Craig Taborn and Rob Clearfield are both known as jazz pianists, but their musical interests and projects range far and wide. Minneapolis native Taborn first attracted attention as saxophonist James Carter’s pianist in the early 90s; since then he’s worked with a mind-blowing array of bandleaders including Roscoe Mitchell, Chris Potter, and Dave Douglas. He also was a close collaborator of Detroit techno great Carl Craig in his Innerzone Orchestra. He’s a true ensemble player, improving each project he’s involved with, but that’s come at the expense of his own career as a leader; he’s made only four albums on his own. But his newest effort, a solo recital called Avenging Angel, has been deservedly turning heads.
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Clearfield is just as ubiquitous in Chicago, playing with Fareed Haque, Zach Brock, Matt Ulery, Greg Ward, and the prog-rock band District 97, as well as his own rock outfit Information Superhighway. He released an solo recital of his own, A Thousand Words, last year. Taborn performs with drummer Gerald Cleaver and Danish saxophonist Lotte Anker Sun 9/11 at the Hungry Brain. —Peter Margasak
A lot of people ask you about your relationship to metal and punk. I was curious about your relationship to classical. That’s a huge piece of my musical interest and compositional thinking. I’m not a classically trained pianist at all.
What else is on the horizon for you? I kind of rolled the dice this fall. I have a gig with [Polish trumpeter] Tomasz Stanko, I’m doing this record with [saxophonist] Chris Potter, and then I’m going out to Seattle to do some duo gigs with a great pianist named Gust Burns. And then I’m doing a trio tour with Thomas Morgan and Gerald Cleaver, and I have a solo tour in December. But the rest of the year is largely my own projects, and in my time off from that I’m trying to write. Next year is sort of full; I’m curious to see how that’ll work. Like, I’ll be okay, but usually I’ll have a couple tours that I’m sure will make me a bit of rent money. Now I’m sorta like, “Oh, wow”—just ’cause it’s my own tour. You never know what can happen.
