Mike Taylor (musician)
Ronald Michael "Mike" Taylor (* 1938 in Ealing , London ; † January 1969 ) was a British modern jazz musician (pianist, composer) who wrote some songs for the band Cream .
Live and act
Taylor, whose parents died very early, was raised by his grandparents. After military service, he turned to hard bop in the early 1960s and formed his own band that included John Mumford, Chris Bateson and Frank Powell. In the following years he worked with Graham Bond , Jack Bruce and Jon Hiseman . In 1965 he was presented with a half-hour concert on the BBC ; Ornette Coleman signed Taylor's quartet as opening act for his performance in Croydon . With his band he recorded two albums. Some of his compositions have been included in the repertoire of the New Jazz Orchestra ; his own trio also performed with this orchestra. Three of his compositions were provided with text by Ginger Baker and recorded by Cream on the album Wheels of Fire (1968): Passing the Time , Pressed Rat and Warthog and Those were the Days . Ginger Baker and Phil Seamen performed parts of Taylor's Horn Gut and Skin Suite at the 1968 National Jazz and Blues Festival .
At that time, Taylor was already living homeless. One day his body was recovered from the Thames. In 1973 Neil Ardley , Dave Gelly , Jon Hiseman, Ian Carr , Henry Lowther , Barbara Thompson and Norma Winstone recorded the album Mike Taylor Remembered , with which they honored Taylor as a composer.
Discographic notes
- Pendulum (1966, with Jon Hiseman, Tony Reeves, and Dave Tomlin)
- Trio (1967, with Hiseman, Jack Bruce and Ron Rubin)
Web links
Remarks
- ↑ cf. the review (2004) in The Guardian
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Taylor, Mike |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Taylor, Richard Michael |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British jazz musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | 1938 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Ealing |
| DATE OF DEATH | January 1969 |