Mark Taylor

'SHAKEDOWN' ( Rufus Records)

''Taylor himself is a master saxophonist....His tenor tone is big, bold and modern with a commanding presence..... Shakedown features a hot set of Taylor's original compositions being performed by a stellar line-up of musicians...'' Matthew Christensen AUSTRALIAN CLARINET AND SAXOPHONE

'' a resourceful set '' PENGUIN GUIDE TO JAZZ ON CD

'' Taylor's art is of the sort to sneak up on you rather than batter you into submission. The saxophone (mostly tenor) is beautifully recorded, capturing his natural warmth and clean articulation of exceptionally melodic ideas...no track passes without a special solo from Sawkins, Spence or Tinkler, with the ballad At Dawn especially notable '' John Shand SYDNEY MORNING HERALD

''...it's hip-swinging evidence of the talents, both compositional and instrumental, of one of this country's most promising soloists. You're not likely to find a better example of Australian contemporary post-bop...Four stars at least...great stuff '' Cal Clugston REVOLVER

'' a who's who of contemporary Australian jazz...recorded on his muscular, stylistically diverse Shakedown '' Craig Pearce DRUM MEDIA

'' easily ranks as one of the best jazz albums of the year '' Kenny Weir SUNDAY HERALD SUN

'' Australian Mark Taylor seems the musician most likely to make a bid for the big time. His all-originals program has a strong, yet finely nuanced undertow but doesn't pander at all. The grooves laid down by the rhythm section dance, but never pull the band into a rut...a lyrical tendency pervades the date adding to its accessibility '' David Dupont CADENCE (USA)