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4 Billy T aylor t The veteran jazz pi By JAY LATHAM Gamecock Staff Writer When we called one of the "with it" record shops this week to see if any of jazz pianist Billy Taylor's recordings were still heinp issnpH fho nnAnmafAM - o v.iv |/ivpuviui daivcu, Dime Taylor? What does she sing?" It was a strange reaction to a name many jazz buffs would include in a list of the top ten living keyboard artists. Perhaps Billy Taylor has been out of the limelight too long, but he has remained professionally active and he has acquired a new and devoted following-people under 20! For the last several years he's been bringing jazz to youngsters in 15 northeastern inner-city communities through an inperson lecture-performance called "Jazzmobile." That same kind of program is set for Township Auditorium Thursday and Friday when the Billy Taylor Trio will perform for Columbia area school children. What kind of response does Taylor's brand of jazz get from young audiences? "The reaction is always positive," says the Greenville, N.C. native, "but it takes many forms. For instance, some kids-depending on age-want to participate. You can feel in talking to them that they would like to react to some of the things you're saying and 'try some of that out.' Others are interested, too, but on a much more intellectual basis. They want to know about the history. They want to know about how the music we're playing fits in with all the rest. Mostly, though, says Taylor, his audiences are interested in the performing musicians themselves-particularly the percussionist. "SECRETLY EVRRVROnv halimfoc u** ^ - . uvuv * vo lib Ul OIIC toil piety the drums, and they are amazed at how complicated it really is and how easy it looks," Taylor said. "Then, we sometimes get right into improvisation, which interests a lot of people. They say, 'well, what happens to the melody-what happens when you guys go off on your own with no relation to the melodies you've been talking about?' So, we give them an idea about that process, and then we talk about the various aspects of the application of improvisation--both individually and collectively-and it seems 10 maKe some Kind of sense, because they do that in other areas. "I point out to them that the fellows who play basketball, when they're running down the court, don't have to look over-if they've been playing with the same guys for awhile-don't have to look over to see if the other guy is going to be there. You know he's going to be there, and you can go ahead and pass the ball. That happens a lot musically." Voungsters today ... can play rock, can play jazz ... can do alot of things if you just let'em alone and just give'em a gentle push. Taylor talks about music education with authority. He has a doctorate in musicology, and has lectured for years at such institutions as the Manhattan School of Music, C.W. Post College, Columbia University and Yale University. How does Taylor, a jazz veteran whose career spans almost 40 years, view the current crop of young performers? Technically, he savs. thev are astounding r * ? y / ??- 'O* Springtime for Workshop Theatre has The South C brought storytime, "Raggedy Ann and the Kitani F< Andy's Storytime," an original play written musical festh and directed by Ann Dreher Brailsford. Ms. oianost-comn< - ? s? * Brailsford's production is providing outstanding fl Columbia families with an outing combining jazz artist h entertainment, supper, if you wish, and the demonstratioi lovely historic setting of the Robert Mills Taylor and House. Raggedy Ann and Andy's Storytime Auditorium in is narrated by Mary Jeffcoat and Sarn 10:00 a.m. for Sexton in the title roles. The familiar a7f!rl!ssl0/\lf elements of fairy tales are all there, char- will be at tne ~u:? J ... I ming cuuuren, wiciceaness, a magical purse 8:00 p.m. lie and a friendly old tortoise who will steal your heart away. This family production Jill Dalton, will run through April 30. Performance has been cn< times are Monday through Friday at 5:30 p.m.; Saturday 11:00 a.m. and 5:30 p.m.; SJfh r and Sunday 2:00 and 5:30p.m. Tickets may u ar? \n be purchased at the Blanding St. gate of the Robert Mills House 45 minutes before each ? trough the performance. All seats are $2.50 each. In ducting a miir case of rain, the performance of that day Junel2throug will be cancelled. 11:30 a.m. -1:< speaks anist resurfaces and tai Billy Taylor... in concert April 28 at the Coliseum "I'M ALWAYS amazed at the technical facility the young < people have developed at a very early age. That has a great deal to do with the training, the availability of records, good instruments, and many other factors. But the thing that i worries me is that we have not brought the educational i process up to what we have done technically. 1 " inougri much is available, many young people are still < being taught in the traditional way that I was taught: harmony, theory, etc. and not relating those techniques and < devices to music in general, but specifically to the i European tradition. That bothers me. "Youngsters today are brighter than that. They can play rock, they can play jazz, they can play country and western, they can play European classical music. They can do a lot of things if you just let 'em alone and just give 'em a gentle nncVi " puon. Does the warm reception Taylor's music gets from today's youngsters mean jazz is faring well in the intensely competitive marketplace? 'IT'S GROWING," he acknowledged, "and there's a resurgence of interest in jazz. It's being presented much better in the marketplace than it ever has in my lifetime. I know from my own personal experience in New York, which is the most competitive of all radio markets, I was able to sell jazz opposite, or in competition with all of the very neavny commercialized music back in the '60's, so I know it's possible now because the idiom is much more acceptable now than it was then. "But there doesn't seem to be the concerted effort in jazz promotion that exists on behalf of country music or latin ?Ha rvnfminorc rr "bu Carolina Arts Commission and of body movement isolati nmdation will present a jazz technique, improvisation /al featuring world renowned ceptualization. The cost is $5< sser Dr. Billy Taylor and ? utist and international concert Auditions for Stage South lerbie Mann. Two lecture statewide tour are scheduled Sf is will be presented by Billy 6 in Columbia. Actor-singer-mi his trio at the Township throughout South Carolina sh i Columbia April 27 and 28 at Ms. Meribeth Meacham, gene school children. The cost of for Stage South, the state the* >1.25 per person. The concert Carolina. Deadline for re Carolina Coliseum April 28 at audition appointment is Ms kets are $3.25, $5.25 and $7.25. professional touring company's fall production will be an oi a South Carolina Mime artist written Iks about jazz music, and that bothers me. I think those two styles have had better cooperation among the artists and within the business in terras of getting the good things out to the public." Taylor said most of what is played on most radio stations across the country today bears little on what people really want to hear. "It's a symptom of greed...a combination of record promotion and people on the radio who have abdicated anv programmatic desires or responsibilities and are going with lists that are after-the-fact. Any kind of poll or list that you find in any of the major trade publications are afterthe-fact, after the record is sold or after it's been promoted to whatever position it's supposed to be in the 'Cash Bow' or 'Record World' or 'Billboard' poll. "My idea of radio is to create rather than follow. It just bugs me that so many people are going into all kinds of variations on the theme-top 40, top 20, etc.--fewer and fewer records played more and more frequently. It shortchanges the public, it shortchantfps arti^e ; of,,*-* _ m , ..0WW ??IV MIL iltJVC, I I OIIU1 I" changes the business, because the more products you have out there the more you can sell. It's really self-defeating." TAYLOR has not done any recording for over a decade, much to the sorrow of those who developed a taste for the Billy Taylor Trio at Birdland, the Embers or other jazz oases, but he says that situation is likely to change before too long. "I'm about to get involved with records again," he said. i consciously walked away from recording some years ago after a rather unfortunate experience with several record companies. I just decided that I could devote my time to other areas in which I could control the creative product a little better or at least approve the creative things I was asked to do. "It seemed to me that if I was doing more creative things on commercials than I was doing on records something was wrong, so I just decided that I would go into other areas. But now I've 0Ont? full oimlo onH T'iro ?""" 4L- ,--1 _ . _ 0 v.v uuu i vc uccu icikviii^ in me last Few weeks with several people in the record business who seem to be interested in what I have to say musically. So hopefully I'll have something out there on the market by fall after a hiatus of several years." Remembering the Billy Taylor big band, the sextet, the quintet, and other combinations, Taylor was asked what might be expected in the future. I ve been talking with several people in the record business ... hopefully I'll have something on the market by fall... "I don't know what form it'll take," he said. "I have several tapes with the trio which are very exciting. I also have a couple of tapes with the Utah Symphony and several other major symphonies of a work I did called 'Suite for Jazz Piano and Orchestra.' I really would like to get that out becailSP it's a wnrb- hot'c ? 1? - - ? ? .. .. uiut O ntincvcivcu uy iiUUlCIlCCS around the country. And I'm about to write another long work, too, so I'd really like to get that one and another called 'Impromptu' which we've been doing for the last couple of years on record. Those are the kinds of projects uppermost in my mind, anyway." Columbia jazz fans won't have to wait till fall to hear 'illy Taylor play. He'll be in concert with his trin anH - '*** Herbie Mann this Friday night at Carolina Coliseum, ions, mime twenty-five photographs that were taken by anrl />nn Mr* IPrnnb 1-I ? a UIIU v?n- ??? ???** ? uui mg ins iwo year traveling 3 experience throughout the United States. The focus is on the realistic, non-pretty side 's fall 1978 of America with scenes ranging from bars to tturdav. Mav political rallies to a lunrh^noH*. ^ _ ? - M.^s.^vraa\/i vv isicians from ould contact Fifteen works of art have been purchased * *or ?nclusi?n >n the State Art Collection, lire oi souin Carolina Arts Commission Executive ques ing an pirecjor George announced today, ly 3. The , _?. > . - civfh annual ,,,c WUI w?re selected irom among 72 ... . pieces currently exhibited at the ComM mission's fourth Annual Exhibition at Columbia College Music Art' Center Gallery. The exhibition will be open to the public th through April 30. Gallery hours are from 10 1 a.m. - 6 p.m. Monday through Saturday and _ 2-6 p.m. on Sundays. obert Frank "Works from a wide range of disciplines Museum of were chosen by the State Art Selection tman House Committee," George said, "and the State loor lobby of Art Collection will be enhanced by these consists of acquisitions." ?^ ** at-waa W|TWViM?a^ ?VfI Ui?^ >sen to perform during the Meacham said. A six-memfc internationally acclaimed employ mime, music and mov /al to be held in Charleston, imaginatively-staged play b? a from May 25 through June environment. on will be performing in the tivals during the week of June Fine Arts presents The R tlth. She will also be con- Collection of the International le class, sponsored by RHUU, Photography at George Eas il, on II I 41? - _ * ** - " * " ,u au, monuay uin?u}{ii rnaay, mrougn iviayio in the second f 00 p.m. The class will consist Russell House. The exhibit