Hughes, Simonson & Taylor
Fred Hughes - Piano

James Simonson - Bass

Latest recordings include Motown guitarist  Dennis Coffey's latest dbl. LP,  last 2 albums from Jeremy Spencer (Fleetwood Mac) a dbl. LP release as well. The last 3 albums with Detroit Blues Legend, Johnnie Bassett. The "Honest Woman" album for Thornetta Davis, and various jingles for Ford Trucks. James is a member of Sean Blackman's world fusion "In Transit" band and is a founding member of multi award winning band, The Brothers Groove. Other various projects with Detroit world music trio AUDIO : BIRDS and a recent major label release with British guitarist, Joanne Shaw Taylor.  While during the pandemic, James has participated on line with the Detroit Jazz Fest, The Don Was Concert of Colors, and Twilight:Gods - an opera performed in a Detroit multi level parking garage with stories featured in the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

 

James plays a Ken Smith Black Tiger Elite 5 and uses Ernie Ball Strings.

Besides having traveled and performed around the world as Music Director for Verve/Universal artist Bettye Lavette, being 2019’s headliner for the Chicago Blues Fest, James is also the jazz upright and electric bassist for the Detroit Symphony and The Detroit Opera House. Has performed with Aretha Franklin, Andrea Bocelli, Patti Smith, Robert Gordon and spent a year traveling with the worlds best-selling stage show, The Lion King.  He has also backed Jeff Lorber, David Sanborn, Bob James, Earl Klugh, and Larry Carlton via Alexander Zonjic. Was recently used as principal bassist for The Who’s 2019 Orchestra Tour and backed Stanley Clarke at last year's Detroit Jazz Fest. A performer on the final week of the David Letterman show with Bettye LaVette.

Dave Taylor - Drums

David Taylor studied percussion performance at the University of Cincinnati/College-Conservatory of Music where his principal teacher was William Youhass.  Other teachers include Salvatore Rabbio, Gordon Stout, and Tim Hagans.  Since returning to Detroit, David has performed shows at the Fox, Masonic, and Fisher Theatres.  In addition, he performs regularly with the Michigan Opera Theater Orchestra  and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra.  David has been a member of Wayne Sate University's jazz faculty since 1991 and has toured Europe and South Africa with saxophonist Chris Collins.  He has been on countless recordings, including work with Emmy award winning composer/producer Joseph LoDuca.  David has taught at the Interlochen National Music Camp.

 

Dave is a Vic Firth Artist.

From concerts, recordings and military service in Seoul, Korea to jazz festivals as a Jazz Ambassador; conducting orchestras across the United States as a musical director to recording and producing records as a pianist and leader of his own group; Fred Hughes has had a long and varied musical journey. 
 
He has performed in all fifty states, Canada, Mexico, Japan, Korea and Europe.  A sampling of the jazz festivals at which he has performed include the Newport, Montreux, Nice and North Sea Jazz Festivals.  He has conducted symphony orchestras to include the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Cincinnati Pops and Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestras.  Fred can be heard on over 30 recordings and his book, The Jazz Pianist: Left Hand Voicings and Chord Theory was originally published by Warner Brothers Publications and is now available from Alfred Publications.

For more information and booking contact: FredHughesMusic@gmail.com