(November 22, 2022) - "Music is my only way to make sense of things," said saxophonist Sam Taylor about the release of his newest album "Let Go" (Cellar Live) featuring trumpeter Terell Stafford, pianist Jeb Patton, bass player Neal Minor and drummer Willie Jones, III. "They are all older than me. I wrote it as we were coming out of the quarantine phase of the pandemic. I recorded it in January 2022. I wanted to capture that point and time."

Taylor said "let go" means for the musicians to improvise and did they ever. The album is a sexy mixing pot of jazzy sounds. Sam and Cory Weeds produced the "Let Go" project. Songwriters on the project, aside from Taylor, include Barry Harris, Hank Jones, Benny Golson, and Jule Styne.

"Terell is a childhood hero of mine. I was a wall flower trying to absorb his music," he told me when asked. "I grew up in Philadelphia, I'm in New York now, and it's always been important to me to be around older musicians...to figure out how they do this. By high school I was pretty sure a life of a musician was what I wanted to do."

Sam Taylor id s State University of New York graduate and has performed as a saxophonist with James Moody, Jimmy Heath, Frank Wess, Joe Lovano, Steve Wilson, Mark Turner, and Ralph Lalma. He debuted as a soloist in 2015 with "My Future Just Passed." In 2017 he released "Along the Way." Taylor also serves as music director for the West Harlem Jazz Festival.

My favorite selections of the "Let Go" album include #3 "Angel Face" because it's just so sexy; #4 "Getting' Together" because it has that Renaissance era feel; #5 "Out of the Past" because it sounds familiar, a vibe like a cabaret tune then a big band sound; #6 "Prisoner of Love" because it sounds like a love song and I love the way he makes his sax echo, and #8 "Philly New York Junction" because of that swing-era sound and jazzy vibe. www.SamTaylorMusic.com