Chad Taylor Quintet

For at least two decades, the drummer Chad Taylor was a linchpin of Chicago’s prolific and creative jazz scene. In the late ’90s, he cofounded Chicago Underground with Rob Mazurek, a band and concept that has expanded into a trio, quartet, and little orchestra and crisscrossed international scenes. He was key to Jaimie Branch’s indispensable Fly or Die albums, and he long worked with the likes of Joshua Abrams, Sam Prekop, Fred Anderson, and Jeff Parker. But

Taylor is also a jazz educator, and he is now the artistic director of jazz studies at the University of Pittsburgh, a prestigious position that nevertheless removes him from the place where he emerged as such a noteworthy composer and performer. But in Pennsylvania, Taylor adapted, finding connections and kindred spirits in his new state even as he keeps close ties to Chicago. That is the genesis of the great Chad Taylor Quintet, his truly collaborative new enterprise.

Taylor is the drummer and the anchor, but the ensemble’s debut LP, Smoke Shifter, includes pieces written by almost every member. Bassist Matt Engle contributed “Avian Shadow,” a loping but restless rhythmic framework haunted by stark harmonies. “Broken Horse,” from tenor saxophonist Bryan Rogers, uses its bright chorus as a feint for this hard-driving crew. And vibraphonist Victor Vieira-Branco, who studied mbira with Taylor during the pandemic, contributed several works, including the suspicious twilight drift, “October 26th.” (The quintet also includes trumpeter Jonathan Finlayson.) Most thrilling, though, is “Waltz for Meghan” by Taylor himself, where he repeatedly drives the band only to lift up, creating a dynamic seesaw that’s exhilarating to behold. Taylor links with Rob Mazurek for a Chicago Underground Duo gig at Big Ears 2026 and brings this new band to town, too.