Joy Spring
Billy Taylor and Monty Alexander
Pianists Taylor and Alexander jam happily together on “Joy Spring”
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Billy Taylor was such an important and articulate spokesman for jazz that sometimes his mastery of the piano was overlooked.
In 1985, Taylor was the host of Jazz Counterpoint, a series of half-hour television programs on which he welcomed different pianists as guests.
To conclude his episode with the great Monty Alexander, the two pianists team up on a heated version of Clifford Brown’s “Joy Spring.”
While Alexander is a superb player, surprisingly it is Billy Taylor who comes up with consistently virtuosic runs during this competitive performance, showing that he should never have been taken for granted!
Personnel:
Billy Taylor, piano
Monty Alexander, piano
– Scott Yanow
Ella Fitzgerald