[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 119 (Thursday, September 21, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1805-E1806]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      TRIBUTE TO DR. BILLY TAYLOR

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON

                      of the district of columbia

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 21, 2006

  Ms. NORTON. Mr. Speaker, as an original Co-Chair of the Honorary 
Congressional Host Committee for the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival, with 
Representative John Conyers, I rise today to recognize one of America's 
great jazz musicians and celebrated music innovators, Dr. Billy Taylor. 
As we look forward to and celebrate the second annual Duke Ellington 
Jazz Festival in the District of Columbia, we recognize the talented 
individuals who contributed to the unique sounds that form modern jazz. 
As a world-renowned jazz artist who uses his talent not only to 
entertain, but also to educate and inspire, Dr. Billy Taylor will be 
honored this year with the Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award. He 
joins last year's inaugural honoree, David Brubeck, as a recipient of 
this award.
  I am proud that Dr. Taylor grew up in the District of Columbia in a 
family that valued artistic expression through music. His talent was 
undeniable. Dr. Taylor experimented with the sounds of the saxophone, 
drums, guitar and piano, receiving lessons from Henry Grant, who taught 
classical piano to the legendary Duke Ellington 20 years earlier. By 
the age of 13, Dr. Taylor had made his first professional appearance at 
the Republic Gardens on U Street.
  After graduating with a Bachelor of Science in music from Virginia 
State University, Dr. Taylor took time off to continue to study, 
practice and perfect his musical skills. In 1944, he set out for New 
York City and became instantly emerged in the music scene. Soon after 
his arrival, Dr. Taylor was invited to play piano in saxophonist Ben 
Webster's quartet. He also performed on 52nd Street with the legendary 
Dizzy Gillespie. In 1946, Dr. Taylor embarked on an 8-month tour of 
Europe with Don Redman's Orchestra, the first American band to visit 
the continent after World War II. Upon his return, Billy Taylor became 
the house pianist at Birdland, the historic jazz venue where he was 
surrounded by pioneering jazz musicians and played with greats such as 
Ella Fitzgerald and Miles Davis.
  As an eminent jazz musician, Billy Taylor began to educate the public 
on the world of

[[Page E1806]]

jazz. In the early 1960's, Dr. Taylor became the first black artist to 
host a daily radio show, ``The Billy Taylor Show,'' on WNEW, a major 
New York station. Dr. Taylor also brought jazz back to Harlem and the 
surrounding communities through the revolutionary Jazzmobile project, 
which he co-founded with Daphne Arnstein, a fellow member of the Harlem 
Cultural Council. The Jazzmobile began with a float borrowed from the 
Budweiser Beer Company that was converted into a bandstand-on-wheels. 
The organization produced summer outdoor concerts, lectures and special 
programs for disadvantaged inner-city youth. Renowned artists such as 
Dizzy Gillespie, Duke Ellington, Lionel Hampton, Buddy Rich, and Milt 
Jackson all contributed to the Jazzmobile by performing free outdoor 
concerts for the public. In particular, Dr. Taylor recalled the 
excitement of the audience when Duke Ellington performed, saying, ``I 
don't know who was more excited, the audience, or Duke. He loved 
playing for the people of Harlem, and they loved him, madly.'' The 
program continues today throughout the United States.

  Billy Taylor's recording career is nothing short of extraordinary. 
With more than two dozen albums recorded over a span of six decades, 
Dr. Taylor is renowned within the recording community through such 
compositions as, ``I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel to be Free'' and 
``Peaceful Warrior,'' a work inspired by and dedicated to the memory of 
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In 1990, Dr. Taylor was awarded the National 
Medal of Arts by President George H.W. Bush and also has received two 
Peabody Awards, an Emmy, and a Grammy.
  Dr. Taylor continues to be the country's spokesman for jazz. From 
1977 until 1982, Dr. Taylor hosted ``Jazz Alive,'' National Public 
Radio's most listened-to jazz program of its time.
  In March 1993, he was appointed Jazz Adviser to the Kennedy Center, 
where he was responsible for dramatically expanding and enhancing its 
jazz program--and although he has officially retired, Dr. Taylor is 
busier than ever, continuing to provide his expertise to the 
institution. As with Jazzmobile, Billy Taylor continues to create 
outreach activities and public performances to expose people of all 
ages to the genre of Jazz at the Kennedy Center. At the University of 
Massachusetts, where he is the Wilmer D. Barrett Professor of Music, 
Dr. Taylor leads the annual Jazz in July program.
  As we prepare for the 2nd Annual Duke Ellington Festival to be held 
in October, it is my pleasure to recognize Dr. Billy Taylor for his 
lifetime achievements and contributions to the genre of jazz and to the 
world at large. He is not only an extraordinary artist, but also a 
renowned and celebrated professional who has dedicated his life to 
bringing music to the masses. Dr. Billy Taylor inspires the next 
generation of musicians to continue in his footsteps and not only excel 
in their musical performances, but also to motivate and educate.

                          ____________________