[W]hat lifts Taylor beyond the novelty category is the originality of his music. [H]e somehow manages to take some of the swing of Stephane Grappelli and the Hot Club of France into bracingly modern territory that avoids fusion and avantgarde cliches.

Boston Globe

As to the quality of the music and the professionalism, this production is far superior over the numerous recordings issued by the major record companies.

Esquire (Dutch Edition)

. . . Taylor has managed to make it [jazz viola] work through his deft touch and improvisatory skills.

The Washington Post

Austin's claim to being the live-music capital might be hyperbolic, but this finely nuanced, gorgeously recorded CD [Live from Austin] by violist Taylor speaks volumes for that city's scene.

Entertainment Weekly

. . . a jazz violist and composer who absolutely transcends his instrument's stereotypical European refinement and restraint. His work is dynamic, colorful and, yes, even edgy.

Houston Post

Taylor has enough tone to go around, whether he's sawing through the exquisite tango of Astor Piazzolla's "Deus Xango," making it sound like something out of the Mikado, or riffing through a relative warhorse like "Cherokee" and finding a whole new harmonic structure. Throughout [Live from Austin], Taylor gets excellent support from Austin mainstays Elias Haslanger, Glenn Rexach, Steve Zirkel, and Chris Searles, and it's only in one or two spots that you're reminded that this was recorded live. No overdubs, no retakes, 72 minutes. Try doing that with classical music.

Austin Chronicle

On Simple Gifts, Taylor's stylistic reach more than matches his geographic adventures. From the title track, a live version of a Shaker hymn, to the three-part Green Mountain Valley fiddle tune anthology, Simple Gifts allows Taylor ample room to explore a wide range of aural opportunities. In doing so, Taylor expands and embellishes his jazz reputation with well-chosen forays into folk and classical material. [I]t is Taylor's melody-intensive explorations that ultimately make the album such a success.

Austin American-Statesman

Staying in a bit of a Western vein, violin player Will Taylor's Simple Gifts (Impro-Vision wt1034) has a tone that might be termed "roots ambience." There's a strong element of various folk/roots musics with an emphasis on Americana: rag, folk melodies, and bluegrass. . . . And then there's a lovely Bill Evans-ish waltz "Considerations," with its overdubbed violins, that's the album's high point. The opener, "What Time Is It?" has a main theme that sounds like deFalla's "Ritual Fire Dance" played over a Balkan meter. [T]hose who are favorably disposed to Dave Friesen or Oregon's work might want to give this a listen.

Cadence Review

Reel Life, Taylor's. . . CD on Amazing Records, indicates that Taylor has crafted a quixotic blend of styles, just as Bela Fleck has on the banjo. Taylor takes the Hot Club of France concept into a contemporary sphere while never sacrificing the swing element.

Denver Post