BIAMP Portland Jazz Festival: Taylor McFerrin + Marcus Gilmore at The Old Church

Taylor McFerrin and Marcus Gilmore have a lot in common. The two artists both have an impressive musical lineage – McFerrin is the eldest son of vocalist and classical conductor Bobby McFerrin; Gilmore the grandson of legendary jazz drummer Roy Haynes – and both are part of the thirty-something year old set working off the improvisational foundation of jazz and creating music with a 21st century, often technologically-infused aesthetic.

Producer, keyboardist and beatboxer Taylor McFerrin released his debut album Early Riser in 2014 to wide acclaim. It featured guest appearances his father, vocalist and classical conductor Bobby McFerrin, Nai Palm (Hiatus Kiyote), Thundercat, Robert Glasper and Cesar Mariano, cementing his place among the new jazz elite.

Also guesting on that album is Gilmore who is also regular collaborator of MIJF alumnae Chick Corea, Vijay Iyer and Ambrose Akinmusire.

This album was not their first collaboration. They’ve shared stages from San Francisco Jazz to Cape Town. For These Digital Times, the pair will present a unique live performance – a split-screen set recorded in lockdown, separately, but in perfect synchronicity.