Taylor Ho Bynum

Taylor Ho Bynum is a Baltimore-born cornetist whose wide-ranging musical interests include free jazz, modern composition, and interdisciplinary projects with dancers and filmmakers. He is also an educator who has led the Northeastern University jazz ensembles. After working with trombonist Bill Lowe at Northeastern while in high school, Bynum studied with Anthony Braxton at Wesleyan University, where he graduated in 1998. In 1999, he appeared on two Braxton albums, as well as And Only Life My Lush Lament, a duo album with Eric Rosenthal. Two years later, Bynum played on Trio Ex Nihilo with Curt Newton and Jeff Song, and he recorded with Alan Silva's Sound Visions Orchestra. In 2002, Bynum performed on Marriage of Heaven and Earth by the Fully Celebrated Orchestra, as well as albums of duets with Rosenthal and Braxton. He also formed the SpiderMonkey Strings, an ensemble consisting of cornet, string quartet, and electric guitar. Also that fall, Bynum returned to Wesleyan University to pursue a master's degree in music composition. He still, however, continued to perform with the Fully Celebrated Orchestra and other groups in Boston and New York. In 2007, Bynum debuted his Sextet with the album The Middle Picture. Two years later, he collaborated with the SpiderMonkey Strings and vocalist Kyoko Kitamura on Madeleine Dreams. He then returned to his sextet, bringing on board guitarists Mary Halvorson and Evan O'Reilly for 2009's Asphalt Flowers Forking Paths. In 2010, the cornetist joined saxophonist Rodrigo Amado, bassist John Hébert, and drummer Gerald Cleaver for the adventurous Searching for Adam. He then paired with bassoonist Sara Schoenbeck and guitarist Joe Morris for 2011's Apparent Distance. Two years later, he debuted his 7-Tette with Navigation (Possibility Abstracts XII & XIII). The trio effort Book of Three, featuring Hébert and Cleaver, appeared in 2014. In 2016, Bynum delivered Enter the Plustet, which showcased a 15-member ensemble made up of various members of his Sextet and 7-tette, including trumpeter Nate Wooley, guitarist Mary Halvorson, saxophonist Matt Bauder, and others. ~ Charlie Wilmoth, Rovi