HOUND DOG TAYLOR'S HAND

Hound Dog Taylor’s Hand is Jeffery Taylor (guitar), Greg Kelley (trumpet), John Seman (contrabass), and Mark Ostrowski (drums). Taking its name from the six-fingered blues slide guitarist, the group creates spontaneous compositions rooted in the language of the blues and free jazz. Taylor weaves guitar improvisations like themes through a sermon, fanning the flames of the long-time rhythm section of Seman and Ostrowski, while Kelley introits righteous and wicked with a choir of amplified trumpet. Reverence for the roots of improvised music meets an unbridled passion to push boundaries, making for a propulsive and unpredictable sound. Having a tangential relationship with jazz hasn't hindered the progress of Hound Dog Taylor's Hand (named after the late Chicago blues guitarist's six-fingered left hand); if anything, it's helped them to shred the decorum of jazz niceties. The band relies largely on "improvisation, swing, and the harmonic and melodic context of the blues." Speaking as read more...