JAZZ NOTES: MO "REESE" TAYLOR
It’s hard to miss Mo ‘Reese’ Taylor. He’s playing trombone with Ultra Vibe at the Roberson for the WNBF 90th anniversary celebration or at Ransom Steele Tavern. He’s singing “God Bless the Child” at the Firehouse Stage Jazz Session and subbing as host at The Lost Dog Jazz Jams. He’s music director of the Binghamton Devils.
He’s leading the Binghamton University Pep Band in the BU fight song he composed. And, as assistant jazz band director, he’s at the piano for the Harpur Jazz Ensemble. Wait. He’s moved over to the drum set. And then he grabs his Yamaha 681G trombone as the HJE big band kicks into high gear. This guy is everywhere.
He’s the Binghamton native who snuck into his big brother’s room to play deejay with the turntables and microphone his brother had preferred he not touch. But Mo’s mom said, “Just let him go!” And did he ever.
Maurice Taylor (old friends call him Reese, his mid-1990s radio name was Mo) wasn’t the Air Force Academy football star his older brother Dwayne was, nor was he a world martial arts champion like his brother Billy. But Mo ‘Reese’ Taylor found his niche in music:
TRIPLE CITIES CAROUSEL: What were your earliest musical influences?
MO "REESE" TAYLOR: My family tells me stories of my sitting on my father’s lap while he played the piano with me, you know, just plinking notes. I don’t remember that, but I guess I got some of music’s rhythm from my mother (who played drums in her high school marching band) and I got the melodic side from my father’s piano. Plus, there was the deejay thing my brother was involved with at WHRW at BU.
TCC: Did you take formal lessons?
MRT: I had some lessons at school, but mostly [smiling] “the school of hard knocks.” I took advantage of people around me who had some knowledge of theory… that cultivated me. I had people say this is a C; this is an E… that’s a chord. I learned more from experience. But I’d never discount my teachers throughout my school years. Mr. Hunkovich, Mr. Black, Mr. Thomas [who, by the way, in 4th grade asked Mo if he wanted to take the violin home], Mr. Lewis, Mr. Thompson, Mr. Mann, Ms. Anderson. Sometimes as you grow up, a teacher wants you to stick to one instrument, but I had the advantage of teachers who let me play percussion, tuba, and piano early on.
TCC: The tuba must have led to your trombone virtuosity eventually. But first, tell us about the drums.
MRT: To this day I have a nervous habit. If I’m nervous, I tap, and not just a normal tap-tap-tap. I’m doing a rhythm. One day in fifth grade I was about to bomb a test, and my teacher literally dragged me down to the drum teacher Mr. Black and said, “Could you please teach him how to play—he’s driving me crazy!”
Here’s a lesson for would-be musicians… Learn to read music, and read it well. Starting off on drums, I couldn’t read that well. I could mimic though, like in the movie “Drumline.” When I look at someone drumming, it slows down for me and I’m able to pick it up stoke for stroke. Even at a young age I was able to do that.
But in school, Mr. Hunkovich told me, “Look, there are five drummers ahead of you who can read music. If you stay with drums, you’ll wind up playing finger cymbals or triangle. We need horn players.”
TCC: So you went with trombone?
MRT: I had played some tuba, but I couldn’t see lugging it around. I tried trumpet, but it didn’t appeal to me. But the trombone… I picked it up and immediately was playing the brassy opening to Chicago’s “25 or 6 to 4.”
So piano, percussion, trombone; which gives you the most satisfaction as you play? Funny… that very question was asked at the Firehouse Jazz Session the other night. As I told that BU student, it depends on the situation. But I love the trombone, because that’s what I’ve played the most; that’s what I’ve studied. It’s an integral part of who I am. And also, not everybody plays trombone. Now, I love playing piano, too, because that’s how I write music. And I play a little bass; it’s the most fun instrument. But the trombone? I hate to put it this way, but it’s the moneymaker, and the instrument I’m most proficient in.
TCC: Any jazz musician heroes?
MRT: You might expect me to say Slide Hampton, but I’m going with all the phenomenal talent that came up through this area with me. Tony Kadleck, John Hollenbeck, Kris Jensen, Dena DeRose, and my number one guy on trombone, Steve Davis.
TCC: We see you playing jazz all over, and recording with Ultra Vibe at Newclear Studios in Windsor. Do you enjoy other kinds of music?
MRT: Ultra Vibe itself plays a little of everything. Funk, fusion, rock, swing, smooth jazz…we can even throw a polka down if we need to! Personally, I like Stevie Wonder, Earth, Wind, and Fire… I even appreciated Gregorian Chant a few years back. Something only my closest friends know is that I really like country music! Vince Gill, Travis Tritt.
TCC When you sing, you captivate the audience. When did you first discover your voice?
MRT: My grandfather, the Reverend John W. Taylor, founded Beautiful Plain Baptist Church. [That was in 1924… way before Mo’s time!] I sang in the church choir and school chorus. My first vocal teacher was Jennifer Anderson - that was in 4th grade. I had a soprano up until the first half of 9th grade.
TCC: Any other surprises about Mo ‘Reese’ Taylor?
MRT: I’m a tournament archer. I am a club fisherman. You know, this area is known for world-class small mouth bass fishing!
TCC: Is there anything on your mind we didn’t get to?
MRT: Yes, it’s what we are not doing now to keep jazz alive in our area. We need to appeal to kids. Like occasional jazz concerts curated specifically with the kids in mind.
That sounds like food for thought for our next Jazz Notes… See you in February! For more information visit: Harpur Jazz Ensemble – Binghamton University, BU Pep Band, and Ultra Vibe – all on Facebook; Schorr Family Firehouse Stage, Lost Dog Lounge, and Binghamton Devils.
