AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2026 | 13 “I was so nervous because I was the young buck. You had Jeff Bradshaw, who has played with everyone from Mary J. Blige to Jill Scott and beyond, and then Marcus Anderson and Leo P and Dave,” he remembered. “Imagine me, who’s just a kid, and there was my name on all the posters and advertising. I was overwhelmed by it, so I practiced seven hours a day with the recordings they sent me. I had to overdeliver. And they invited me back to do the international tour this year. Two years with Dave have helped me grow and changed my life.” Taylor intends to build on what he has done with new music and extensive touring, while finishing his education and making a name for himself in the industry. “Now I have my own band in Indianapolis, working on my own projects, and I’m playing all different festivals, so it’s very different. I have so much more confidence now, and I know being a musician is such a gift. “You learn that relationships are the most important thing in life—in business but also your personal life— because having people you can rely on and people who can rely on you is so important. When you go through things, you have to have people who have your back. You can’t do life on your own.” Taylor understands that he’s doing much more than merely playing the trumpet. He’s the conduit to something bigger, and part of his job is to bring light to a world that can often tilt toward darkness. “We are here to touch people— that’s our job as artists. We lift them up and give them joy and hope. It’s such a wonderful responsibility to make them feel good about life and create something beautiful. I’m very lucky to have that opportunity,” he concluded. I love hip-hop, so on the title track, I’m trying to rap through my trumpet, but I’m usually trying to sing—that’s how I create melodies.” Taylor said that even though he comes to smooth jazz from a more contemporary pop, R&B and hip-hop background, he’s making an effortless transition and understanding more about what types of music he’s capable of creating. “What I’ve learned from the mentors in the game, like Rick Braun or Dave Koz and Kirk Whalum, is that what I’m doing now is adding a different element to my game, so I think it’s really cool, and people love it,” said Taylor, who earned a master’s degree in jazz from the University of Utah in 2020. “There’s part of me that loves to burn by playing fusion and go to sessions and play all the notes, but what I understand is playing a beautiful melody and speaking to their heart is really important.” Taylor’s forever grateful to Koz, another mentor, for tapping him to play on the Summer Horns tours of 2025 and this year, which wrapped up recently. The tour gave him the kind of exposure he needed and boosted his confidence to take his musicianship to the next level. The trumpeter, who also works parttime as a music educator as he finishes his doctoral degree in jazz studies at Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, said the invitation to join Koz’s Summer Horns tour caught him off guard. “I was at work teaching at Indiana University, and my phone started ringing. It was Dave Koz, so I knew it had to be important. And Dave invited me to do the 2025 Summer Horns tour. “He said it was a national tour, ending at the Hollywood Bowl. Was it something I was interested in? And I was like, ‘C’mon, of course. I would do anything for you.’ It was a reaffirmation that I was on the right track.” The musician, who played guitar in his church when he was young before switching to trumpet, added that once his dream became a reality, it was a bit intimidating. He found his footing quickly by focusing on his musicianship. When in doubt, do what you do. Sponsored advertorial Exactly This is available at: https://found.ee/evantaylor_exactlythis Taylor’s website: https://evantaylortrumpet.com “It’s been a wild couple of years, and I’ve grown so much—sometimes, it doesn’t feel real, but I’m so grateful for everything.”
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