His musical education was focused on free jazz and “classical” contemporary music. Craig Taborn has preserved his non-conformist vocation, applying it to every genre he studied as a pianist, composer and bandleader (jazz, new music, electronics, rock, noise and avant-garde). Born in Minneapolis, Taborn collaborated with the most interesting artists of the creative and improvised music scene for more than 25 years. He has played with Roscoe Mitchell, Wadada Leo Smith, Lester Bowie, Dave Holland, Tim Berne, John Zorn, Evan Parker, Steve Coleman, William Parker, Vijay Iyer, Kris Davis, Nicole Mitchell, Susie Ibarra, Ikue Mori, Dave Douglas, Gerald Cleaver, and Rudresh Manhathappa.
Taborn has created and performed music for solo piano performances, piano trios, a duo with Dave King, and multiple projects with Kris Davis and Vijay Iyer. He is also a member of the instrumental electronic group Golden Valley is Now.
Downbeat described him as “a singular figure among improvisers of his generation”.
