Taylor Haskins is being hailed as one of the most original new voices on the trumpet today. Downbeat magazine has declared him one of '25 Trumpets for the Future', stating that Taylor displays "a probing, adroit lyricism and a gift for complex, imaginative composition." In 2002 Taylor released his debut recording entitled "Wake Up Call" on the Barcelona-based Fresh Sound/New Talent label, and followed up on the same label in 2006 with "Metaview". In 2010 he released "American Dream" on the prestigious Sunnyside label, to critical acclaim. It has been called a "smart and engaging sonic commentary" by JazzTimes magazine. Downbeat magazine called it "ambitious" and "imaginative". All Music Guide remarked that it sounded like "what might have happened had Dizzy Gillespie met Bill Frisell." Forthcoming in early 2011 is the debut of a new electro-acoustic project, entitled "Recombination", on 19/8 Records. Writer Peter Hum of the Ottawa Citizen has already called the album one of "Six Reasons to Look Forward to 2011" alongside projects by such greats as Joe Lovano and Brad Mehldau, stating that Taylor "deserves much wider recognition."
As a sideman, Taylor won a Grammy award in 2005 working with Dave Holland on the album "Overtime", and continues to play lead trumpet in the ensemble. He is also long-time a member of Guillermo Klein's "Los Guachos" and has performed & recorded with many other artists such as Richard Bona, Maynard Ferguson, Peter Herborn's 'Large', Jamie Baum, and Andrew Rathbun. In the past Taylor has performed with Luciana Souza, the Maria Schneider Orchestra, Clark Terry, the Village Vanguard Orchestra,the JC Sanford Orchestra, the Alan Ferber Big Band,Ed Palermo's 'Frank Zappa Big Band', TILT Brass Ensemble, the Bjorkestra, the Joey Sellars Jazz Aggregation, Rosemary Clooney, Helen Merrill, the Artie Shaw Orchestra, the Pablo Ablanedo Octet, and the Big Apple Circus, amongst others.
Taylor grew up in the quiet woods of New Hampshire, where he began his musical life around the age of 4 by plunking out television and movie themes by ear on the family piano. Formal piano lessons began at 5, and at the age of 10 Taylor started to play the trumpet in school band. He proved to be a natural at the instrument and had very little private instruction until after high school, when he earned full merit-based scholarships to both undergraduate and graduate school to pursue his musical studies. Taylor studied classical trumpet with Dr. Robert Stibler at the University of New Hampshire (BA, 1994), and there he found a mentor in the great Clark Terry, who frequented the university. in 1994 he relocated to New York City to study with trumpet legend Lew Soloff at the Manhattan School of Music (MM, 1996). In 1997 he was a semi-finalist in the prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Trumpet Competition.
In addition to playing trumpet, Taylor has composed music for theater projects (including shows at Symphony Space & San José Rep), art projects (incuding exhibitions at PS1/MOMA, as well as in Madrid, San Francisco, Los Angeles & Montreál) ), and Taylor has also proven himself a versatile composer for various media, utilizing new technology in combination with traditional composing methods. He has composed and produced music for over 50 major national television commercials, along with network IDs and sound-design. Taylor has also contributed original music to such films as "Arlington Road" (1999), "Waking the Dead" (2000), "No Maps For These Territories" (2000), "The Mothman Prophecies" (2001), "The Rules of Attraction" (2003), and most recently his song 'Missing' was featured in "Sorry, Haters" (2006) starring Robin Wright Penn. Taylor has scored numerous independent short films as well, including the award-winning comedy "Spot", for which he also wrote the screenplay. In addition to this myriad of activities, for several years Taylor composed music and helped develop artificial-intelligence-based music composition software for the forward-thinking music production house 'tomandandy' in New York.
Taylor currently lives & works in Brooklyn, NY.
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Keep an open mind and your art will lead you in all sorts of directions. Taylor
Haskins-improvising trumpeter, film composer, and electronica fiend - is
a musician of varied interests. Little wonder, then, that his latest outfit blends an array
of approaches into asometimes knotty, often luminous instrumental sound. Recombination,
the group'sself-titled debut, is an intrepid disc that finds the Brooklyn bandleader
revealing his experimental side.
Made with an ensemble comprised of guitarist Ben Monder, keyboardist Henry Hey,
bassist Todd Sickafoose, and drummer Nate Smith (with a guest appearance
by percussionist Samuel Torres), Recombination bristles with intricate grooves, textural
romps, and moody ambiance. Haskins, a key figure on Brooklyn's indie jazz scene, was
inspired by his appreciation of such artists as Boards of Canada and Amon Tobin,
keyboard-based daredevils responsible for provocative synth soundscapes. The new CD
even features a spin on Aphex Twin's "Alberto Balsam." Bringing his diverse skills to
bear on this new material, Haskins has come up with something refreshing, a plugged-in
proclamation that makes plenty of room for life's dreamy side.
"This kind of music is often based solely on masculine aspects," says the 39-year-old, "I
wanted to portray those in a positive way, and balance them with the feminine aspects of
lightness and air."
Haskins achieves that goal by having ominous rhythm passages spill into breezy
meditations. Building an emotional arc is important. He wants transitions between tracks
like "The Lurking Shadows" and "Passing Through" to lead listeners along while feeling
seamless. "Clouds Form Below Us," a piece that often gets a strong audience reaction,
finds a way to unite such disparate motifs. The rhythm section churns while the trumpet
and synths dazzle.
Some Recombination pieces have a pop feel. Developing an instantly identifiable
melody is one of Haskins' prime goals. "There are artists I dig, like Neil Young, who
really have the power to be concise. They think of two notes in a row, and it instantly
sounds like a song. I'm interested in finding out how simplistic you can be and still sound
complex and compelling."
Recombination's blending of syncopated funk and riffy melodies appeals to all sorts of
listeners. "The music has a certain kind of energy that's not really present in 'traditional'
jazz," says Haskins, "something that's not coming out of jam bands or groove jazz either.
It really has it's own thing...whatever you want to call it."
Last year Haskins' American Dream earned strong notices for its deep chops and clever
structures - jazz that had an eye on future.Recombinationtakes things even farther. But
there's a lynchpin between the two: the radiance of the leader's horn. As a trumpeter
Haskins has a deep clarion tone that makes each note speak for itself.
Perhaps this forthright sound is due to his New England upbringing. "I've always kind of
had that, even in high school," he explains, "I think it's a sincerity thing. I was brought up
to be honest all the time. Your personality comes out in your music, whether you want it
to or not."
His work in composing for commercials and writing film scores has also shaped
these Recombination pieces. He has contributed to movies such as Arlington
Road and The Rules of Attraction and penned plenty of advertising music for several of
New York & LA's top music houses. These days, tech and trumpet are equal parts of his
life.
"In the studio recently, I found myself surrounded by nothing but computer monitors and
synthesizer keyboards, and it dawned on me that I was fulfilling this vision I had as kid of
being Herbie Hancock in that 'Rockit' video. I used to set up my Casio keyboard and
boombox and crappy Fisher Price turntable and pretend I could make any sound I
wanted to. I flashed on that memory and laughed hard."
If that's where the beguiling sounds of Recombination were forged, so be it. After all,
being a massive fan of Miles Davis' electric ensembles means Haskins is open to lots of
sounds. This latest band is something he'd like to develop a bit more.
"It seemed like a natural evolution of my interests," he concludes. "These days I'm
following ideas along, basically trying not to judge them too harshly before they reach
fruition. I can't wait to see where it goes."
PERSONNEL:
Taylor Haskins - Trumpet, Synths, Laptop
Ben Monder -Guitar
Henry Hey - Piano, Rhodes, Synths, Laptop
Nate Smith - Drums
+ special guest:
Samuel Torres - Percussion
To see a video preview of Recombination, click here
Here is a preview of Taylor Haskins new recording - 'Recombination' .
Taylor Haskins - Trumpet, Processing, Electronics
Ben Monder - Guitar
Henry Hey - Rhodes, Piano, Synthesizer
Todd Sickafoose - Acoustic Bass
Nate Smith - Drums