PAUL TAYLOR

Hypnotic

Anyone who's had the pleasure of experiencing Paul Taylor live knows he's all about the feel-good seduction. From his slow, sensuous body movements to those hip, sensuous soul grooves and some of the past decade's most irresistible sax melodies, he offers the complete package of charisma and musicality. The three recordings which have made him a genre icon-On The Horn (1995), Pleasure Seeker (1997) and Undercover (2000)-have all been huge radio and chart success stories, but more importantly, they've perfectly defined the appeal of trip-hop-influenced, ambient and R&B-flavored smooth jazz in the 90s. The title of his new Peak Records recording, Hypnotic (PKD-8506), first came to Taylor's mind during the creation of Undercover, but in 2001 even better captures the essence of the amazing impact of the man and his music.

Leaning more towards urban styled, cool funk and hip-hop music than ever before, Taylor enjoys collaborating with a handful of contemporary music's top producers-from longtime associates Dino Esposito, Kurt Jackson and Oji Pierce to Jeff Lorber, whom Taylor performed with in the early 90s before solo stardom beckoned. All are perfectly suited to move Taylor in an urban crossover direction. In the early 90s, Esposito (recording as Dino) had the Top 5 pop singles "I Like It" and "24/7"; Jackson scored numerous R&B hits with the vocal group Portrait; Pierce had huge successes working with Montell Jordan; from Dave Koz to Eric Marienthal, Lorber is every smooth jazz sax player's choice for an incredibly funky retro-soul production.

"I'm always looking to go in slightly new directions, stay fresh and contemporary while keeping soulful and groove oriented," says Taylor. "There's definitely been an evolution from the trip hoppy styles of Pleasure Seeker to the tougher grooves I'm doing now, but it's always about doing the best music I can each time out. I have a certain special chemistry with each producer I work with. Dino comes from a more pop-oriented base and so he has always added a pop feel to my jazz feel. Oji totally adds the urban touch to my jazz touch. Kurt brings a little of both. Working with Jeff is like coming full circle.

I played with him in the early 90s at the Catalina Island Jazz Festival, and that's when Keiko Matsui saw me and asked me to join her band. I've really gotten so much better as a player since then, and it was exciting to collaborate with Jeff in a whole new way as a recording artist. We had a great time."

It's no surprise that Taylor's Undercover song "Avenue" was one of last year's most often heard radio cuts; for all of his personal charm, great grooves and incredible abilities on soprano and alto sax, Taylor's success is rooted fully on catchy melodies. He's also developed his horn doubling recording techniques so well that many of his credits include "sax harmonies" and "sax arrangement."

The tracks on Hypnotic fully keep these traditions going, beginning with the first two Esposito-produced tracks, the moody, easy funk-oriented title tune and the whimsical, atmospheric "Flight 808," which harkens back to a little of the Pleasure Seeker vibe. Jackson and his partner Matthew Edralin produced the edgy, bass driven funk ballad "PT Cruiser," which is followed by the first Lorber track, the moody, dream-inspiring 70s flavored "Tuesday Afternoon," and the wildly percussive shuffle groove tune "Dream State" (co-written and produced by Pierce).

"Sunshine" is an optimistic, ultra-sultry showcase for Kurt Jackson's familiar vocal style, which is enhanced by Taylor's sweet soprano harmony. Legendary Rufus guitarist Tony Maiden adds an extra retro accent to the throbbing grooves of Lorber-produced "Pendulum" (which finds Taylor's soprano dancing over the bouncy bassline); Maiden is also an integral part of the bluesy "Come Over," which blends Taylor's sax cool with a shimmering, joyful Fender Rhodes solo by Lorber. "Summer Park" is another Pierce production, with Taylor playing a funky alto over crunchy hip-hop grooves, mystical atmospheres and edgy synthesized percussion. Taylor and Lorber co-wrote the final two tracks, the romantic and ambient "Free Fall" and "Palisades," a tune inspired by Lorber's home of Pacific Palisades and blending organic percussion with shuffling machine-generated grooves amidst Taylor's always energetic sax.

Growing up in Denver, Taylor-who picked up his first sax at age seven-developed his craft while listening to the masters of his later chosen genre, from Grover Washington and David Sanborn to Ronnie Laws. He first eyed his true calling while playing in a local high school garage band called Mixed Company. True to its name, the group played Top 40 and funk but also would delve into the soulful fusion of the time typified by groups like The Crusaders. "The experience of performing live with them really got me thinking about what it would be like to have a career doing music for a living and performing for people," he says. "I received a scholarship to study music performance at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and started doing more gigs there. I was hooked by then."

Aiming to build his resume beyond the many dues-paying Vegas lounge gigs which marked his early professional life, he commuted often to Los Angeles and hooked up in the late 80s with (his later producer) Dino Esposito. Taylor did one of Esposito's sessions

at Jeff Lorber's home studio; a few years later, in 1994, the popular keyboardist remembered Taylor and asked him to play with him at the Catalina Island Jazz Trax Festival. Popular smooth jazz keyboardist Keiko Matsui and her producer/husband Kazu liked Taylor's charismatic performance and finesse, and later offered him an audition with their band.

Taylor recorded and toured with the Matsuis for two years (appearing on Sapphire and Dream Walk), and Kazu Matsui eventually produced the saxman's debut On The Horn, which rose high on Billboard's Contemporary Jazz chart and spawned the #1 radio hit "Till We Meet Again." Taylor quickly found his own niche in the smooth jazz world, and his quick but well deserved popularity led Pleasure Seeker to the top of the radio charts. The #1 title track was one of Radio & Records most played genre cuts of the year.

"I feel as though I'm really living my dream every time I do an album or get up onstage at a show where people have come to see me," says Taylor. "I never envisioned that my niche would be smooth jazz, but when I think back to how I idolized Grover and Ronnie, in a way it makes perfect sense. I love when people come up to me and say they had a good time, that I really did a good show. It's been such an incredible opportunity to play for them. In the beginning, I was unsure of myself onstage, but over time I've become more relaxed and realize it's a total shared experience. I'm always trying to put my best foot forward, and I love when, after all the hard work of doing an album, I hear my songs on the radio, perform them live and think, wow, this is all really coming together."

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