July 24, 1921 – December 28, 2010[1][2]
NY Times
The distinguished ambassador of the jazz community to the world-at-large, Dr. Billy Taylor's recording career spanned over six decades. He also composed over three hundred and fifty songs, as well as works for theatre, dance and symphony orchestras. ... made Washington's Kennedy Center one of the nation's premier concert venues for jazz.
Among his most notable works is "I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free", achieving great popularity with Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s. Nina Simone covered the song in her 1967 album Silk and Soul, and the song continues to be recorded by many artists worldwide, most recently by Levon Helm.
Billy Taylor's Piano Regimen
Billy Taylor's oral history video excerpts at The National Visionary Leadership Project
Billy Taylor, revered musician, broadcaster and spokesman for jazz, dies at 89
Jazz Living Legend Award 2001
oxford music online
As the artistic director for the Kennedy Center's Jazz program, Billy was the leading voice in building one of the most potent jazz programs in this nation.
No, Billy also cared to highlight the work of jazz artists who he considered excellent but who did not get the level of acclaim he believed they deserved.The Betty Carter Jazz Ahead series, which Billy championed, allowed young jazz artists to learn and perform. Billy didn't just want to teach new audiences, he also wanted to help young performers to master their craft.
The Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Program, another one of Billy's ideas, has allowed a generation of female jazz artists to gain much-needed visibility.
In each of these endeavors, Billy was forceful, passionate and yet modest. He knew more about jazz than anyone else, and he had distinct ideas about how, who and what should be presented. But he never asked for credit, publicly or privately. He was always happy for someone else to take a bow.
Scott Joplin, “Jelly Roll” Morton, Art Tatum, Duke Ellington, and other masters pay homage to the tradition
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