Michael Lington & Paul Taylor
Show Date: Saturday, May 24, 2025
Show Time: 7:30 PM
Doors Open: 6:00 PM
Ticket Price: $35-50
Show Type: Jazz
Restrictions: All Ages
Saxophonist Michael Lington continues to innovate and exhilarate. Riding high on the success of his 2024 single “South Bay,” which made history as one of the longest running (seven weeks) #1 singles on the Billboard Smooth Jazz Airplay chart, the Danish born saxophonist initially considered following his hit 2023 EP Looking Ahead (his first shorter form release after 12 albums) with another full-length project. Yet when he began composing new songs with some favorite collaborators, they felt more like a continuation of Looking Ahead rather than, as he calls it, representative of “a brand-new situation.” As the sessions took shape, it became clear that the five tracks on Lington’s new EP On the Scene collectively create the ideal companion piece to the vibe his fans so powerfully embraced on the earlier release.
Paul Taylor’s love affair with the saxophone began when he was a kid growing up in his native Denver and his parents enrolled him in a youth band. Lucky for us Paul Taylor’s somewhat clairvoyant band director selected the saxophone for him and Paul never looked back. “In the 70s, my first influences were Grover Washington Jr., Earth, Wind and Fire, Patrice Rushen and Quincy Jones,” reminisces Taylor. “Later it was the Brecker Brothers and David Sanborn but from the very beginning, I wanted to be like Grover Washington, Jr. I wanted to record my own music and tour and be a star in the industry.” All these years later Paul Taylor is living his best life and taking us along for the ride. He concludes, “I am grateful for my fans, and I’m blessed to be playing music for as long as I have. It’s incredible to have a career where I get to work on my craft every day.”