Livingston Taylor:

Engaging Teacher, Troubadour

Heading For Flagpole Radio Cafe

By John Voket

Livingston Taylor, of the musical Taylor family that also produced brother James, still spends upwards of 80 days a year playing live. One of them will be March 24 when he joins Newtown’s Flagpole Radio Café as a special guest for a set of his own special brand of down home folkie pop music.

But much of the rest of his time is spent helping the next couple of generations of American musical talent sharpen their skills, perhaps grooming the Flagpole Radio musicians of the future. As a professor at Berklee College of Music, “Liv” Taylor reportedly holds sway over a couple of the school’s most popular classes: Stage Performance (I and II).

He is also tapping into the growing wake of successful students following him through those courses, to accompany him on stage — maybe to see up close how well he is practicing his other craft.

But first and foremost, Taylor is there to entertain. After all, it’s still his name on the marquee.

In a recent early morning chat with The Newtown Bee, the artist and teacher was bubbly and ready to respond to a wide range of queries. Eventually, conversation came around to something Taylor teaches to every student, something he feels is one of the secret weapons that can separate and elevate a singer above the highly competitive crowd of talented voices vying for attention.

The subject came up when talking about Taylor’s (and his brother’s, and Linda Rondstadt’s, and Jackson Browne’s, and Carol King’s…) longtime collaborator and bassist Leland Sklar. Sklar, along with renowned drummer Steve Gadd and multi-Grammy-winning Vince Gill, lent their talents to Taylor for his last original project, Last Alaska Moon.

“I brought Leland down to Nashville to record with me,” Taylor said. “And he’s a lovely, energetic, engaged, gracious player – all of the things you’d expect him to be. But it was a thrill to work with all the great players on that album.”

That’s where the secret comes in, Taylor explained.

“You know when I’m teaching my students about using their money, and using their careers to generate an income flow, the reason why I want them to do that, is because I want them to work with the best players on the planet. The best creators on the planet,” Taylor said. “To do that, it requires income.”

The limited showcase set that Taylor will play in Newtown on March 24 couldn’t scratch the surface of his prolific output that includes more than a dozen original projects.

But Flagpole Radio Café patrons are sure to hear a sampling of material including his popular radio hits “I Will Be In Love With You,” “Carolina Day” or maybe even “Pajamas,” a clever little tune that inspired his wife, Maggie, to create a children’s book of the same name. There will likely be a number or two from Last Alaska Moon as well.

When asked about the performers Taylor admires and emulates as a performer, as well as uses for subject matter in her Berklee music courses, his answer was immediate and unflinching: Jimmy Buffett.

“Jimmy is a wonderful, remarkable artist and marketer,” Taylor said. “Of everyone out there, I consider Jimmy Buffett to be one of the most successful musicians. He’s an underrated songwriter, and Jimmy is a real hero of mine as well as a good and longtime friend.”

Since he is an accomplished pilot, Taylor often flies himself to solo gigs around the Northeast. One of those flights a few years back inspired him to craft a tribute to the founding fathers of flight, Orville and Wilbur Wright.

That tune, “Kittyhawk,” found its way onto Last Alaska Moon. 

“I was flying my airplane and I was thinking about the Wright brothers,” he said. “And the idea of writing a song about them amused me. It’s a song I love to play and sing. I love the story in it.”

It’s unclear whether Taylor will be flying into the area for his Flagpole Radio Café performance, but tickets to the 7 pm show at the Edmond Town Hall main stage are flying out of the box office.

To reserve a pair for the March 24 show, which will also feature local news and humor from Shakespeare Repertory Theatre and music by The Flagpole Radio Café, go to www.FlagpoleProductions.org. Tickets are $25, $20 students and senior citizens, and include admission to a pre-show reception in the town hall’s Alexandria Room. The reception will feature works submitted to The Newtown Arts Festival Artwork Selection Committee for its recent search to create a logo for the September festival (see related story).