Taken from his forthcoming ‘Short Stories’ album, Sean Taylor delivers the ice on ‘Be Cool’…a smokey jazz number that nods to Tom Waits, the Beat Generation, Miles and Coltrane.
Over the past two decades, London troubadour Sean Taylor has established himself as a world class songwriter and performer. He was nominated for the 2023 UK Blues Award Acoustic Act of the Year and is the host of the Blues In Britain interview series ‘How Musicians Work’. Sean constantly tours, writing songs as he travels and finding inspiration
from his life as a troubadour.
In the wake of the experience of the past two years, ‘The Beat Goes On’ is clearly an album Sean Taylor needed to make, and, as we emerge back into some sort of light, it is very much one we need to hear.
Mike Davies, Folk Radio
SHORT STORIES is Sean’s latest album (18th August – Pre-Order via Bandcamp). It’s a sublime collection of tales, encounters, experiences and framed moments. Taken from the album, Taylor delivers the ice with ‘Be Cool‘, a smokey jazz Waits’esque offering underpinned by some beautiful prose that nods to Beat Generation influences. Shaun Dey’s video captures all of these influences perfectly in a sweltering summer city setting.
Sean on ‘Be Cool’
Sirens, street lights and the wild of the night have always been my daily bread as a songwriter.
I began writing ‘Be Cool’ in July 2022 when ‘ we struggled to breath in the sweltering summer heat’. London boiled with pollution, frenetic energy, screaming neighbours, raised temperatures and volatile tempers. These words could apply to most cities in the world with the workers, drunken ravers, gridlocked traffic, sounds of music, the smells of ganja and urine and the constant movement as ‘the world is alive’.
The first two verses of this song are about trying to shelter from the furnace of the heat with snapshots of the crazy world outside my window. In the third verse as the night curls around us
‘we step outside into evening rain which glisten on flesh
the playground of the metropolis is a rollercoaster of chaos’
Lyrically I have always been influenced by the Beat poets of Kerouac, Ginsberg, Ferlinghetti and Bukowski. The Beats always love jazz, and ‘Be Cool’ is definitely a nod towards Miles and Coltrane.
One final name I have to mention is Tom Waits, who has always been my favourite songwriter. ‘Be Cool’ is massively inspired by Tom’s ‘Small Change’ and ‘Shore Leave’. Thanks Tom.
The film is by long-time collaborator Shaun Dey of Reel News.
The album is produced by Ben Walker, and the great musicians on ‘Be Cool’ are:
Sean Taylor – Vocals and Piano
Mike Seal – Double Bass
Paulina Szczepaniak – Percussion
Eric Lounsbury – Trumpet
Justin Carroll – Hammond Organ
Pre-order Short Stories (out on 18th August) here: https://seantaylorsongs.bandcamp.com/album/short-stories
For details of Sean’s Upcoming Tour Dates visit: https://www.seantaylorsongs.com/gigs