Chad Taylor (drummer)


Chad Taylor is an American drummer, percussionist, and composer. Taylor leads both the Chad Taylor Trio with Brian Settles and Neil Podgurski and Circle Down with Angelica Sanchez and Chris Lightcap. He is a founding member of the Chicago Underground along with Jeff Parker and Rob Mazurek. In 2024, he was selected to lead the University of Pittsburgh's Jazz Studies Program while holding the university's William S. Dietrich II Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies.

Early life

Taylor was born in Tempe, Arizona and was brought up in a musical household. His father, once an aspiring concert pianist, exposed his young son to Duke Ellington, Bach, Thelonious Monk, and Mozart. By age 8, Taylor started taking guitar lessons. At 10, he relocated with his mother and sister to Chicago where he continued his studies on guitar as well as starting snare drum lessons. In 1988 Taylor began studying jazz drumming and classical percussion in High School and took ensemble classes at The Bloom School of Jazz. Through the help and encouragement of bassist Dennis Carrol, Taylor started performing in Chicago with Rob Mazurek. Upon graduating from Lane Tech in 1991, Chad received a full scholarship to study classical guitar at Millikin University. After attending his freshman year he decided to focus on jazz drumming and the following year transferred to the School of Jazz division of The New School in New York City.

Career

In 1997 Taylor moved back to Chicago where his roommate, bassist Joshua Abrams introduced him to saxophonist Fred Anderson. Taylor started performing regularly with Anderson at The Velvet Lounge. In addition, Abrams and Taylor started the collective Sticks and Stones with Matana Roberts that hosted the weekly jam session at The Velvet Lounge. Rob Mazurek invited him to perform along with Jeff Parker at a weekly composers workshop at The Green Mill which eventually developed into The Chicago Underground ensemble. In 1998 the first Chicago Underground Duo recording, 12° of Freedom was released on the Thrill Jockey label. Taylor was the drummer on Sam Prekop's 1999 self titled release Sam Prekop as well as the 2005 release Who's Your New Professor.
In 2002, Taylor recorded Titration, his debut as a leader for Delmark Records. The core ensemble consisted of Jemeel Moondoc, Tom Abbs and Steve Swell. The same year Taylor started working with Jeff Parker's Trio with Chris Lopes on bass, releasing Like-Coping in 2003 and The Relatives in 2005.
In 2004 Taylor started working with guitarist Marc Ribot in his band Spiritual Unity with Roy Campbell and Henry Grimes. Taylor produced Ribot's 2014 album Live At The Vanguard.
In 2009 Taylor started working with the folk/rock band Iron & Wine and toured with the band from 2010 to 2012. Taylor was the drummer on the 2011 release Kiss Each Other Clean.
In 2011 Taylor began the master's program in Jazz History and Research at Rutgers University under the direction of Lewis Porter. His master thesis was an examination of form and process in the music of Henry Threadgill's Zooid.
In 2012 Taylor joined a collaboration with Darius Jones, Sean Conly and Alex Harding called Grass Roots, they recorded and released their self titled album on AUM Fidelity. In 2013 Taylor started working with bassist Eric Revis in his Quartet which released Sing Me Some Cry. After finishing the masters program at Rutgers University in 2015 Taylor started teaching adjunct classes in music theory, jazz history and music appreciation. He also taught music history at Berkeley College in NYC. Taylor produced a solo work called Myths and Morals. Taylor started working with James Brandon Lewis in 2016 and the two started performing as a duo and released Radiant Imprints in 2018 and Live in Willisau in 2020. In addition, he joined Jaimie Branch's Fly or Die ensemble in 2016. In 2019, Taylor formed a new ensemble with tenor saxophonist Brian Settles and pianist Neil Podgurski, which released The Daily Biological for Cuneiform Records in 2020.

Academic career

In 2024, Taylor was selected to lead the University of Pittsburgh's Jazz Studies Program in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences, succeeding prior heads of the program which include Nathan Davis, Geri Allen, and Nicole Mitchell. In this capacity, Taylor will hold the William S. Dietrich II Endowed Chair in Jazz Studies and lead the university's annual Jazz Seminar and Concert series.

Notable mentions

Taylor was included in the "Rising Star" category of DownBeat Magazine's 2020 Critics Poll. Taylor received the most votes in the 2020 El Intruso's International Poll for percussion. In 2020, The Daily Biological by the Chad Taylor Trio was selected in NPR's jazz critics poll and was also included in JazzTimes's Top 40 New Jazz Releases.

Discography

As leader

with Chicago Underground">Chicago Underground (jazz ensemble)">Chicago Underground

with James Brandon Lewis

  • 2019 James Brandon Lewis/ Chad Taylor, Radiant Imprints
  • 2020 James Brandon Lewis/Chad Taylor, Live in Willisau,
  • 2020 Molecular
  • 2021 Red Lilly Quintet, Jesup Wagon
  • 2021 ''Code of Being''

with [Jaimie Branch]

  • 2017 Fly or Die
  • 2019 Fly or Die II, Bird Dogs of Paradise
  • 2021 Fly or Die, ''Live in Zurich''

with [Eric Revis]

  • 2014 In Memory of Things Not Seen
  • 2017 Sing Me some Cry
  • 2020 ''Slipknots Through the Looking Glass''

with Jeff Parker">Jeff Parker (musician)">Jeff Parker

  • 2003 Like-Coping
  • 2005 The Relatives
  • 2012 ''A Bright Light in Winter''

with Fred Anderson">Fred Anderson (musician)">Fred Anderson

with [Marc Ribot]

with Nicole Mitchell">Nicole Mitchell (musician)">Nicole Mitchell

with Digital Primitives

  • 2007 Digital Primitives
  • 2009 Digital Primitives, Hum Crackle Pop
  • 2013 Digital Primitives, ''Lipsomuch/Soul Searching''

with Triptych Myth

  • 2003 Triptych Myth
  • 2005 The Beautiful
  • 2018 ''Triptych Myth with Cale Brandley, Finding Fire''

with David Lord

  • 2018 Forest Standards Vol 1
  • 2020 Forest Standards Vol 2
  • 2023 Forest Standards Vol 3
  • 2024 ''Forest Standards Vol 4''

with Daunik Lazro

  • 2018: A Pride of Lions, 5tet with Joe McPhee, Guillaume Séguron, J. Abrams
  • 2022: No Questions-No Answers, 5tet A Pride of Lions - Rogue Art

as co-leader

  • 2002 Sticks and Stones
  • 2004 Sticks and Stones, Shed Grace
  • 2011 Grass Roots
  • 2013 Side A, A New Margin
  • 2014 Side A, In the Abstract
  • 2018 A Pride of Lions
  • 2021 Time No Changes with Chris Schlarb
  • 2021 Mind Maintenance with Joshua Abrams
  • 2021 In a Perpetual Now of Instantaneous Visibility with Rosa Barba

as sideman