Billy Taylor stood out as an exceptionally eloquent advocate for jazz, and the segments he contributed regularly to CBS Sunday Morning starting in 1981 proved so effective in broadening the music’s reach that listeners sometimes overlooked his stature as a pianist of more than fifty years. Though he never pioneered new directions, Taylor moved with ease among swing, bop, and later developments while preserving a distinctive musical identity. Following his graduation from Virginia State College in 1942, he relocated to New York, where he performed alongside Ben Webster, Eddie South, Stuff Smith—with whom he recorded in 1944—and Slam Stewart. By 1951 he was working as house pianist at Birdland and soon launched the first of numerous trios. He played a key role in establishing Jazzmobile in 1965. In 1969 Taylor became the first Black band director for a network television series, The David Frost Show. He received his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts in 1975 and created the widely followed radio program Jazz Alive, serving as its director. Even while deeply engaged in jazz education, he maintained an active schedule of performances and recordings, sustaining a bop-rooted approach that remained buoyant and vital. Taylor died of heart failure in New York on December 28, 2010, at the age of 89.
