Composer/Pianist/Electronic Musican Craig Taborn was born and raised in Golden Valley, Minnesota. While Studying at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Craig had the good fortune to play in the illustrious Detroit jazz community performing and studying with such luminaries as Marcus Belgrave, Harold Mckinney, Francisco Mora, Rodney Whitaker, and Kenny Cox.
He has played and recorded with Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Tim Berne, Steve Coleman, Lester Bowie, Evan Parker, Bill Laswell, David Torn, Mat Maneri, James Carter, Marty Ehrlich, Chris Potter, Leroy Jenkins, Joe Maneri, Susie Ibarra, Carl Craig, Bill Frisell, Drew Gress, David Binney, Dave Douglas, Lotte Anker, Gerald Cleaver, Adam Rogers, Hugh Ragin, Meat Beat Manifesto, Rudresh Manhattappa, Graham Haynes, and Rob Brown among others.
In the last few years, however, solo piano performance has become a priority for Craig Taborn. “If the areas of improvisation that I deal with are always ‘compositional’ in a certain sense, in this case a very focussed compositional approach is applied, rather than allowing a broader exploration to yield a result. Throughout this recording I’m honing in on specific details. The music is really improvised: I just start. But having started, I try to relate everything that happens, like the motivic or rhythmic and textural detail, to the initial ideas as closely as I can.”
He is currently a member of Chris Potter’s Underground, Roscoe Mitchell’s Note Factory and Quintet, Tim Berne’s Hard Cell and Science Friction ensembles, Drew Gress’ 7 Black Butterflies, Gerald Cleaver’s Uncle June, Farmer’s by Nature with William Parker and Cleaver, Anker/Taborn/Cleaver, David Binney’s Welcome to Life band and Quartet, and Susie Ibarra’s trio.
He was voted Best New jazz Talent in 2004 by Musica Jazz (Italy) and hailed as the “#1 rising Star Keyboardist” in the 55th and 56th Downbeat Critics poll.