Will Taylor and Strings Attached

IN CONCERT IN THE RANDALL EWING KEMPER HALL

Will Taylor & Strings Attached - Jazz Fusion

Will Taylor is an American violist, violinist, arranger, composer, record producer and guitarist and from Austin, Texas. He is the founder of the groups Will Taylor & Strings Attached and The Jazz Menagerie.

Taylor is one of few viola players in jazz. He began his career playing jazz fusion in clubs on 6th Street in Austin, Texas during his college years. After that, he worked with Eddie Harris and the Turtle Island Quartet. Additionally, he has spent 23 years playing with the Austin Lyric Opera. He also spent time doing solo work, releasing three albums: Reel Life (1993, Amazing), Simple Gifts (1995, Igmod), and Live from Austin (1996, Cymekob, Inc.) The three albums received airtime on National Public Radio stations.

In 1999, Taylor began collaborating extensively with other Austin artists. Most of the collaborations were jazz, although some were considered more pop. He began collaborating regularly with different artists, but often bringing in the same people. These people eventually formed under the band name Will Taylor & Strings Attached.

The band currently includes:

• Will Taylor (viola)

• Steve Zirkel (bass and muted trumpet)

• Jason McKenzie (percussion)

• Shawn Sanders (cello)

• Glenn Rexach (guitar)

The group has collaborated with artists such as Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, Shawn Colvin, Ian Moore, and Pearl Jam.

"Will Taylor is a Violinist/Composer/Arranger heard on The Office, NPR, & Collaborations w/Willie Nelson, Pearl Jam, and Shawn Colvin. ❤️ Will Taylor and Strings Attached has made a name for itself by reworking iconic music like the Beatles ‘White album’, as well as Joni Mitchell, Pink Floyd, Paul Simon, and Jimi Hendrix—adding jazz and roots flavors along with string arrangements to lovingly assembled acoustic renditions. "Imagine what might happen if you dared to blur all these boundaries between pop music and jazz, between rock music and classical music, between the musical realm and the lyrical realm, between the honky-tonk and the church, and in the spirit of art and fun and experimentation..." - The Statesman"