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Grammy Award Winning Trumpeter Curtis Taylor

A virtual performance lecture

Join Grammy Award-winning trumpeter and NE Ohio native Curtis Taylor for an exciting, interactive evening of music and conversation. This is a virtual event. Please register to receive an event link.

Taylor and his bandmates will play arrangements of standard Jazz, R&B, Neo-soul and original music from his repertoire. He’ll also explain what makes Jazz a vital and enduring part of our cultural fabric, with time for audience questions. You won't want to miss this exciting virtual event! This program is generously sponsored by the Friends of Nordonia Hills Branch Library. 

• This program will be presented on Zoom.
• You will receive an e-mail with the participation weblink 3 days before the program. Please contact the Library if you are unable to attend.
• A webcam and microphone may be necessary to participate fully in this interactive event. If you have one or neither of these, your participation may be limited.

Award-winning trumpeter Curtis Taylor’s lyrical and melodic improvisational style displays a level of maturity far beyond his counterparts. His unique blend of soulfulness, harmonic sensibilities and rhythm melt together for an unforgettable sound that directly connects with the soul of the listener. According to Taylor, “ When played honestly, music is the ultimate conveyer of truth and beauty.”
 
Taylor has performed and recorded with Patrice Rushen, Billy Childs, Gary Novak, Bob Sheppard, Ed Motta, Marvin "Smitty' Smith, Rodney Whitaker, Antonio Hart, and great gospel luminaries Karen Clark-Sheard, Kierra Sheard, and The Singletons. More extensively, Taylor’s stint with jazz pianist Cyrus Chestnut included a notable concert performance at Kennedy Center recorded for NPR’s Jazzset, an appearance at the Spoleto Jazz Festival, and a week long engagement at Dizzy’s Club in NYC. In addition, Taylor had the great opportunity to tour internationally with virtuosic saxophonist James Carter and his Quintet, performing in: Germany, France, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Canada, and Austria. Rounding out the experience was a week long stint at Yoshi’s in California again with the James Carter Quintet.
 
In 2014, Taylor relocated to southern California, where he fostered a musical relationship with friend and mentor Kamau Kenyatta. Kenyatta is a two-time Grammy-award winning producer for Jazz vocal-star Gregory Porter. While building the musical team for Porter’s “Liquid Spirit” album, he chose Taylor for the trumpet chair. Kenyatta stated that Taylor “graced the session with his elegant solos and precise ensemble playing,” and noted his musicianship as “impeccable.” Gregory Porter’s “Liquid Spirit” would go on to receive the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Album of 2014.

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