Biography
Jonathan Taylor has been a pianist, composer and educator for twenty years, primarily in the fields of jazz and tango music. He has worked with legendary funk musicians Pee Wee Ellis and Fred Wesley and played and recorded with many great jazz musicians including Iain Ballamy, Eddie Parker, Andy Sheppard, Gilad Atzmon, Tim Whitehead and Steve Arguelles. He studied composition at Middlesex University and has written music for large and small ensembles, contemporary dance and music education projects. He currently teaches jazz at the Guildhall School in London and is a music examiner for ABRSM.
Outside of jazz Jonathan is a founder member of the UK’s leading tango ensemble Tango Siempre and has performed with them in every kind of venue imaginable from concert halls in Europe to tiny village halls on remote Scottish islands. Most recently he co-created and toured the successful West-End show ‘Midnight Tango’ featuring dancers Vincent & Flavia as well as appearing on BBC’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’. He has recorded two albums of contemporary classical saxophone music and written arrangements for the rock musician Robert Wyatt. Numerous theatre jobs over the years include Edward Scissorhands by choreographer Matthew Bourne and Blues Brother Soul Sister with soul singer Ruby Turner.
Jonathan also plays various types of Irish whistles and is currently has a band with fiddler Tom Newell and guitarist Moss Freed called Counter's Creek.
“A stylistically broad, yet completely focused artist...clever writing, interesting rhythms and strong performances...a rising star on the British jazz scene.”
Music
from Only Human (2008) by Tango Siempre. Featuring Paolo Russo (bandoneon).
from Malandras Del Tango (2011) by Tango Siempre. Featuring Victor Villena (bandoneon), Guillermo Rozenthuler (vocals).
from Being And Becoming (2002) by Jonathan Taylor. Featuring Eddie Parker (flute).
from Synergy (1999) by What Four. Recorded live at Custard Factory, Birmingham. Commissioned by Birmingham Jazz.
Live Dates
PROJECTS
Tango Siempre
Tango Siempre are the UK’s leading tango company. Since 1998 they have toured the UK and Europe with projects ranging from traditional tango dance shows (Subitango and Tangomotion) to collaborations with orchestras, contemporary dance companies and internationally acclaimed jazz musicians.
Tango Siempre created the musical score for the Olivier-nominated “Midnight Tango” starring Vincent Simone and Flavia Cacace (BBC Strictly Come Dancing), and performed the show nearly 500 times in three UK tours and two West End runs to great critical acclaim. They have appeared on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, Zingzillas, The One Show, ITV’s “Surprise Surprise” and Radio 3’s “In Tune”.
Their repertoire consists of original compositions and of music from the great Argentinian orchestras and of Astor Piazzolla’s Nuevo Tango ensembles.
Tango Siempre have recorded 5 albums: ‘Nocturno’ (2002, ARCM1807), ‘Tangled’ (2004, ARCM1960), ‘Tangents’ (2007, GMC024) featuring Steve Arguelles and Gilad Atzmon, ‘Only Human’, (2008, Galileo-MC), and “Malandras del Tango” with special guests Victor Villena and Guillermo Rozenthuler.
“[Tango Siempre’s] playing has the verve and gut-wrenching rhythmic drive associated with the greatest Argentinian bands, and their account of the scores, especially marvels by Astor Piazzolla, has the earthy vitality, the urban chic, so central to tango’s music and steps… here is the tango, raw, intoxicating, speaking with its true voice. For the violinist Ros Stephen, the pianist Jonathan Taylor and their colleagues, much admiration…”
“a brilliant fusion of classical, tango, jazz and roots”
“That rare thing: Brit tango with attitude.”
“It’s Taylor’s mature compositional voice, together with the group’s elegant flair for tango, that makes this an engaging and pleasurable listen on every level.”
Counter's Creek
Counter's Creek is an acoustic folk trio based in London who make original music inspired by the folk music of the British Isles and beyond. Jigs, reels, grooves from Eastern Europe & West Africa, catchy melodies with closely interwoven harmonies allied to a real sense of swing and dance energy.
Fiddler Tom Newell is known for his work with Effra who perform regularly at UK folk festivals as well as The Ceilidh Liberation Front, Alex Mendham & His Orchestra and pop acts including Muse, One Direction and Lana Del Rey. He also plays banjo and mandolin (not to mention charango and mouth harp). Guitarist Moss Freed plays with jazz/folk group Flekd, the Spike Orchestra, has recently recorded for John Zorn’s Tzadik label and is currently researching a PhD at Hull University. Whistle player Jonathan Taylor has worked in many different musical genres: best known as a jazz pianist who's played with artists such as Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley, Ruby Turner and various British jazz luminaries, he's also co-founder of Tango Siempre, appeared on Strictly Come Dancing and arranged music for Robert Wyatt…Three musicians from very different backgrounds, united by a love of acoustic folk music, great tunes and earthy dance grooves.