OF JAWWAAD TAYLOR AND RYAN DENNIS
By Tim Moloney | Photography by Joseph West
Native Houstonian , self-taught trumpeter , emcee , rapper , electronic musician and performance artist JAWWAAD TAYLOR is a firm believer in magic . “ The people I ’ ve met , the heroes of mine I ’ ve played and performed with – it ’ s almost unbelievable . I ’ m living my dreams , beyond my dreams , and this life is pretty beautiful .”
How he met his wife , Project Row Houses ’ Public Art Director , RYAN DENNIS , was indeed a magical moment . “ Early in 2009 , I had just been on the European leg of the Shape of Minds tour , so I ’ d been gone for a while . I walked into The Flat with a friend of mine , and Ryan was directly in my line of sight . I said to my friend , ‘ Who is that ?’” Taylor immediately bee-lined for her and they spent the rest of the night talking . “ She was trying to play real cool that night but we talked for a long time and exchanged numbers . The next day I went back on tour and she left me a message while I was on the plane . Pretty cute , right ?”
Their eventual life together took them to New York , where Taylor spent his time living , creating and meeting future collaborators ; some of his higher profile gigs included performances and collaborations with hip-hop luminaries Jay-Z and MF DOOM . Dennis pursued her master ’ s degree in Arts and Cultural Management from Pratt Institute , where her research focused on the role of the artist as the administrator and cultural producer through residencies and collaborative programming . In 2012 , they returned to Houston .
“ It ’ s funny ,” says Dennis . “ When Jawwaad and I used to talk in New York , we ’ d say that the only reason we ’ d come back to Houston was if I got a job with Project Row Houses … and then it happened ! It was the only place I could imagine working ; it ’ s in line with my ethics and politics , and the promotion of African-American artists and culture . It ’ s a pretty radical place . One moment you ’ re typing up something for someone who lives in the neighborhood , then you ’ re realizing a project with an established artist .”
Because he ’ s often on tour , mainly in Europe , Taylor uses Houston as a home base . “ I ’ m lucky that I can work from home and find new boundaries to push and new ways to challenge myself as an artist .” To name one : Taylor recently composed a piece of music for MACARTHUR FELLOW CARRIE MAE WEEMS as part of her Grace Notes : Reflections for Now performance that was commissioned by the Spoleto Festival USA . The work is a combination of music , spoken word and dance that pays tribute to the young black men who ’ ve lost their lives over the past few years .
In his spare time , Taylor and fellow musician and collaborator INGEBRIGT HAKER FLATEN are planning the second annual Sonic Transmissions Festival – a jazz and experimental music festival – in Austin . The event will bring together more than 30 artists from September 23 – 25 to perform at The North Door . Sonic Transmissions presents jack-out-of-the-box surprises ranging from spirited and moody takes on modern jazz and improv to grindcore and hiphop side trips .
Dennis and Taylor are the rare combination of dreamers and doers . “ Maybe you speak things into existence ,” says Ryan , of the life she and Taylor have created together . Let ’ s hope they continue to find their voices .
52 L O C A L | september 16