Martin Taylor, Ade Holland, & Tom Anderson
Wallingford’s Corn Exchange was packed with an enthusiastic audience for a jazz and blues night starring internationally acclaimed guitarist Martin Taylor. The first half of the show featured the brilliant local group " Fat Chance" whose style and infectious enthusiasm had the audience shouting for more. Their 45 minutes just flew. Fat Chance comprises of, superb guitarist Ade Holland, with Saffron Young (double bass), Geoff Hawkins (saxes) and Tom Anderson (guitar). In the second half, Taylor displayed his incredible skills, including the “three guitarists in one” technique which became a favourite with audiences worldwide.
Martin’s has been to many exotic places where he has amazed jazz lovers — and that now includes Wallingford. The Corn Exchange, with its excellent sound qualities and intimate atmosphere was the perfect venue for this musical evening, (Jim Cane - Feb 1995)
Having toured America with Grappelli, starred in Nashville and so on, Martin Taylor doesn’t need some Wallingford hack to rave about him. He’s the ultimate virtuoso of course, and yes, it was understandable (and really rather thrilling!) when he showed off the ‘bass, rhythm, tune, improvisation. all at once’ trick on ‘I got Rhythm'. He told us that his early influences were pianists including Fats WaIler, though the one I thought of instantly he began his first selection was Bill Evans. The same quiet bits, the same intense exploration of the tunes possibilities. (This may be partly because I thought he opened with ‘Here’s That Rainy Day’).
Technique is fine. But Martin Taylor gave us much more. One never lost the sense of a man in love with his instrument, feeling privileged and happy to playing it - whether re-inventing Leonard Bernstein’s ‘Somewhere’, enhancing ‘Taking a Chance on Love’ with a subtle new arrangement, or swinging like Brian Lara’s bat on ‘Cherokee’. Perhaps this rhythmic gift what struck me most. Although playing solo he almost seemed to have the drive and shifting accents of a great jazz drummer behind him. Maybe playing jazz, with its technical demands allied to limitless chances for self-expression delivers the ultimate creative buzz? We could ask Martin Taylor ………. (Chris Harris 1995)
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