''Urban Griot'' is an album by
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...
, featuring tracks recorded in 2000 and released by Soundpost Records.
Recording and music
The album was recorded at Manhattan Center Studios, New York, on November 13 and December 9, 2000.
Pianist Taylor's trio for the recording contained bassist
and drummer
Winard Harper
Hiram Winard Harper (born June 4, 1962) is an American jazz drummer.
Career
Harper played in the 1980s with Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, and with Betty Carter for four years. While working with Carter he met Wycliffe Gordon, with whom Harper w ...
.
The ten pieces were written as pedagogical material for the Wharton Center for Performing Arts at
Michigan State University
Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...
.
Some have melodies that use
fourths; others are based on rhythms that would be familiar to students.
"Local Color / Can You Dig It?" uses rhythms similar to those found in hip hop; "Reclamation" is a waltz; and "Gracias Chucho" contains Latin rhythms.
One track, "Spoken", is a spoken-word dedication to a dead child.
Taylor said that he regarded his role as an educator to be like that of a
griot
A griot (; ; Manding: jali or jeli (in N'Ko: , ''djeli'' or ''djéli'' in French spelling); Serer: kevel or kewel / okawul; Wolof: gewel) is a West African historian, storyteller, praise singer, poet, and/or musician.
The griot is a repos ...
, explaining the album's title: "I am like an urban griot, bringing a sense of history and continuity to teaching music."
Release and reception
''Urban Griot'' was released by Soundpost on August 28, 2001.
The
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
reviewer concluded that, of the albums in Taylor's catalog, "this recording should be one of the first acquired".
The ''
JazzTimes
''JazzTimes'' is an American magazine devoted to jazz. Published 10 times a year, it was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1970 by Ira Sabin as the newsletter ''Radio Free Jazz'' to complement his record store.
Coverage
After a decade of growth ...
'' reviewer expressed admiration for Taylor's piano playing, but wrote that the spoken-word track "comes out like an awkward public-service announcement and breaks the vibe".
Track listing
''All compositions by Billy Taylor.''
# "Local Color / Can You Dig It?" – 4:25
# "Reclamation" – 5:49
# "Gracias Chucho" – 2:54
# "Etude" – 4:06
# "Conversion" – 4:44
# "Spoken" – 1:38
# "In Loving Memory" – 6:13
# "Like a Heartbeat" – 4:16
# "Invention / Looking for Another Theme" – 5:35
# "Transformation" – 8:30
# "A Duke-ish Blues" – 5:52
Personnel
*
Billy Taylor
Billy Taylor (July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010) was an American jazz pianist, composer, broadcaster and educator. He was the Robert L. Jones Distinguished Professor of Music at East Carolina University in Greenville, and from 1994 was the ...
– piano
*
– bass
*
Winard Harper
Hiram Winard Harper (born June 4, 1962) is an American jazz drummer.
Career
Harper played in the 1980s with Dexter Gordon, Johnny Griffin, and with Betty Carter for four years. While working with Carter he met Wycliffe Gordon, with whom Harper w ...
– drums
References
{{Authority control
2001 albums
Billy Taylor albums