Origin Austin, Texas, USA Instruments Viola | Years active 1987–present Name Will Taylor | |
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Born November 30, 1968 (age 55) ( 1968-11-30 ) Occupation(s) musician, composer, arranger, producer Labels Amazing Records, Strings Attached Music, Igmod, Cymekob Associated acts Will Taylor and Strings Attached, Jazz Menagerie Role Musical Artist · stringsattached.org Albums Will Taylor With Strings Attached, Life Inside the Body Education University of Texas at Austin, Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music, Stephen F. Austin High School Genres Jazz, Jazz fusion, Swing music, Western swing, Folk music, Rock music, Pop music People also search for Karen Mal, Sean Kelly, Claire Campbell, Deb Davis, Jamie Shepard | ||
Will Taylor (born November 30, 1968) is a violist, violinist, arranger, composer, music producer and guitarist and from Austin, Texas. He is the founder of the groups Will Taylor & Strings Attached and The Jazz Menagerie.
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Early life
Taylor graduated from Austin High School. He then attended the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin.
Career
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.
Will Taylor and Strings Attached
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:
The group has collaborated with artists such as Eliza Gilkyson, Slaid Cleaves, Shawn Colvin, Ian Moore, and Pearl Jam.