Praise for Taylor Ho Bynum Concert, Album

Bret Saunders, jazz critic for the Lowell Sun, named Unclosing, the latest album from Coast Jazz Orchestra director Taylor Ho Bynum and his quartet Illegal Crowns, among the best releases in 2023 in jazz and improvised music. Writes Saunders, Illegal Crowns, comprising cornetist Bynum, drummer Tomas Fujiwara, guitarist Mary Halvorson, and pianist Benoît Delbecq, "continues to develop into one of the most dynamic in current jazz, and any showcase for guitarist Mary Halvorson and cornetist Taylor Ho Bynum is a must-hear every time out." Read Saunders's full best-of list here. 

And for the New Haven Independent, arts and culture editor Brian Slattery gave a vivid, glowing beat-by-beat review of Bynum's recent concert at Never Ending Books. The free improvisation performance was the latest in the monthly Instantiation Music Series organized by guitarist Joe Morris, who joined Bynum on stage with Brad Barrett on bass and Jerome Deupree on drums. Slattery breaks down the quartet's first set: "Bynum interjected with a long, forlorn line from his horn, and the whole mood of the music turned on a dime. For a minute the band sounded like the theme to a film noir, smoky, alluring. Each musician used the comtemplative moment to explore tone. Barrett coaxed moans and wails out of his bass, while Bynum used a CD as a mute for his horn, producing a sound that was more buzz than note. It was distortion without needing an amp." Read Slattery's full concert review here.