Calvin Eugene "Gene" Taylor (March 19, 1929[1] – December 22, 2001[2]), was an American jazz double bassist. He was born in Toledo, Ohio, and began his career in Detroit, Michigan.[2] Taylor worked with Horace Silver from 1958 until 1963.[1][3][4] He then joined Blue Mitchell's quintet, with whom he recorded and performed until 1965.[2] From 1966 until 1968, he toured and recorded with Nina Simone.[2] Simone recorded the song "Why? (The King of Love is Dead)", which Taylor wrote following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.[2][5][6] Taylor began teaching music in New York public schools.[2] Taylor worked with Judy Collins from 1968 until 1976, and made numerous television appearances accompanying Simone and Collins.[2] He died on December 22, 2001, in Sarasota, Florida, where he had been living since 1990.
Gene Taylor | |
|---|---|
 Gene Taylor and Blue Mitchell (Concertgebouw, 1959) | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Calvin Eugene Taylor |
| Born | March 19, 1929 Toledo, Ohio, US |
| Origin | Detroit, Michigan |
| Died | December 22, 2001 (age 72) Sarasota, Florida |
| Genres | Jazz |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter |
| Instrument | Double bass |
Discography
editAs sideman
edit- Roland Alexander: Pleasure Bent (New Jazz, 1961)
- Junior Cook: Junior's Cookin' (Jazzland, 1961)
- Barry Harris: Barry Harris Plays Tadd Dameron (Xanadu Records, 1975)
- Coleman Hawkins: Supreme (Enja Records, 1966)
- Junior Mance: Harlem Lullaby (Atlantic, 1967)
- Eddie Jefferson: Coming Along With Me (OJC, 1969)
- Eric Kloss: Doors (Cobblestone, 1972)
- Blue Mitchell: The Cup Bearers (Riverside, 1963), Down with It! (Blue Note, 1965), Bring It Home to Me (Blue Note, 1966), Boss Horn (Blue Note, 1966), Heads Up! (Blue Note, 1967)
- Duke Pearson: Profile (Blue Note, 1959), Tender Feelin's (Blue Note, 1959), The Right Touch (Blue Note, 1967)
- Horace Silver: Finger Poppin' (Blue Note, 1959), Blowin' the Blues Away (Blue Note, 1959), Horace-Scope (Blue Note, 1960), The Tokyo Blues (Blue Note, 1962), Song for My Father (Blue Note, 1964)
- John Wright: The Last Amen (New Jazz, 1961 [1965])
References
edit- ^ a b "Jazz Performers - T's & U's". Jazz, Ragtime & Blues in the Knight Library. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g "Requiem". Allegro. CII (3). New York: American Federation of Musicians, local 802. Archived from the original on 2011-01-29. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ Obituary specifies 1962, but Taylor recorded tracks in 1963 for Song for My Father
- ^ Cuscuna, Michael (2008). Live at Newport '58 (CD booklet). Horace Silver. New York: Blue Note Records. 0946 3 98070 2 4.
- ^ Taylor, Calvin Eugene (January 20, 1986). Johnson, John H. (ed.). "Why? (The King of Love is Dead)". JET. 69 (18). Chicago: Johnson: 55. ISSN 0021-5996. Retrieved 2010-11-04.
- ^ Simone, Nina; Stephen Cleary (2003) [1992]. I Put a Spell on You. Introduction by Dave Marsh (2nd ed.). New York: Da Capo Press. pp. 114–115. ISBN 0-306-80525-1.
External links
edit- Gene Taylor discography at Discogs