Tom Taylor is an internationally known composer, recording artist, and jazz guitarist. As a boy growing up in San Francisco, Taylor taught himself guitar and began immersing himself in blues and bluegrass music. In the 1970s, as a student at San Jose State University, Taylor studied composition with Lou Harrison and Alan Strange, and also began gravitating towards jazz. Taylor’s music, described by the San Francisco Chronicle as “a hybrid with integrity,” has been praised for its “bold new mix of classical, jazz, rock, and bluegrass.”
Taylor has written for an eclectic variety of ensembles and soloists, including the Kronos Quartet, Turtle Island String Quartet, and mandolin virtuoso David Grisman, among others. He currently teaches jazz guitar at Colorado College, where he also directs the Tiger Jazz Ensemble.
According to Taylor, Big Basin Breakdown was inspired by an ill-fated camping trip in which his guitar broke and his car died. It begins with a contrapuntal section for string orchestra; the breakdown referenced in the title occurs when the drum kit and acoustic guitar elbow their way into the fray.
© Elizabeth Schwartz