Montana Taylor’s Blues-David Matthews

Peter Sheppard Skaerved-Violin (Stradivari 1734)

Aaron Shorr-Piano

Live performance 1999 Canterbury (lofi digital transfer from tape)

Photo by Richard Bram of David Matthews en route to Italy, 2007.

The first work which David Matthews wrote for me was a reworking of his movement for oboe, ‘Montana Taylor’s Blues’. I premiered it on the South Bank in 1996, and I love it dearly – not least because it marks the beginning of a lifetime collaboration with David, resulting in countless new works, adventures and friendship. (The premiere was given with Jorg Widmann playing piano)

David told me that the reason that he was drawn to the work of Montana Taylor was that he perceived something Schubert-ian in the harmony, the timing and the touch of the blues on which this piece was based. This was the first of many conversations that we would have about the relationship, the osmosis, even the disforia, between composition and arrangement (and of course the many arrangements which David has since made for me, of Bach, Beethoven, Schumann, Scriabin, and much more).

Montana Taylor (1903-1954)-a great bluesman