“Joani Taylor” released 1970
The album was produced by Dave Bird. I was very young when I recorded this album with the Dave Robbins Orchestra. Dave Robbins was the sweetest person, and taught me so much. I did quite a bit of work with Dave. He wrote great arrangements and it was a real privilege to work with him. We recorded at the first “big” studio in Vancouver….. Aragon Studios, which later became Mushroom Studios. Apparently there's a picture of Dave, myself and others hanging on the Mushroom Studios wall, however I haven't seen it myself. I also met Brian Griffiths and Brian Gibson, who were singing backup at that session, and whom I later worked for. They had a production company “Griffiths Gibson Productions” which did jingle and film work. Dave Robbins only had this recording on vinyl, but about a year before he died, Brian Gibson (Hoot) helped me transfer the album to CD format for Dave. Dave really loved that. We all loved Dave.
Favorite tune - How Insensitive
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“Absolutely Joani Taylor” released 1989
My first CD “Absolutely Joani Taylor” was recorded when my boys were very young. Timing is everything and I learned a lot while producing this recording. I had the “Gentle Giant” piano player Ron Johnston, living legend Ian MacDougall and guitar master Oliver Gannon; and all three wrote some great arrangements. This session (recorded “live”) was so much fun that I wanted to add more tunes. The mistake I made was that I ordered 1/2 CDs and 1/2 tapes (remember those?). A lot of tapes were sent to radio stations because that was the current format. Imagine my dismay when all the stations changed over to the new CD format within the first month of the release. Aargh! Despite this, the album remains beautiful and my boys were very proud of me.
Favorite tune - The Music That Makes Me Dance.
Joani Taylor & Bob Murphy “The Art of the Jazz Ballad” released 2002
Nominated for “Jazz Vocal of the Year” at The National Jazz Awards, this is my favorite style of music because you can take lyrics and a melody and hold it. Bob Murphy invited me over to his loft studio to play and record one day. It was feeling so good that we decided to record a duo album. We didn't worry about how long the tunes were; we just wanted to play deep and full of expression. Bob gives something so expressive that it forces you to listen and play in a way that is totally honest. It's like both of us breathing exactly the same way. Can you feel me here? This recording may not be for everyone, but I'm forever grateful to Bob for his wonderful playing and generosity in giving me the opportunity to express this form that I love so much.
Favorite tune - Make Someone Happy
Joani Taylor with Ross Taggart and Friends “A State of Grace” released 2003
Ross is the best!!! He is so creative and talented….. a multi-instrumentalist, great writer and wonderful arranger. Together we wrote the title tune “A State of Grace”. This was so much fun that I co-wrote another tune “Answer My Question” with my brother Jimm. Jimm did the greater share of the writing. Aside from me choosing a couple of tunes, Ross really brought it all together.
Favorite tune - Seeing for the Very First Time.
“The Wall Street Sessions” released 2003
Nominated for a Juno Award and produced by Bob Murphy, Miles Foxx Hill and myself. Again, I had a lot of fun recording this album in Bob's studio with Bob (piano and B3), Miles (bass), and Buff Allen (drums), along with stellar solos by Ross Taggart (tenor sax), Campbell Ryga (soprano sax) and Brad Turner (trumpet). Bob played so beautifully right from the first tune, “A Timeless Place” (originally The Peacocks), that this album rolled. A side note.....When we went to the Juno Awards they announced “the Juno goes to..............................Diana Krall”. Well, she wasn't there to accept the award, so while the camera was panning the audience, I stood up and said “I'll take it”. The audience laughed.
Favorite tune - Swan Song.
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Joani Taylor “In My Own Voice” released 2008
Recorded “live”, I co-produced this album with Miles Foxx Hill. Miles, Bob and I wrote four tunes for the album. It was magical! They laid down the feel and form, then I wrote the words and melodies.
I met Jay Kin, a cool Emcee, and we had talked about working together. I was thinking about the “beat poets” who were before my time, but I had seen movies with them and I thought…. “a rapper is a poet”. I had Jay listen to “Take Five”. He liked the idea and we laid the tune down. Ross Taggart played a great solo on this tune. It's the first single from the CD and it was our choice for a video. We also shot a very simple video for “You are My Sunshine.” Just simple, through the glass of the control room; but because it was my son behind the camera…..during the solo I was losing it because of the emotion I was feeling. I wrote “Who's Gonna Hold Me Now” along with my brother Jimm. It's something my aunt said after just losing her husband. Inspired by reading the Tao De Ching, I wrote the lyrics for “Peace Lullaby”, a melody with great intervals written by Ross Taggart. “Compared to What” just cooks and cooks! I loved laying these tunes down “live”! You can't beat that energy. It's truly “music of the moment”. I worked with Sharon Minemoto on the rest of the tunes; the beautiful melody for “Jim's Lament”, “The Secret”, and those whack intervals on “Lucky in Love”. The playing on this album is powerful, inspiring, and a spiritual thing that on those two days, was transmitted heart to heart. I wish you could have been there.
Favorite tune - You are My Sunshine
Guest Appearances
This is John Capon's album (bass trombone) with contributions from fellow teaching musicians Buff Allen, Pat Coleman, Ken Lister, Ross Taggart and Joani Taylor. I sang “Our Love is Here to Stay”, “Night Time is the Right Time”, and “When I Fall in Love”. I adore these guys! John Capon is not only a great musician, but a class act. John has done it all! He invited me many years ago to join this group to teach Summer and Winter Jazz Camps at Island University and various spots in BC. I had many good times, great music and wild stories to tell because of these fabulous years. I've learned an awful lot from these musicians and proud to be a part of this recording.
Favorite tune - Summer of Rain
*note: Since this recording I have written lyrics for “Summer of Rain”, and is now titled “Golden Lady”
“Jazz Words” released 1992
This is a compilation CBC recording of six singers from across Canada.
Good friends and great singers….. they include Jennifer Scott, Jeri Brown, Trudi Desmond, Kate Hammett-Vaughan, Ranee Lee and myself (Joani Taylor). My tunes on this CD are “Sleepin' Bee”, “Don't Get Around Much Anymore” and two beautiful tunes together, “A Ghost of a Chance/Can't Get Started”. I had great fun with Ron Johnston (piano), Miles Foxx Hill (bass), Jack Stafford (tenor sax), and Blaine Wikjord (drums). They were amazing players and we did everything in one or two takes.
Favorite tune - A Ghost of a Chance/Can't Get Started