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Taylor Ho Bynum

Taylor Ho Bynum is a performer on cornet and various brass instruments, composer, bandleader, and interdisciplinary collaborator with artists in dance, film, and theater.

Critics have called him “a young brass master and compelling composer” (Jon Garelick, Boston Phoenix), “one of the most exciting figures in jazz’s new power generation” (Steve Dollar,Time Out Chicago), and “one of his generation’s top avant-garde figures” (Phillip Lutz, The New York Times).

In City Arts, David Adler writes “Bynum is a quick-witted and virtuosic player, steeped in the flutters, growls and extended techniques associated with the late Bill Dixon, the tunefulness of Don Cherry and bluesy humor of Lester Bowie”; in the Guardian (UK) John Fordam describes his playing as “splicing the slurs and bluesy elisions of the earliest jazz brass players into the spiky phrasing and rhythm- pattern conundrums of contemporary music.”

Bynum leads his Sextet and the chamber ensemble Spider Monkey Strings, co-leads the little big band Positive Catastrophe, works with such collective ensembles as the Tomas Fujiwara/Taylor Ho Bynum Duo, The Thirteenth Assembly, Book of Three, and The Convergence Quartet, and performs with artists including Jason Kao Hwang, Myra Melford, Joe Morris, Tyshawn Sorey and Cecil Taylor.

Bynum’s ongoing association with Anthony Braxton is recognized as one of the most fruitful partnerships of that iconic composer’s long career, and his work with Bill Dixon produced some of the departed trumpet innovator’s late masterpieces.

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Album Review

Illegal Crowns: Unclosing

Read "Unclosing" reviewed by John Sharpe


When a band of four leaders in their own right still exists over ten years after its inception, then something worthwhile is afoot. Illegal Crowns comprises the familiar American triumvirate of guitarist Mary Halvorson, cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum and drummer Tomas Fujiwara, who first crossed paths with French pianist Benoît Delbecq in 2012. Their third album Unclosing follows on from an eponymous debut (Rogue Art 2016) and the sophomore No-Nosed Puppet (Rogue Art , 2020). An accomplished blend of accessibility ...

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Radio & Podcasts

Taylor Ho Bynum, Manhattan Transfer, Andrew Hill and others

Read "Taylor Ho Bynum, Manhattan Transfer, Andrew Hill and others" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


This show features music from a wide range of artists including Taylor Ho Bynum, Nicole Mitchell, Andrew Hill and Manhattan Transfer among others. Playlist Henry Threadgill Sextett “I Can't Wait Till I Get Home" from The Complete Novus & Columbia Recordings of Henry Threadgill & Air (Mosaic) 00:00 Kenny Wessel Quartet “Bone Dance" from Weights & Measures (Nonotes) 01:01 Bjorn Wennas “Static" from Static (Beartones) 07:18 Host Speaks 14:02 Darrell Katz and OddSong “Gerbils" from Jailhouse Doc with ...

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Album Review

Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double: March

Read "March" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


This is the second release by drummer and vibraphonist Tomas Fujiwara's unique double trio with himself and Gerald Cleaver on drums, Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook on guitar and Taylor Ho Bynum and Ralph Alessi on brass, a group that can be configured as two trios, three pairs of instruments or something in between. The sound of the resulting combinations can come out ambient or raucous, but tends towards an angular prog-jazz fusion sound, that can pack the punch of ...

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Album Review

Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double: March

Read "March" reviewed by Mark Corroto


Drummer, composer and vibraphonist Tomas Fujiwara did not set out to rebut the saying “familiarity breeds contempt," but March from his sextet Triple Double does just that. His combination of three pairs of double instruments—guitarists Mary Halvorson and Brandon Seabrook, cornet/trumpets Taylor Ho Bynum and Ralph Alessi, plus double drummers Gerald Cleaver and Tomas Fujiwara himself—creates respect, the opposite of contempt. The harmonious and organic nature of this music, first heard on their self-titled debut album Triple Double (Firehouse 12, ...

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Album Review

Tomas Fujiwara's Triple Double: March

Read "March" reviewed by Troy Dostert


Drummer Tomas Fujiwara's March, another offering from his Triple Double sextet, was recorded in December 2019, prior to the widespread racial unrest that followed the killings of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and many others in 2020. But it feels completely of a piece with those protests, with an unsettled anger and impatience that animate every moment of this absorbing album. Creating music that seems perfectly suited for a tumultuous age, Fujiwara's compositional instincts are spot-on, and he once again marshals ...

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Album Review

John Hébert: Sounds Of Love

Read "Sounds Of Love" reviewed by Mark Corroto


In sport, they talk about 'horses for courses,' to describe a parcour suited for particular athletes. That same language can be used to decide an ensemble's lineup for a particular category of music. Bassist and bandleader John Hébert made careful choices to create the quintet to perform music in the spirit of Charles Mingus. In the early 1960s, Mingus toured with saxophonist Eric Dolphy, trumpeter Johnny Coles, pianist Jaki Byard, and drummer Dannie Richmond. For Hébert's touring ensemble from 2011 ...

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Album Review

Anthony Braxton: 12 COMP (ZIM) 2017

Read "12 COMP (ZIM) 2017" reviewed by Jerome Wilson


There had been just a slow trickle of recordings from Anthony Braxton, but all at once he made up for lost time with two major releases. One is a 13 CD box set of performances of standards. The other is a collection of recordings of original compositions that form part of his latest musical concept, ZIM Music, twelve works that run for a total of more than 11 hours and are released on a single Blu-Ray disc. ZIM ...

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Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: Terell Stafford, Nevermore Jazz Ball, Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, Cornet Chop Suey, and More

Jazz This Week: Terell Stafford, Nevermore Jazz Ball, Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, Cornet Chop Suey, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

The autumn parade of jazz trumpeters in St. Louis continues this week with two more well-known touring musicians, even as the complete menu of upcoming local jazz and creative music events offers a variety of styles from avant to trad. Let's go to the highlights.... Tonight, trumpeter Terell Stafford opens a four-night engagement that continues through Saturday at Jazz at the Bistro. Stafford and his quintet are expected to showcase material from his album The Side of Strayhorn, a tribute ...

Video / DVD

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Meet the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet

STLJN Saturday Video Showcase: Meet the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

This week, let's get acquainted with the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, who will be making their St. Louis debut in a concert presented by New Music Circle on Saturday, November 3 at Luminary Center for the Arts. Bynum, a 37-year-old cornet and trumpet player from Boston, first became widely known in the jazz world for his association with multi-instrumentalist and composer Anthony Braxton, with whom he studied while attending Wesleyan University in the ...

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Event

Jim Hobbs joins Aych and the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet at Outpost 186 on Friday Dec 23

Jim Hobbs joins Aych and the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet at Outpost 186 on Friday Dec 23

Source: Chris Rich

Aych is a trio comprising Mary Halvorson guitaristry, Jim Hobbs saxophone honing and Taylor Ho Bynum cornettery in some serene survey of juxtapositions Mr. Hobbs variously describes as “porch music" This will be a Boston premiere as is a cd release show for the newly reshaped Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet brought to ears as Apparent Distance from the Firehouse 12 label. The sextet will entail the augmentation of Aych, above, with Bill Lowe in a bass trombone and tuba deployment, ...

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Interview

What's New From Taylor Ho Bynum

What's New From Taylor Ho Bynum

Source: Chris Rich

New CDs

Next, a trio recording with guitarist Joe Morris and bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck, is now available for pre-order from Porter Records; very intimate and intense improvisational chamber music. And two other recent CDs are still warm from the oven: The Throes, a quartet with Nate Wooley on trumpet, Ken Filiano on bass, and Tomas Fujiwara on drums, and Book of Three , a collective trio with bassist John Hébert and drummer Gerald Cleaver. All music I am very proud ...

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Book / Magazine

Taylor Ho Bynum + Vasco Gato at BYPASS #2 Launch: Sao Luiz Theatre, Lisbon, Portugal

Taylor Ho Bynum + Vasco Gato at BYPASS #2 Launch: Sao Luiz Theatre, Lisbon, Portugal

Source: Alvaro Seica

LAUNCH BYPASS #2 Performance by Taylor Ho Bynum & Vasco Gato Curators Álvaro Seiça Neves & Gaëlle Silva Marques Teatro São Luiz | Winter Garden | Lisbon, Portugal Monday, October 4, 7 pm BYPASS presents, on the day of the launch of its 2nd issue, the music concert/performance between the North American musician Taylor Ho Bynum and the Portuguese poet Vasco Gato. TAYLOR HO BYNUM (Baltimore, USA, 1975) Taylor Ho Bynum is a performer on cornet ...

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Recording

The Friday Morning Listen: Taylor Ho Bynum, Forbes Graham - The Middle Picture/Echoes (2007)

The Friday Morning Listen: Taylor Ho Bynum, Forbes Graham - The Middle Picture/Echoes (2007)

Source: Something Else!

By Mark Saleski In our society, it seems like there's a constant battle between idealism and cynicism. A person will take a stand on a particular issue, and no matter how quietly they do it, there is always an opposing force with the can of hot tar at the ready. It's a phenomenon that contributes to the growing blandification of the culture—one in which those with truly new points of view are looked at with a suspicious eye. As you ...

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Performance / Tour

Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet to Open Firehouse 12's 2010 Fall Jazz Series September 10th

Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet to Open Firehouse 12's 2010 Fall Jazz Series September 10th

Source: Improvised Communications

On Friday, September 10th, Firehouse 12 will open its 2010 Fall Jazz Series with a two-set performance by acclaimed cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum's primary ensemble, the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet. This special event, which also marks the launch of Bynum's two-week Acoustic Bicycle Tour across New England, focuses on a brand new book of music made possible with support from Chamber Music America's 2010 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke ...

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Performance / Tour

Taylor Ho Bynum's Acoustic Bicycle Tour Begins September 10th

Taylor Ho Bynum's Acoustic Bicycle Tour Begins September 10th

Source: Improvised Communications

One month from tonight, cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum will embark on his Acoustic Bicycle Tour, a two-week, carbon-neutral concert tour of New England that celebrates both the interconnectedness of the region's creative arts communities and alternative ways of thinking about our world.

The first stop will be the opening concert in Firehouse 12's 2010 Fall Jazz Series in New Haven, Connecticut. Performances in all six New England states, featuring a wide variety of collaborators, will follow at venues ranging from ...

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Performance / Tour

Taylor Ho Bynum to Introduce Revamped Sextet in August

Taylor Ho Bynum to Introduce Revamped Sextet in August

Source: Improvised Communications

This August, cornetist/composer Taylor Ho Bynum will unveil the latest incarnation of his five year-old working ensemble, the Taylor Ho Bynum Sextet, when he and the group hit the road to perform a brand new book of music. These pieces are made possible with support from Chamber Music America's 2010 New Jazz Works: Commissioning and Ensemble Development program funded through the generosity of the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. The four-city tour will begin Friday, August 20th at Ryles Jazz Club ...

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Radio

The Jazz Session #178: Taylor Ho Bynum

The Jazz Session #178: Taylor Ho Bynum

Source: Michael Ricci

Cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum has his fingers in so many pies, he should open a bakery. In addition to his recent CD Madeleine Dreams (Firehouse 12 Records, 2009) with his band SpiderMonkey Strings, hes also on a new duo CD, Stepwise (Not Two Records, 2010), with drummer Tomas Fujiwara. And hes helping run the Tri-Centric Foundation, which preserves and advances the music of Anthony Braxton. And he helps run a record label. And hes launching a fall tour by bicycle. ...

Photos

Concerts

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Unclosing

Out Of Your Head Records
2023

buy

Sounds Of Love

Sunnyside Records
2022

buy

March

Firehouse 12 Records
2022

buy

Sweet Tooth

Self Produced
2022

buy

12 COMP (ZIM) 2017

Firehouse 12 Records
2021

buy

Pack Up, Coming for You

From: March
By Taylor Ho Bynum

Videos

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