The Seasons | January

Taylor Eigsti

I met Taylor years ago in Los Angeles while he was a student at USC. The first thing I remember was it seemed he could play anything. Taylor had the enviable quality of supreme technique combined with the ability to follow any idea that came to him. We played together in many different contexts, including really fun house sessions at friend and bassist Harish Raghavan’s place (endearingly called the “jazz house” within our circle), and I got to know him both musically and personally (he is a hilarious prankster...)

Of course Taylor’s musical gifts have continued to grow through the years, and as a result, I had no hesitation writing one of the harder pieces for him! The direct inspiration for this duet came from elements I’ve always loved in Taylor’s playing and writing. Taylor’s clarity of sound and approach reminds me of great classical pianists and as such, I wanted to compose a piece that felt rooted in that sensibility.  

I had the honor of playing on Taylor’s first two albums (Self-Titled and Let It Come To You), and it was a great way to get inside of his compositional world. There is a three-movement suite called “Less Free Will” from his second CD that was also on my mind as I composed the duet.

I would like to express my gratitude to Taylor for giving his time and artistry on this project. There are eleven more after this, which I will release once per month.  If you want to know when they will be posted, join my mailing list or subscribe to my YouTube page.  Many thanks!