Billy Taylor Transcriptions

Biography of Billy Taylor

Billy Taylor was an American jazz pianist, composer, and one of the music's most prominent advocates, who began his professional career playing with legends like Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, and Miles Davis at the legendary Birdland club. He is equally celebrated for his lifelong work as an educator and broadcaster, founding the educational organization Jazzmobile, serving as the first African American musical director for a national TV talk show, and coining the phrase "jazz is America's classical music". Taylor's lasting contribution is his 1954 gospel-tinged composition "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free," which became an anthem of the Civil Rights Movement after being famously recorded by Nina Simone.