The Son of the Sheik - DVD

Keith Taylor was born and raised in Oregon. Even though his parents lived In rural sections of Oregon (his father worked, in sawmills) they provided for his musical education. Taylor began piano lessons at five years of age and was performing and composing music when he was ten. While in grade school he performed on tours with 'The Young Oregonians' and 'Stars of Tomorrow;' two youth-oriented vaudeville groups. His main contender was Johnny Ray who went on to 'The Little White Cloud That Cried' fame. In the early fifties, the Taylor family moved to Ketchikan, Alaska where Keith went to high school. At that time the town was still a wide-open Western town with plank streets and swinging doors on the saloons. While in high school he played piano on Creek Street, in the heart of the red-light district. The records of Crazy Otto and Joe Fingers Carr were very influential in his developing piano style. During the summers he worked in sawmills, making enough money to go to college. Taylor returned to Oregon to study music at Willamette University and eventually receive a B.M. degree in Piano. Further graduate study included music composition at the University of Oregon and with Halsey Stevens at USC. Taylor received his Master's degree in Composition in 1964 and did additional graduate study in Paris, France. His musical interests were modern in scope, writing and performing atonal and avant-garde music. The music of Anton Webern and John Cage influenced his style. While assisting Cage on several of his concerts and playing the Pieces for Prepared Piano, Taylor wrote rag-type pieces for prepared piano. The following years were spent teaching public school music in Oregon and California. Teaching provided the money and the time to pursue his real interest, composing and playing piano. The major turning point in his career was in 1972 when Eubie Blake played the Stars and Str