A drummer of exceptional talent, he's fronted many serious jazz group and well-known artists. Taylor has the uncanny ability to make his drums sing. Literally. His playing is a faultless incorporation of percussive passion, trill and fill, and swinging solos all in the right places. On "Introducing Thomas E. Taylor Jr.," his first CD recording, Taylor has culled an amazing group of talented jazz musicians together, a group that includes Herman Burney and Steve Haines on bass; Harry Pickens on piano; and a stellar horn section with none other than Fred Wesley (late of James Brown's incredible band) on trombone, Ray Codrington (numerous Eddie Harris recordings) on Trumpet, Ira Wiggins on Saxophone, and Judd Franklin on Guitar. With such VIP power, the CD glistens with the cool flavor of an era long gone, the jazz-a-licious '50s. Crackling with a whole different kind of sophistication, every track is taught and precise, a swingy complement to the precise snap and pull of bebop language. Taylor wrote the first four tracks himself, satisfactorily dashing the misconception that drummers aren't "real" musicians. "Mango" jumps right into the deep swing with stacked horns and a crackling rush of rhythm; "Learning the Ropes" swings with hefty horn harmony and a great solo by Wesley and Codrington; and "Passing the Torch" is a cobalt number that lazily draws a deep blue groove with a sweet, melodic flute and complementary guitar line, all which rest softy on the swish of Taylor's brush on snare. "Nantoka Kantoka" is a bit of a jazz odyssey, with irregular meter and a notey guitar solo; parts of which Taylor neatly matches on his kit. The rest of the CD is mix of classic jazz and modern approaches - "Naima," a re-arranged Coltrane tune bops and drops with sax harmony, "Stanley Clarke's lively "Why Wait," thumps and jumps; Bill Lee's "Again Never" (with a lovely guitar tone courtesy of Jud Franklin) speaks of lonely without uttering a single word. You'd think Taylor would want to be in the jazz spotlight; after all, this is his recording. But Taylor does what an excellent drummer does best - he lets his exceptional talent shine through the collective from the foundation up. This is a CD you have to have in your collection!