Announcing his retirement from performance last year, Taylor said that he was pleased to be able to retire with his abilities intact. "I've always wanted to stop performing publicly when I was still feeling good about my playing," he said. "I didn't want to hang around until I felt bad."

The 83-year-old Taylor will continue to serve as artistic advisor for jazz at the Kennedy Center and to teach at the University of Massachusetts.

Since suffering a stroke in 2001, Taylor has worked to return his playing to its former level. "I can play anything I used to play, but not as fast," he said. "If I can reach out and touch somebody when I play, I know it's working."

Taylor began his 60-year career with the Ben Webster Quartet. In 1951, he became the house pianist at Birdland, and began to lead his own trio shortly thereafter. He has also served as a highly influential teacher and ambassador for jazz, most prominently in a radio series for National Public Radio and on the television program CBS Sunday Morning.