Celebrating life and legacy, the legendary jazz impresario, Fred Taylor All-Star Memorial Tribute Event
Streamed on YouTube & FaceBook on December 7, 2020, 8pm ET
Lineup includes Diana Krall, Esperanza Spalding, Kurt Elling, Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Grace Kelly, Catherine Russell, Kat Edmonson, John Patitucci, Jason Palmer, James Montgomery, Bo Winiker, and a special appearance by Pat Metheny, Roger Brown, Harry Connick Jr., Robin Young, and others.
The continuing legacy of iconic Boston music promoter, Fred Taylor is being honored by the release of his memoir, What, And Give Up Showbiz?, and by the continuation of the Fred Taylor Endowed Scholarship Fund, designed to nurture gifted and deserving Berklee students in need of financial assistance and who are studying Music Business or Professional Music.
Diana Krall, Esperanza Spalding, Kurt Elling, Danilo Pérez, Terri Lyne Carrington, Grace Kelly, Catherine Russell, Kat Edmonson, John Patitucci, Jason Palmer, James Montgomery, and Bo Winiker perform to celebrate Taylor and raise funds for the scholarship. The event also features a special appearance by Pat Metheny, Roger Brown, Harry Connick Jr., Robin Young, and others. Berklee alumna Grace Kelly, who organized the All-Star concert and spearheaded establishing the endowed scholarship, produced and willhost the virtual memorial tribute event.
Taylor has been an unparalleled driving force in making Boston a great music city. For more than six decades, Taylor—Boston's ageless, irrepressible impresario—has devoted his life to nurturing gifted artists, presenting the who's who in jazz and beyond, and providing grateful audiences with extraordinary listening experiences. He has done so at his legendary clubs Paul's Mall and the Jazz Workshop; as the artistic director of the Tanglewood Jazz Festival from 2001 to 2007; and over the course of more than 27 years as artistic director of Scullers Jazz Club.
Taylor has presented artists such as Duke Ellington, Dizzy Gillespie, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Stan Getz, Charles Mingus, Bob Dylan, Diana Ross, and Bruce Springsteen, as well as comedy legends like Flip Wilson, Richard Pryor, and Lily Tomlin. Taylor has also always had his eye on the future, helping to bring up stars of today including Norah Jones, Esperanza Spalding, Grace Kelly, Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah, and Chris Botti, to name a few. He has earned awards from the Jazz Journalists Association, JazzBoston, and Berklee, which presented Taylor with the inaugural George Wein Impresario Award in 2015.
Fred’s tireless endeavor in the music business for over six decades culminated with him writing and finishing his memoir, What, And Give Up Show-biz? just weeks prior to his passing in October 2019. We are celebrating the release of this book and the legacy of Fred Taylor on December 7, 2020, benefiting his scholarship fund at the Berklee College of Music.
For more information on Fred Taylor Scholarship Fund, visit FredTaylorScholarshipFund.org