At 87, composer and pianist Dr. Billy Taylor is a jazz legend. He appears at the Ordway this weekend as part of VocalEssence's annual Witness concert, performing his three-movement work, "Peaceful Warrior," inspired by the words of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. The concert commemorates King's 80th birthday.
Taylor began his professional career in 1942 in the New York club scene, where he became a protégé of Art Tatum. Over the years, he played with everyone from Charlie Parker to Dizzy Gillespie and Miles Davis and he recorded with the likes of Quincy Jones and Dinah Washington.
To create "Peaceful Warrior," Taylor drew on his longstanding relationship with King. "I met him through Duke Ellington and Lena Horne," Taylor said in a recent phone interview from his home in New York. "They invited me to perform at a benefit raising money for his efforts, and Lena introduced me."
Taylor's enthusiasm belies his age, and his voice sparkles when he shares anecdotes about King. "He used to come and hear me play. He really liked 'I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to Be Free,' but he could never remember the name," Taylor said, referring to a song he composed that was later recorded by Nina Simone. " 'Play that Baptist piece,' he would say."
"We were not close," he admitted, "but I was honored to do several programs with him." One of those 'programs' was the 1963 March on Washington. He played earlier at the Lincoln Memorial and was backstage to hear the "I Have a Dream" speech.
Everyday quotations
But it was not the famous speeches that Taylor drew on as the text for "Peaceful Warrior." He wanted to provide a more intimate perspective on King.
In talking about the origins of the piece, Taylor described a large gathering at Jackie Robinson's house. "On that occasion, a cocky young man came up to him. I think he was showing off for his girlfriend. 'What you're doing is OK,' he said, 'but Malcolm X is my hero.' Who says that kind of thing to someone?
