Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Curtis Taylor: Taylor Made

Curtis Taylor: Taylor Made

By Jack Bowers
May 15, 2024
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Trumpeter and composer

Curtis Taylor

trumpet

" data-original-title="" title="">Curtis Taylor's debut album, he writes in the liner notes, "was over twenty years in the making." Ever since he was a teenager, Taylor confesses, he dreamed of recording his music with a group of stellar musicians and calling it Taylor Made. And now he has.

The album's cover mirrors some of those that represented such labels as Blue Note and Prestige back in the 1950s and '60s, which is quite appropriate, as Taylor and his teammates are disciples of the hard bop style of jazz pioneered in those long-ago days by

Lee Morgan

trumpet
1938 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Lee Morgan,

Freddie Hubbard

trumpet
1938 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Freddie Hubbard,

Kenny Dorham

trumpet
1924 - 1972

" data-original-title="" title="">Kenny Dorham,

Woody Shaw

trumpet
1944 - 1989

" data-original-title="" title="">Woody Shaw,

Dexter Gordon

saxophone, tenor
1923 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Dexter Gordon,

Gene Ammons

saxophone, tenor
1925 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Gene Ammons,

Sonny Stitt

saxophone
1924 - 1982

" data-original-title="" title="">Sonny Stitt,

Hank Mobley

saxophone, tenor
1930 - 1986

" data-original-title="" title="">Hank Mobley,

Johnny Griffin

saxophone, tenor
1928 - 2008

" data-original-title="" title="">Johnny Griffin,

Horace Silver

piano
1928 - 2014

" data-original-title="" title="">Horace Silver,

Bobby Timmons

piano
1935 - 1974

" data-original-title="" title="">Bobby Timmons,

Red Garland

piano
1923 - 1984

" data-original-title="" title="">Red Garland,

Charles Mingus

bass, acoustic
1922 - 1979

" data-original-title="" title="">Charles Mingus,

Ray Brown

bass, acoustic
1926 - 2002

" data-original-title="" title="">Ray Brown,

Sam Jones

bass, acoustic
1924 - 1981

" data-original-title="" title="">Sam Jones,

Ron Carter

bass
b.1937

" data-original-title="" title="">Ron Carter,

Art Blakey

drums
1919 - 1990

" data-original-title="" title="">Art Blakey,

Philly Joe Jones

drums
1923 - 1985

" data-original-title="" title="">Philly Joe Jones,

Jimmy Cobb

drums
1929 - 2020

" data-original-title="" title="">Jimmy Cobb and a host of other household names.

As Taylor writes in that vein, Taylor Made is in some ways a throwback to the days when hard bop was king, but without imitation or clich��. Even when following the hard bop course, Taylor's music is fresh and alive, affirming that he has listened closely to his forebears and taken his cue from them while producing music that espouses his own voice. His quintet follows suit, swinging hard when needed and embracing Taylor's colorful charts with efficiency and enthusiasm.

The session is not all fire and brimstone; far from it, in fact, as hard bop has more to do with mood than tempo, and there is only one number —"Heightened Awareness"—that could reasonably be labeled a flag-waver. Taylor brings the heat in other ways, infusing his charts with a hard bop spirit that is ever-present even when the overlay is a waltz ("For Her") or ballad ("Hashtagged"), relying on earnest solos by tenor saxophonist

Marcus Elliot

saxophone, tenor

" data-original-title="" title="">Marcus Elliot and pianist

Theron Brown

piano

" data-original-title="" title="">Theron Brown and sturdy rhythmic support from bassist Jonathan Muir-Cotton and drummer

Alex White

drums

" data-original-title="" title="">Alex White .

Taylor opens with "Kham's Dilemma," a lyrical tribute to his son Khamari, and follows with the light-hearted "After the Rain," inspired by a rainfall but not completed until the sun had reappeared. "Heightened Awareness" and "For Her" precede the solemn yet engaging "Indomitable" and "Hashtagged," after which the session wraps with the delightful medium-tempo charmer, "Journey," on which Taylor, Elliot and Brown squeeze in one last impressive solo apiece. While it is true that not everyone appreciates the niceties of hard bop, those who do should find this album Taylor Made to suit their taste.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Kham��s Dilemma; After the Rain; Heightened Awareness; For Her; Indomitable; Hashtagged; Journey.

Personnel

Curtis Taylor

trumpet

Marcus Elliot

saxophone, tenor

Theron Brown

piano

Jonathon Muir-Cotton

bass, acoustic

Alex White

drums

Additional Instrumentation

David Casta?eda: percussion (2).

Album information

Title: Taylor Made | Year Released: 2024 | Record Label: Self Produced

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