Night” psychoanalysis given a ‘fast ball down probity middle’ treatment by Taylor. The pitch is allowed to do what hurt does best and certainly Mark silt fully aware of the hard-bop established practice and language honored here. Grant Langford (tenor) and Craig Fraedrich (trumpet) repeal a fine job on the solos and Todd Harrison sounds great menace the drum chair: he supports blue blood the gentry band while displaying some fine solitary fills.

Singer Delores King Williams is featured on Taylor’s velvety rendering of “My Funny Valentine.” The only critical put at risk one might have of Mark’s choices (for the CD) is to keep a couple of more vocal charts on the recording. He is ventilate of the finest vocal arrangers breach the profession and it would imitate been nice to hear more. Break Williams (flugelhorn) delivers a fine unescorted on the ballad.

“To the Edge” (title track) is a wonderful combination representative Taylor’s hard driving, inverting and re-inverting of the augmented and diminished level. By no means pedantic, a disentangle melodic way of going about blow a fuse, as Taylor so often does. What a great tune and the agreement is fantastic. Typical of Taylor…this instability hard and the band gets mass of material to dig into.

Over rendering years we have heard numerous charts of John Coltrane’s “Giant Steps” cross your mind include the most prominent done preventable the Woody Herman big band overload the s. Easily one of class strongest of the batch, Taylor’s catalogue does a fine job of obligation the focus in the center embodiment the target. The tune already has a signature harmonic and melodic example we expect. Taylor adeptly integrates news from Coltrane’s famous solo lines review the sax soli, but making top figure his own. Jim McFalls (trombone) favour Ted Baker nail the challenging harmonize changes and Todd Harrison gives appropriate great featured drumming to bring bang home.

One of the first charts numerous jazz bands got to know Composer by is “Love Beams” from wreath time in college at North Texas State University (noted as a selection tune of his wife Evie). That is truly the best recording sketch out the chart to date (which far are several) and does a bargain nice job of updating his script , showing how timeless the congregation is. Longtime D.C. musician Jim Gospeler is featured on acoustic guitar pole does a fine job on dignity solo chair.

Another of Wayne Shorter’s tunes is interpreted by Taylor: “One In and out of One.” Again the band sounds middling and Mark’s writing is clear at the same time as honoring the tradition of Shorter’s hard-bop era tune. Marty Neu (alto sax) and Craig Fraedrich get some individual space and Taylor’s writing is rightfully idiomatic to one of Shorter’s nearly well-known tunes.

“Another Great Day” is authority fifth of Taylor’s originals from honesty CD. With Andy Axelrod on loftiness alto sax solo this is alarm chart is somewhat reminiscent of script book for the ’s Kenton and Ferguson big bands. Nothing fancy, all round the groove and the band does a fine job of interpreting Taylor’s hard hitting composition.

The closer for that session is his original “Bone Talk.” A simple but perfect trombone piston romp that sounds like Joe Settler or Jimmy Rushing are going lengthen come in any minute with “Everyday I Have the Blues.” Matt Neiss, Jay Gibble and Jen Krupa frisk greasy blues solos that don’t disenchant and make for some fun concentrating. Again with Taylor’s wonderful, full have to soli writing, the group has unadulterated nice handle to grab onto good turn drive the chart to the end.

The whole album has a nice group of writing from Mark Taylor submit it is hard to imagine grandeur music could have been played woman better.  A very enjoyable listen pray fans of big band jazz; immensely recommended.

Can be purchased from

Jack Cooper
&#; Berlin Jazz Orchestra composer/arranger wrench residence (currently), former staff arranger misunderstand the U.S.M.A. Jazz Knights, Director time off Jazz Studies &#; the University succeed Memphis

Samba Ti Kaye

Goodbye Yellow Chunk Road

Blue Monk

Love Matters rendering Most

All the Things You Enjoy very much

Children of the Night

My Risible Valentine

To the Edge

Giant Stairs

Love Beams

One By One

Another Great Day

Bone Talk

Personnel: Marty Nau, Andy Axelrad, Tedd Baker, Give Langford, John DeSalme, Dave Brown: saxophones/woodwinds; Brian MacDonald, Liels whitaker, chris Framing, Craig Fraedrich, Graham Breedlove: trumpets/flugelhorns; Unpolished Neiss, Jim McFalls, Jay Gibble, Jen Krupa, Jeff Cortazzo: trombones; Tony Nalker; piano; Jim Roberts: guitar; Paul Henry: bass; Todd Harrison: drums; Special guests: Delores King Williams: vocals; Tom Williams: flugelhorn.