Craig Taborn
{{Short description|American keyboardist and composer (born 1970)}}
{{good article}}
{{Infobox musical artist
| name = Craig Taborn
| image = Craig Taborn 05N0726.jpg
| caption = Taborn at the Moers Festival, 2012
| image_size = 200
| birth_name = Craig Marvin Taborn
| birth_place = Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1970|02|20|mf=y}}
| death_date =
| origin =
| instrument = Piano, keyboards, organ, electronics
| genre = Jazz rock
| occupation = Musician, composer
| years_active = Late 1980s–present
| label = DIW, Thirsty Ear, ECM
| associated_acts =
| website = {{URL|http://www.craigtaborn.com/}}
}}
Craig Marvin Taborn ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|eɪ|ˌ|b|ɔː|r|n}}; born February 20, 1970) is an American pianist, organist, keyboardist and composer. He works solo and in bands, mostly playing various forms of jazz. He started playing piano and Moog synthesizer as an adolescent and was influenced at an early stage by a wide range of music, including by the freedom expressed in recordings of free jazz and contemporary classical music.
While at university, Taborn toured and recorded with jazz saxophonist James Carter. Taborn went on to play with numerous other musicians in electronic and acoustic settings, while also building a reputation as a solo pianist. He has a range of styles, and often adapts his playing to the nature of the instrument and the sounds that he can make it produce. His improvising, particularly for solo piano, often adopts a modular approach, in which he begins with small units of melody and rhythm and then develops them into larger forms and structures.
In 2011, Down Beat magazine chose Taborn as winner of the electric keyboard category, as well as rising star in both the piano and organ categories. By the end of 2020, Taborn had appeared on 14 albums as a leader or co-leader and more than 100 as a sideman.
Early life
Taborn was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota,Kennedy, Gary W. "Taborn, Craig (Marvin)" The New Grove Dictionary of Jazz (2nd ed.) (online) to John, a psychologist, and Marjorie, a social worker. His father was a department chair at the University of Minnesota and his mother worked for Minneapolis public schools.{{cite news|last1=Shatz|first1=Adam|title=The Ethereal Genius of Craig Taborn|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/magazine/the-ethereal-genius-of-craig-taborn.html|access-date=June 26, 2017|work=The New York Times|date=June 22, 2017}} Taborn's older brother, John Gregory, became a psychologist. They grew up in Golden Valley, Minnesota, where Craig Taborn attended Breck School. His parents gave him a Moog synthesizer as a present when he was 12,Espeland, Pamela (February 1, 2008) [http://www.minnpost.com/arts-culture/2008/02/keyboardist-craig-taborn-surfaces-underground "Keyboardist Craig Taborn Surfaces with Underground"]. MinnPost.DiPietro, Phil (May 2, 2003) [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=319&page=1 "Craig Taborn: Suggesting Textural Dimension"]. All About Jazz. which was also around the time when he started playing piano. He received basic instruction initially from his father, who played by ear. Taborn borrowed records from a public library and listened to public radio, discovering music from the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians and Sun Ra, among others. As a youth he also listened to heavy metal and contemporary classical music, and identified commonalities among these disparate forms of music.
At high school, Taborn studied music theory and composition for two years with teachers who had doctorates in music.[http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/jazz-pianist-craig-taborn-rob-clearfield-classical/Content?oid=4571878 "New York Jazz Pianist Craig Taborn Talks to Chicago's Rob Clearfield"]. (September 8, 2011) Chicago Reader. In his own words, he is "not a classically trained pianist at all"; he practiced with others, initially playing rock, progressive rock, and jazz fusion, before becoming more interested in jazz.Robson, Britt (April 25, 2013) [http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/204590221.html "Pianist Craig Taborn Returns to Walker Art Center, His Inspiration Point"]. Star Tribune. He borrowed from the library Segments II (Orchestra Of Two Continents) by pianist Cecil Taylor's band while at high school, but found separating the various elements of the music too difficult. After attending a Last Exit concert (a loud free jazz band of Peter Brötzmann, Bill Laswell, Ronald Shannon Jackson and Sonny Sharrock), he went home and listened to the Taylor album again: "It was more manageable in terms of being able to hear detail and listen to content. That was a big moment in terms of being able to relax and process information in more abstract environments."Doerschuk, Bob (August 2011) "Craig Taborn: Illuminating Ideas". Down Beat. 78 (8). p. 42.
Later life and career
=1988–1999=
Taborn studied at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor from 1988.Shteamer, Hank (April 2, 2011) [http://www.invisibleoranges.com/2011/04/heavy-metal-be-bop-2-interview-with-craig-taborn/ "Heavy Metal Be-Bop #2: Interview with Craig Taborn"]. Invisible Oranges. He auditioned for the jazz program in the university's School of Music, but joined the College of Literature, Science and the Arts. Taborn met drummer Gerald Cleaver soon after arriving at university, and they established an electronic group, the Tracey Science Quartet. Taborn also played with Marcus Belgrave and Wendell Harrison. While still a university student, he became known for his membership of saxophonist James Carter's band,Layne, Joslyn [http://www.allmusic.com/artist/craig-taborn-mn0000107535/biography "Craig Taborn: Biography"]. AllMusic. Retrieved December 21, 2014. where he contributed to a series of albums, beginning with JC on the Set, which was recorded in 1993.Cook, Richard and Morton, Brian (2008) The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings. (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 232. {{ISBN|978-0-141-03401-0}}.
Taborn's first recording as leader came in 1994, and was released by DIW. Craig Taborn Trio, with bassist Jaribu Shahid and drummer Tani Tabbal, featured Taborn playing in a range of styles on piano and included several of his own compositions.Dryden, Ken [http://www.allmusic.com/album/craig-taborn-trio-mw0000122145 "Craig Taborn Trio: Review"]. AllMusic. Retrieved April 27, 2013. At this stage in his career, his comments on his tastes in composition and performance were: "Even though I like avant garde jazz and classical music, I like to swing. I like to work with harmony and melody in my own music, and I like acoustical instruments. But I can be quite dictatorial about the composed section, and lay down in great detail what everyone is supposed to do and how they should do it."
Frequent performances and tours with Carter and others meant that Taborn's studies were delayed: he graduated from university with a BA in general studies (rather than the intended English literature) in April 1995, after which he moved to New York.Woodford, John (June 1995) [http://michigantoday.umich.edu/95/Jun95/mt22j95.html "Non-Piano Man"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110322153959/http://michigantoday.umich.edu/95/Jun95/mt22j95.html |date=March 22, 2011}}. Michigan Today. He continued playing with Carter into 1998.Ratliff, Ben (December 19, 1998) "With Blustery Bravado Through a Saxophone". The New York Times. p. D10. In the late 1990s, Taborn also recorded with saxophonist Roscoe Mitchell (Taborn's first appearance on the ECM label), and for techno producer Carl Craig's album Programmed as part of Innerzone Orchestra."Innerzone Orchestra: Programmed" (September 13, 1999) CMJ New Music Report. p. 58.
=2000–2009=
In 2001, Taborn made his second recording as leader: Light Made Lighter, for Thirsty Ear, with Chris Lightcap on bass and Cleaver on drums. "On the strength of this recording", wrote the Los Angeles Times reviewer, "Taborn emerges as one of the most exciting pianists to lead a band since the ascent of Matthew Shipp".Reich, Howard (November 11, 2001) [https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2001-nov-11-ca-2794-story.html "Pianist Craig Taborn Comes into His Own"]. Los Angeles Times. Another reviewer commented that "Taborn seems to revel in the cracks the way [Thelonious] Monk did, hitting the awkward-sounding notes between the notes to punctuate his lines".Henrdrickson, Tad (November 19, 2001) "Craig Taborn Trio: Light Made Lighter" CMJ New Music Report. p. 24.
In the 2000s, "Taborn became one of the most in-demand musicians in New York", in the words of one biographer. He played and recorded with a large, diverse range of musicians, in both free jazz and more mainstream bands, and playing various keyboard and electronic instruments.In Daniel Kernohan (ed.) (2010) Music Is Rapid Transportation... From the Beatles to Xenakis. Charivari. p. 209. {{ISBN|978-1-895166-04-0}}. One critic observed that a lot of his collaborations in the early and mid-2000s did not feature a bassist, and suggested that Taborn's "dexterity and inventiveness [...] stand in for both a keyboard and a bass player." In 2001, he had his first solo concert in New York, and made his first recordings under the leadership of saxophonist Tim Berne, and with a trio led by percussionist Susie Ibarra. On these, he employed electronics as well as piano.Dahlen, Chris (February 11, 2002) [http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/4043-songbird-suite/ "Susie Ibarra Trio – Songbird Suite"]. Pitchfork."Jazz". (May 25, 2002) Billboard. p. 23. Taborn went on to record, during the period 2002–04, as a sideman under the leadership of Steve Coleman, Dave Douglas, Marty Ehrlich, Drew Gress, Evan Parker, Wadada Leo Smith, and others. In 2003, Taborn toured Europe with Ibarra's band, and played with saxophonist Lotte Anker for the first time.Hobart, Mike (May 13, 2010) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/556a75e8-5ea2-11df-af86-00144feab49a.html "Anker/Taborn/Sanders, Vortex Jazz Club, London"]. ft.com.
Taborn's third release as a leader was Junk Magic in 2004, again for Thirsty Ear, with tenor saxophonist Aaron Stewart, violist Mat Maneri and drummer Dave King.[http://www.allmusic.com/album/junk-magic-mw0000330073 "Junk Magic: Review"]. AllMusic. Retrieved April 11, 2013. The album's title was also the name of the band, which was formed to be Taborn's electronic group, allowing him to explore the interactions of composition, improvisation and electronics.Canter, Andrea (April 18, 2013) [http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/10649/115/ "Frenzied Hero: Craig Taborn on Composition, Creativity and Collaboration"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222002559/http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/10649/115/ |date=February 22, 2014}}. The Jazz Police. Texture and pulse were important contributors to the overall sound.Chinen, Nate (June 1, 2004) [http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-06-01/music/blue-shift/ "Blue Shift"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222025951/http://www.villagevoice.com/2004-06-01/music/blue-shift/ |date=2014-02-22 }}. The Village Voice.
Taborn played with Chris Potter from around 2005,Adler, David R. (March 2006) [http://jazztimes.com/articles/16579-chris-potter-the-potter-principle "Chris Potter: The Potter Principle"]. JazzTimes. and toured Europe with the saxophonist's Underground band early in 2007.Hobart, Mike (January 17, 2007) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d8394798-a644-11db-937f-0000779e2340.html "Chris Potter's Underground, Pizza Express Jazz Club, London"]. ft.com. The pianist played the Monterey Jazz Festival in 2007. In late 2007 and early 2008, Taborn toured internationally with Underground,{{sfn|Panken|2008|p=50}} guitarist David Torn's Prezens,Fordham, John (January 21, 2008) [https://www.theguardian.com/music/musicblog/2008/jan/21/foreditorsprezensofmind "Did We Lose Our Prezens of Mind?"]. The Guardian. as well as being part of shorter tours and making occasional appearances with Cleaver, Gress, Ibarra, Mitchell, and William Parker.{{sfn|Panken|2008|p=50}} In April 2008 he toured Europe with Berne's Science Friction,{{sfn|Panken|2008|p=48}} was back in Europe for the first three weeks of the following month, this time as part of David Binney's quartet,{{sfn|Panken|2008|p=50}} and returned there in November with Potter.Hobart, Mike (November 11, 2008) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/31c52598-b83b-11dd-ac6d-0000779fd18c.html#axzz3M5m9lwEU "Herbie Hancock / Chris Potter / Richard Galliano"]. ft.com. Taborn remarked in 2008 that he was attempting to phase out his use of a laptop in performance, to allow him to concentrate more on improvising,{{sfn|Panken|2008|p=48}} and that he had delayed further performances as a leader, owing to finances.{{sfn|Panken|2008|p=50}} In the same year, he commented on the number of regular, working bands he was a member of: "You could say 15 to 20. But if you're talking about the ones that are regularly working right now, I'd have to say seven or eight."Robson, Britt (March 21, 2008) [http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/music/16766096.html "Craig's List"]. Star Tribune.
After joining Michael Formanek's quartet in 2008, Taborn recorded under the double bassist's leadership for the first time the following year.[http://player.ecmrecords.com/formanek/artist "Michael Formanek – The Rub and Spare Change: Project"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023531/http://player.ecmrecords.com/formanek/artist |date=2016-03-04 }}. ECM. Retrieved December 20, 2014. Also in 2009, Taborn played with trumpeter Tomasz Stańko in New York,"Jazz". (April 3, 2009) The New York Times. p. C20. and returned to Europe for concerts with Torn,"Torn's Prezens Is Required Listening". (April 10, 2009) The Irish Times. p. B23. violinist Dominique Pifarély,Hobart, Mike (November 3, 2009) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/33e17b32-c89e-11de-8f9d-00144feabdc0.html "Dominique Pifarély, Vortex Jazz Club, London"]. ft.com. and with his own trio.Hobart, Mike (December 9, 2009) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/5c5433d2-e4e8-11de-817b-00144feab49a.html "Craig Taborn, Vortex, London"]. ft.com.
=2010–present=
File:Craig Taborn 2014 IMG 0217.JPG
In the early 2010s, Taborn continued playing and recording with others, but also had more solo concerts than earlier in his career. He had a solo tour of Europe in 2010, which may have led to an agreement with ECM to record his first solo piano album, Avenging Angel, which was released in 2011.Whitehead, Kevin (April 22, 2013) [http://www.wonderingsound.com/interview/interview-craig-taborn/ "Interview: Craig Taborn"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219212926/http://www.wonderingsound.com/interview/interview-craig-taborn/ |date=2014-12-19 }}. wonderingsound.com. In critic Nate Chinen's view, this album concentrated on "pure sound", being "full of moments where a note hangs sharply in the air, and you hear the gathering overtones, the vibrations of the strings".Chinen, Nate (July 5, 2011) "Going It Alone: The Mysterious Rewards of Solo Jazz Piano". International Herald Tribune. p. 12. The album helped Taborn get more attention as a leader.Friedwald, Will (April 6, 2012) "The Jazz Scene: He Can Play for Miles and Miles". Wall Street Journal. p. A20.
In 2010, Taborn also toured Europe with Anker's trio, Potter's Underground,Hobart, Mike (November 14, 2010) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/21934bda-f00d-11df-88db-00144feab49a.html "Party Pieces as Birthday Gifts"]. ft.com. and played piano duets with Vijay Iyer."Jazz" (October 8, 2010) The New York Times. p. C20.Adler, David R. (August 9, 2011) [http://jazztimes.com/articles/27868-craig-taborn-alone-at-last "Craig Taborn: Alone, at Last"]. JazzTimes. In the following year, Taborn again performed with Stańko,"Jazz" (January 14, 2011) The New York Times. p. C21. as part of drummer Paul Motian's quartet,"Jazz" (May 13, 2011) The New York Times. p. C18. and had another solo tour of Europe.Hobart, Mike (May 27, 2011) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/d0636422-87e5-11e0-a6de-00144feabdc0.html "Craig Taborn, Vortex, London"]. ft.com. Taborn toured internationally with his own trio,Watson, Walter Ray (April 4, 2012) [https://www.npr.org/blogs/ablogsupreme/2012/04/04/149964622/equilateral-triangles-the-challenge-of-the-modern-piano-trio "Equilateral Triangles: The Challenge of the Modern Piano Trio"]. npr. Anker's trio,Hobart, Mike (April 18, 2012) [http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/8374a140-894b-11e1-bed0-00144feab49a.html "Anker, Taborn, Cleaver, Vortex Jazz Club, London"]. ft.com. and with Dave Holland's quartet Prism in 2012,Hum, Peter (June 25, 2012) [https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/Prism+filled+with+vivid+visceral+music/6834028/story.html "Prism Filled Air with Vivid, Visceral Music"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304070242/http://www.ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/Prism+filled+with+vivid+visceral+music/6834028/story.html |date=2016-03-04 }}. Ottawa Citizen.[http://www.northseajazz.com/en/program/2012/saturday-7-july/15886_holland-eubanks-taborn-harland-prism "Dave Holland, Kevin Eubanks, Craig Taborn, Eric Harland: Prism"]. North Sea Jazz. Retrieved December 21, 2014. and remained part of Holland's band into 2014.{{sfn|Cohen|2014|p=30}}
A further ECM album, Chants, led by Taborn and with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Gerald Cleaver, was released in 2013. This was the trio's first release after eight years together.Canter, Andrea (April 22, 2013) [http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/10652/115/ "A Craig Taborn Homecoming: 'Heroic Frenzies' at the Walker, April 26th"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222002456/http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/10652/115/ |date=February 22, 2014}}. Jazz Police. At this point, Taborn's comments on composition and group performance were: "I knew that if I created a context and then deferred, fully, to Gerald's and Thomas's sensibilities it would inherently be stimulating and would also challenge the context. [...] I'd much rather engage with the group, always, than have the format be 'piano adventures with supporting cast'."[http://jazztimes.com/guides/events/3811-craig-taborn-trio-baltimore-april-30 "Craig Taborn Trio @ Baltimore – April 30"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131112070209/http://jazztimes.com/guides/events/3811-craig-taborn-trio-baltimore-april-30 |date=2013-11-12 }}. JazzTimes. Retrieved April 29, 2013. This band began a tour of Europe in 2014, but Cleaver was replaced by J.T. Bates part of the way through it, owing to illness.Sharpe, John (October 13, 2014) [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/craig-taborn-trio-at-gent-jazz-club-2014-by-john-sharpe.php?page=1 "Craig Taborn Trio at Gent Jazz Club"]. AllAboutJazz. Earlier the same year, Taborn played in a small group led by guitarist Bill Frisell.[http://www.jazz.org/events/t-2770/Bill-Frisell-+Up-Down-The-Mississippi-Traveling-Highway-61 "Bill Frisell: Up & Down The Mississippi"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220190233/http://www.jazz.org/events/t-2770/Bill-Frisell-+Up-Down-The-Mississippi-Traveling-Highway-61 |date=2014-12-20 }}. jazz.org. Retrieved December 20, 2014. Taborn played as part of the Ches Smith Trio late in 2014 and toured with the percussionist and Mat Maneri early in 2016.Canter, Andrea (February 21, 2016) [http://jazzpolice.com/archives/578 "Ches Smith Trio with Craig Taborn and Mat Maneri at the Icehouse, February 22"]. The Jazz Police. His sixth album as leader, Flaga: Book of Angels Volume 27, was released in 2016. The trio recording, with Christian McBride on bass and Tyshawn Sorey on drums, employed compositions by John Zorn.McCleneghan, Dan (April 14, 2016) [http://www.allaboutjazz.com/flaga-book-of-angels-volume-27-craig-taborn-tzadik-review-by-dan-mcclenaghan.php "Craig Taborn: Flaga: Book of Angels, Volume 27"]. All About Jazz. Taborn's next ECM album was the quartet Daylight Ghosts, which combined electronic and acoustic elements.{{sfn|Micallef|2017|p=28}} This was followed by a string of duo albums: Octopus with Kris Davis from 2016;{{cite web |last=Simpson |first=Doug |title=Kris Davis and Craig Taborn: Octopus – Pyroclastic |url=https://www.audaud.com/kris-davis-and-craig-taborn-octopus-pyroclastic/ |website=Audiophile Audition |date=May 9, 2018}} Highsmith with Ikue Mori in 2017;{{cite news |last=Margasak |first=Peter |date=February 1, 2018 |title=Pianist Craig Taborn Finds New Ways to Adapt While Remaining True to His Erudite, Curious Aesthetic |url=https://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/pianist-craig-taborn-finds-new-ways-to-adapt-while-remaining-true-to-his-erudite-curious-aesthetic/Content?oid=40211486 |work=Chicago Reader }} and The Transitory Poems with Iyer from 2018.{{cite magazine |last=Woodard |first=Josef |date=May 2019 |title=Vijay Iyer & Craig Taborn: Building Something Majestic |magazine=DownBeat |volume=86 |issue=5 |page=37 }} 16 years after their first album, Junk Magic had a second released in 2020 – Compass Confusion, with the Taborn-led band expanded to a quintet. Taborn's second solo piano album, Shadow Plays, was recorded in concert in 2020.{{cite web |last=Jurek |first=Thom |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/shadow-plays-mw0003578409 |title=Craig Taborn: Shadow Plays |website=AllMusic |access-date=October 16, 2021}} The following year, Taborn made available for free streaming 60 X Sixty – 60 tracks of around a minute in length, played in a random order at 60xsixty.com.[https://jazztimes.com/blog/craig-taborn-unveils-experimental-composition-60-x-sixty/ "Craig Taborn Unveils Experimental Composition 60 X Sixty"]. JazzTimes. September 21, 2021.
Character and preferences
According to Jazz Police, Taborn is "basically shy" and prefers to "let his music do the talking", which is why he "doesn{{'}}t have, or want, his own website". He also has a minimal social media presence and controls all of his US bookings personally. Some of his friends told The New York Times author of a 2017 profile piece on Taborn "how relieved they were that someone, at last, was profiling him, as if he were being forced out of hiding".
Taborn has explained the limited quantity of albums under his own name as being driven by the "age of almost profligate documentation", which he counters with "almost a discipline to be more selective about releases." He does, however, frequently record his own playing, so that he can study it.
Artistry
Taborn's range of playing styles was summarized by Mike Hobart in The Financial Times: Taborn "draws obliquely on the jazz tradition [...] he is as at home in free improvisation as he is in composition".Hobart, Mike (December 10, 2009) "Craig Taborn" The Financial Times. p. 21. In an interview for Down Beat in 2011, Taborn described his improvising style, particularly for solo piano. When playing, he often adopts a modular approach, using small units of melody and rhythm and then developing them. This can begin from as little as three notes, with structure being built around referring back to elements of the units. He starts simply, using basic elements such as major and minor thirds, varies them in turn, and then continues to expand to create larger structures. He uses a combination of his attack and the piano's sustain pedal to draw attention to the upper partials of a note; this allows a heightened contrast between notes to be perceived.
Taborn has commented on the similarities and differences in his playing on piano and electronic instruments. Comparing his accompaniments on piano and Fender Rhodes, he said that:
I play some of the same chords on the piano, but there are definitely things I would do on the piano because it's a more transparent instrument that I wouldn't do on the Rhodes. [...] The Rhodes is so strong that when you play something on it, it really can dictate, because it's louder and the timbre is much more opaque. So you leave more holes. On the piano, I would maybe play more sustain chords.Garelick, Jon (November 21–27, 2003) [http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/giantsteps/documents/03325588.asp "Going Electric: Craig Taborn and the Fender Rhodes"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130402184936/http://www.bostonphoenix.com/boston/music/giantsteps/documents/03325588.asp |date=April 2, 2013}}. The Boston Phoenix.
Taborn prefers earlier models of Fender Rhodes, for their raunchier sound. He also attempts to retain control over the sound that is presented to an audience when playing electronic instruments: he links his instruments to his own amplifier, and then has the venue take its feed from that amplifier.{{sfn|Panken|2008|p=48}}
Guitarist David Torn commented that Taborn is "the rare musician who takes the approach, 'What can I do with this instrument?' rather than playing through its book of techniques. [...He] is able to eschew the technological aspect in order to get out the sounds that he feels are suitable for the music."{{sfn|Panken|2008|pp=50–51}}
Compositions
Taborn incorporates requirements to improvise within his compositions.{{sfn|Cohen|2014|p=32}} Commenting on his writing for trio and quartet, Taborn stated that "I like multiple kinds of rhythmic things. On their own, they're not so complicated, but when you fit them together, it sounds a little mysterious. A lot of that writing extends from my trio writing, where I'm writing things that are
playable in real time. There's a certain orchestration you can get out of a four-piece. How far can we suggest a larger ensemble? [I want] to create the illusion of a larger ensemble".{{sfn|Cohen|2014|p=32}} His compositions typically do not include chord changes, but contain superimposed, contrapuntal melodies.{{sfn|Micallef|2017|p=29}}
Awards
In 2009 and 2010, Down Beat critics selected Taborn as the electric keyboard rising star winner.Down Beat (August 2009) 76 (8). p. 43.[http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=stories&subsect=story_detail&sid=1021 "2010 DownBeat Critics Poll"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161104141456/http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=stories&subsect=story_detail&sid=1021 |date=November 4, 2016}}. (August 31, 2010) Down Beat. In 2011, he was chosen as winner of the electric keyboard category, as well as rising star in both the piano and organ categories.[http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=stories&subsect=story_detail&sid=911 "2011 DownBeat Critics Poll"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120414235335/http://www.downbeat.com/default.asp?sect=stories&subsect=story_detail&sid=911 |date=April 14, 2012}}. (August 31, 2011) Down Beat. In 2012, he was given the North Sea Jazz Festival's Paul Acket Award, which is presented "to an artist deserving wider recognition for extraordinary musicianship".[http://www.ecmrecords.com/News/Diary/350_Taborn_North_Sea_Prize.php?cat=&we_start=40&lvredir=733 "Craig Taborn Wins North Sea Prize"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141219002603/http://www.ecmrecords.com/News/Diary/350_Taborn_North_Sea_Prize.php?cat=&we_start=40&lvredir=733 |date=2014-12-19 }}. (May 2, 2012) ECM. JazzTimes ranked Taborn in their 2013 critics' poll as best piano player.[http://jazztimes.com/articles/122890-the-2013-expanded-critics-poll "The 2013 Expanded Critics' Poll"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141205041423/http://jazztimes.com/articles/122890-the-2013-expanded-critics-poll |date=December 5, 2014}}. (March 17, 2014) JazzTimes. In 2014, the Jazz Journalists Association awarded him the Pianist of the Year award.[http://www.jjajazzawards.org/2014/04/2014-jja-jazz-awards-winners-music.html#more "2014 JJA Jazz Awards Winners"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416192652/http://www.jjajazzawards.org/2014/04/2014-jja-jazz-awards-winners-music.html#more |date=2014-04-16 }}. (April 15, 2014) Jazz Journalists Association.
In 2014, Taborn was given a Doris Duke Artist Award,Canter, Andrea (April 22, 2014) [http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/11174/68/ "Thirteen Jazz Artists Receive 2014 Doris Duke Awards"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220194410/http://www.jazzpolice.com/content/view/11174/68/ |date=December 20, 2014}}. Jazz Police. worth up to $275,000 and given to "exemplary individual artists in contemporary dance, jazz, theatre and related interdisciplinary work who have proven their artistic vitality and commitment to their field."[http://ddpaa.org/program/ddartists "Doris Duke Artist Awards"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141220193455/http://ddpaa.org/program/ddartists |date=2014-12-20 }}. Doris Duke Charitable Foundation. Retrieved December 20, 2014.
Discography
{{Further|Craig Taborn discography}}
=As leader/co-leader=
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
Bibliography
{{refbegin}}
- {{cite journal
| last = Cohen
| first = Aaron
| title = Prism: Fantastic Four
| journal = Down Beat
| volume = 81
| issue = 2
| date = February 2014
}}
- {{cite journal
| last = Micallef
| first = Ken
| title = Craig Taborn: 'Go Inside the Sound'
| journal = Down Beat
| volume = 84
| issue = 3
| date = March 2017
}}
- {{cite journal
| last = Panken
| first = Ted
| title = Keyboard Wizard: Unraveling Craig Taborn's Electric (And Acoustic) Soundscapes
| journal = Down Beat
| volume = 75
| issue = 9
| date = September 2008
}}
{{refend}}
{{Craig Taborn}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taborn, Craig}}
Category:American jazz keyboardists
Category:American jazz pianists
Category:American male jazz pianists
Category:Avant-garde jazz musicians
Category:Clean Feed Records artists
Category:Jazz fusion musicians
Category:Jazz musicians from Minnesota
Category:People from Golden Valley, Minnesota
Category:Thirsty Ear Recordings artists
Category:Tzadik Records artists
Category:University of Michigan alumni
Category:21st-century American pianists