Dena Taylor's Page

BIOGRAPHY:

One of the brightest smiles you could imagine is worn on the face of Dena Taylor. A jovial spirit with a robust laugh is what you will find when you have the opportunity to look inside her heart.

Taylor's road to success has been hard-won, even inspirational. After a difficult and traumatic childhood, Taylor spent twelve years abroad in the military, combining her years of service with a series of low-profile concert and event gigs, ultimately choosing marriage over her first record contract - a choice Taylor would later discover led to an unhappy marriage and an unfair postponement of her dreams.

Upon leaving the military, Taylor found herself in a tragic car accident that left her with severe brain damage - it took her a full two years for Taylor to regain her powers of speech and motion.

Today, Taylor is following her dream by giving "voices to the voiceless" - a power she was once herself denied and lends her personal support to a number of good causes that support others who have endured adversity.

Dena is currently in the studio working on a new as yet untitled CD to follow up on the success of her current album.

CHANGES HAPPENING

I am beginning to migrate more of my music and information to ReverbNation. I will always maintain my presence on MySpace and Facebook but I'll be offering new things to registered fan on ReverbNation. That will be the first place tracks from the new CD will be showing up.

NOTE: When you become fans of mine on ReverbNation, you will have access to a number of fan exclusive songs and downloads. You'll also have first "shot" at the new CD when it's released.

REVIEWS

Tara Isabella Burton for MyMusicSuccess
August 12, 2009

"Smoky, sexy, soft - the velvety voice of Dena Taylor dominates not just a corner of the room but indeed the entire wall of sound created by the "on" button of the stereo.

The jazz-tinged piano-ballads featured on Round Midnight, a selection from Taylor's latest album, combine a retro melancholy reminiscent of Ella Fitzgerald or Billie Holliday with a self-knowing wink and a nod - in all the tracks, particularly "Let's Face the Music and Dance"

It is clear that Taylor combines the power and passion of her deeper melodies - such as "Round Midnight," arguably the sample's best song - with a hip, even modern take on a classic Cole-Porter sound: the happening drumbeat of "Let's Face the Music..." or the slight world-music-sound of "That Old Black Magic" are but two examples of the edge that Taylor brings to the "standard" sound.

But it is Taylor's voice that dominates the sound most. A gorgeous, rich mahogany voice, it is showcased prominently on the album - perhaps too much so, the production can times can feel excessively focused on the vocals, which echo just a nanosecond longer than they need to - and with good reason. Taylor's talent is the real deal - an instrument as powerful as a jazz piano or saxophone in evoking the mournful yet sassy strains of jazz and blues so central to Round Midnight.

Taylor's road to success has been hard-won, even inspirational. After a difficult and traumatic childhood, Taylor spent twelve years abroad in the military, combining her years of service with a series of low-profile concert and event gigs, ultimately choosing marriage over her first record contract - a choice Taylor would later discover led to an unhappy marriage and an unfair postponement of her dreams. Upon leaving the military, Taylor found herself in a tragic car accident that left her with severe brain damage - it took her a full two years for Taylor to regain her powers of speech and motion.

Today, Taylor is following her dream by giving "voices to the voiceless" - a power she was once herself denied and lends her personal support to a number of good causes that support others who have endured adversity.

It is a testament to Taylor's talent, however, that her sound never seems "preachy." Rather, the adversity Taylor has faced lends her voice a hard, knowing edge - like that of a Gladys Knight at her prime- that gives her music a ripened maturity so many pop stars lack.

That she is able to combine this maturity with the infectious and youthful rhythm of songs like "That Old Black Magic" is further proof of her skill as both a performer and a musician."

The strong-voiced, yet sweet singing Taylor chose the 9 tracks based on her appreciation of the lyrics and emotional attachment to the melodies. After listening to the CD, there’s no doubt that she’s made each song her own personal statement.

Round Midnight begins with a groovy rendition of ‘Too Close for Comfort’, in which keyboardist Teixeira follows the melody with a nice solo. Dena sings the melody out, and leaves the listener wanting more.

‘That Old Black Magic’ continues with an addictive Latin groove. The bridge ‘brings the swing’, and again Teixeira has a chance to show his improvisational skills with a very supportive rhythm section.

Monk’s ballad is up next to slow things down a bit. Here Taylor’s vocal skills are in full display. She lends some well-timed vibrato and phrasing to the inherent beauty of the melody.

Other tracks you won’t want to miss are ‘Let’s Face the Music and Dance’ and ‘Our Love is Here to Stay.’ Both tunes feature the rhythm section trading ‘4’s’, demonstrating their intuitive and supportive interplay. The bonus track ‘Route 66’ features guitar and you won’t want to miss the Bossa ‘I’m a Fool to Want You’.

Round Midnight is a collection of timeless American standards that is a perfect traveling companion for a summer journey. Forget the ‘pain at the pump’. Let Dena Taylor’s sultry voice ease your worries and keep you smiling!"

"Per commentare il disco di Dena Taylor devo necessariamente partire da una delle migliori interpretazioni di Round Midnight che io abbia mai sentito. Il brano cancella la sua forma contorta che nasce dall’esigenza armonica di Monk per arrivare ad ognuno di noi come un brano molto confortevole, piacevole “quasi pop” e che ti mette in pace con il mondo e con la vita. Esecuzione strumentale molto classica e piacevole e la voce si appoggia su tutti gli accordi con una classe ed un timbro che ricorda le voci delle più grandi interpreti del jazz. Sono partito da lì perché sono molto affezionato a quel brano e Dena Taylor te lo fa amare ancor di più. Devo ripartire dall’inizio per continuare la mia recensione e incontro sulla mia strada “Too Close for Comfort” in cui Dena non ti fa sentire la mancanza di tutti i dischi della Fizgerald che hai avuto il coraggio di ascoltare nella tua vita da musicista e pensi di essere nel 1956 con il sound di oggi. Notevole l’interpretazione latina del brano “That old black magic”. Il mio orecchio si innamora di nuovo quando parte “let’s face the music” in cui Dena affronta i “chord changes” con classe e semplicità ed il tutto è coronato da ottime improvvisazioni non fini a se stesse (come capita spesso di ascoltare da chi suona questo genere). Ottimi musicisti davvero e ottime interpretazioni di standard forse un po’ troppo spesso suonati che in questo disco diventano quasi brani inediti vedi Route 66 completamente re-inventata e presentata all’ascoltatore con il mood dello shuffle e la dolcezza di un brano swing (direi operazione molto ben riuscita e piacevolissima all’ascolto). Insomma Dena Taylor è un’ottima sorpresa, il disco scorre veloce e hai voglia che non finisca. Se ami il jazz e gli standard e le voci calde e la musica ben suonata è opportuno che questo disco diventi parte della tua libreria."

Sinceramente, Max Maffia
Daybox Records
March 17, 2009

(You'll be able to read the English translation of this review (provided by Max Maffia) in the Blog area of my page.)

__________________

"Although IMIsound was conceived primarily as a showcase for "Independent Musicians from Italy", it has always held its doors open to artists from all over the world. It was therefore with immense pleasure that we woke up one morning to find that our community had been graced overnight by the presence of Dena Taylor.

There are many artists out there doing a splendid job with the great classics of jazz and blues, but the sensitivity, the depth of feeling and the richness of colour that Dena infuses into her performances are in a class of their own. Duly supported by a band of first-class musicians, Dena is that rare combination of outstanding talent and enchanting charisma that one cannot but feel fortunate to come across in the vast world of music.

As a tribute to Dena and other international artists from various genres who have chosen to embrace the IMIsound project, we have given life to "Radio IMIsound International" - a rotating playlist where we are now showcasing two tracks each from all of our international members including Dena Taylor's magnificent performances of "Round Midnight" and "Route 66". Thank you Dena."

Tony Lawson,IMIsound Founder & Administrator
www.imisound.com
24th January 2009
_______________