Jonathan Barahal Taylor is a composer and percussionist born and raised in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Trained in piano and classical percussion, he shifted focus to improvised music and composition shortly after enrolling at the University of Michigan. While there, he studied with Geri Allen, Andrew Bishop, Ellen Rowe, Michael Gould, and Sean Dobbins, and performed with acclaimed artists such as Michael Formanek, Wadada Leo Smith, Vinnie Golia, Stephen Rush, and Andrew Bishop.

As a performer, composer, and improviser, Taylor treasures the liminal feeling that intersects deafening silence and unrelenting noise. His drumming utilizes “carefully crafted chaos” (Midwest Action) and possesses “the rare ability to drive a band with constantly shifting rhythmic and melodic patterns … without ever overpowering the group” (SEMJA). This sensibility informs his original projects and collaborative pursuits, which include the art rock band Saajtak; Teiku, which reimagines his family’s unique ancestral Jewish melodies in a creative music context; Mover, a modular suite of graphic scores; and his solo drum and electronics project Your World is Fire.

Website: http://www.jontaylormusic.com/

Instagram: @jonathanbarahaltaylor