Hughes, Simonson & Taylor With each artist having careers ranging from classical music to blues, pop, R & B, and straight-ahead jazz; pianist Fred Hughes, bassist James Simonson & percussionist David Taylor bring all these influences together to create a style of jazz that respects the past all the while pushing beyond the present. Hughes is from the Baltimore/Washington region and first met and performed with Detroit musicians James Simonson and David Taylor over 15 years ago as part of the rhythm section for the yearly Detroit production of Too Hot to Handel. Their musical camaraderie led to a trio performance at Cliff Bell’s in 2019. With a promise to continue their trio performances in 2020 – – they settled for several pandemic-induced YouTube videos in 2020 and 2021. Excited to be back to performing together in a live setting, the trio brings their unique takes on the jazz standards, lesser-known gems from some of the art forms greatest practitioners, with some originals thrown in the mix – – Hughes, Simonson & Taylor create a program that reflects the complexity of this great American art form.
