Paul Taylor

Paul Taylor, an American alto and soprano saxophonist, deploys a reedy tone and warm, bright sound to anchor dynamic, danceable grooves alongside intricate pop laced with electronica. Leading his own recording dates since the 1995 release On the Horn, he saw 2000’s Undercover remain on the Contemporary Jazz charts for 28 weeks. The 2007 chart-topper Ladies Choice crossed over to R&B on the strength of the hit singles “I Want to Be Loved by You” (feat. LaToya London) and “How Did You Know” (feat. Regina Belle). Taylor performed to sold-out houses during the Gentlemen of the Night tours alongside fellow saxophonists Marion Meadows, Michael Lington, and Warren Hill. His skillful vocal collaborations encompass charting appearances with Maxi Priest and Peabo Bryson. Tenacity, issued in 2014, likewise crossed over via its first single, “Supernova” (feat. Jonathan Fritzen). And Now This, released in 2021, was assembled from digital files exchanged between Taylor and longtime producer Dino Esposito amid the pandemic, with the explicit aim of producing a beat-conscious collection of club tracks and radio singles; among the latter was “Ride It,” sung by All-4-One vocalist Jamie Jones.

Raised in Denver, Taylor began playing the alto saxophone at age seven. He performed in school bands and, while in high school, joined the Top 40 band Mixed Company, where he also adopted the soprano horn. On a full music scholarship, he attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Following graduation, jazz keyboardist Keiko Matsui and her producer husband Kazu Matsui discovered him during a gig at the Catalina Island Jazz Festival and immediately engaged him as her backing musician. He spent two years with her road band before Kazu produced his 1995 debut solo album, On the Horn, which reached the jazz charts and yielded the radio hit “Til We Meet Again.” Taylor continued studio work with Keiko on the chart-topping Sapphire (1995), Dream Walk (1996), and Full Moon and the Shrine (1998), remaining a guest with her studio band through Moyo (Heart and Soul) in 2009. At the same time, the saxist toured and recorded with Casiopea drummer Akira Jimbo, appearing on Flower (1996) and Stone Butterfly (1997). His second solo album, Pleasure Seeker, arrived in 1997 and achieved comparable success.

In 1999 Taylor guested on the Rippingtons’ Topaz. He issued his third album, Undercover, on Peak/N-Coded Music in February 2000 and toured as a special-guest soloist with the Rippingtons. The subsequent Peak Records releases Hypnotic (2001), Steppin’ Out (2003), Nightlife (2005), and Ladies’ Choice (2007) all placed high on the contemporary jazz charts; Ladies’ Choice reached number one, crossed over to R&B, and finished inside the Top 30 while charting for 29 weeks. That same year Taylor played soprano on “I Try,” the Top Ten single from Peabo Bryson’s Missing You. Peak issued Taylor’s eighth album, Burnin’, in 2009; it remained on the smooth jazz charts for 38 weeks and also attained the number-one position. Two years later Prime Time appeared, reaching number three on the contemporary jazz charts. Tenacity, released in 2014 with guest appearances from Jeff Lorber and vocalist Jonathan Fritzen, likewise peaked at number three while logging 20 weeks on the jazz charts. In 2015 Taylor resumed studio and touring work with Jimbo, contributing alto and soprano to the drummer’s acclaimed Groove of Life. His 2016 release Countdown entered the Top Ten at jazz albums.

Following an extended stretch of global touring with Jimbo, Matsui, and as a leader, Taylor received an unplanned, prolonged hiatus prompted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Late that year he began exchanging digital files with Esposito, deliberately shaping an album intended for worldwide dancefloors. And Now This appeared from Peak in November 2021, led by the single “Ride It,” performed by All-4-One’s Jamie Jones. Later that month Taylor recruited Twitch streaming host OriginalSnow to join him on the funky non-album single “Share It with You.”