Taylor Eigsti · Episode 18
A Grammy Winner Told Me to Listen to These 3 Albums as Homework
What success changes, what great musicians teach, and three records worth hearing closely
Two-time Grammy-winning pianist and composer
The full conversation
36:46Watch Taylor and Vonn’s conversation.
The story at the center
Taylor is practical about building a life in music: choose collaborators carefully, write through the weak ideas, and keep listening to music that changes the way you hear.
Episode notes
Taylor Eigsti describes his two Grammy wins less as personal triumphs than as recognition for everyone who helped make the records. The ceremony itself was surreal. After the first win, he walked back to his hotel and ended the night eating a cheeseburger in the bathtub.
That mixture of achievement and perspective runs through his conversation with Vonn. Taylor explains how Plot Armor grew from trust among collaborators, what he learned by sharing stages with Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, and McCoy Tyner, and why the character of the people in the room matters as much as the music. His advice to a 19-year-old composer is equally direct: write enough to get the weak ideas out, trust finished music to find a home, and listen beyond the boundaries of your own genre. He closes by giving Vonn three records to study, each one chosen for the close attention it rewards.
Explore Taylor’s work
Listening homework
Taylor’s three albums for Vonn
Taylor chose three records that demand close listening rather than a place in the background.
Hear Taylor explain his choices 29:17 ▶
Mompou Plays Mompou
Federico Mompou
The composer at the piano in recordings Taylor considers a desert-island choice.
Vespertine Live
Björk
Björk’s songs transformed in performance, with string arrangements by Vince Mendoza.
Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares
Bulgarian State Radio & Television Female Vocal Choir
Vocal harmony and tonal color that Taylor says should be heard with complete attention.
On choosing the work
Hear Taylor explain his rule for choosing a gig 18:52 ▶“There should be at least two out of three elements: good people, good music, or good money.”
Taylor Eigsti
Chapters
Start with the moment that interests you.
Each chapter begins the full episode at that moment without taking you away from the page.
- 01What winning a Grammy feels likeTaylor remembers his first nominations, his two wins, and the private emotions inside a very public ceremony.00:53 ▶
- 02What success actually changesThe award becomes recognition for an album made by an entire community, while the daily work of a musical life continues.04:58 ▶
- 03How Plot Armor came togetherA bass line, an open recording process, and musicians who could orchestrate in the moment helped the music escape a single genre.09:50 ▶
- 04Playing with his heroesTaylor reflects on working beside Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, McCoy Tyner, and other musicians he had admired from a distance.13:29 ▶
- 05Learning to savor the momentA remarkable experience can stand on its own without being compared with the next goal or the next room.16:19 ▶
- 06Good people, good music, and good moneyTaylor shares his two-out-of-three rule for deciding which professional opportunities are worth accepting.18:03 ▶
- 07What great musicians teach youThe deepest lessons often arrive by watching how an exceptional artist listens, works, and treats the people around them.20:11 ▶
- 08Why kindness mattersFor Taylor, genuine confidence makes room for generosity, while defensiveness often hides behind arrogance.21:44 ▶
- 09Advice for a 19-year-old composerWrite enough to move through the weak ideas, trust that finished music can find a home, and keep building more than one creative path.24:11 ▶
- 10Three albums for homeworkMompou Plays Mompou, Björk’s Vespertine Live, and Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares become Taylor’s listening assignment for Vonn.29:17 ▶
From Vonn
What stayed with me
What stayed with me was Taylor’s combination of generosity and specificity. He gave me a rule I can use when choosing work, a reminder that most good ideas emerge only after many weaker ones, and three records to hear with complete attention. His advice made a musical life feel less like one breakthrough and more like a long practice of noticing, writing, and treating people well.
Your turn
What are your three desert-island records?
Share your answer beneath the full episode on YouTube.
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