In The James Taylor Quartet

The James Taylor Quartet - The BBC Sessions (1995) {Nighttracks CDNT010 rec 1987-1993}
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© 1987-93, 1995 Nighttracks | CDNT010
Jazz / Acid Jazz / Soul Jazz / Groove / Hammond Organ

JTQ's style has fluctuated over the years, from raw and punchy to smooth and soulful, then back again. This album comes from their early phase, and to me is still one of their best. It is a compilation of sessions recorded for BBC radio, and I think the "semi-live" atmosphere of session recording suits the band well. The tracks have an energy and vibrancy missing from some of their later, slick studio recordings. For newcomers to JTQ, this is a fine introductory album; for JTQ veterans, it is a worthy addition to the collection.

Soundtrack from Electric Black' is, however, the culmination of over thirty years of holding onto a musical vision that has developed within Taylor since he was a small child growing up in 1970s Britain.

British soul-jazz organist James Taylor has crossed easily between stylistic definitions throughout his career, from the hard-charging garage rock of the Prisoners to his pioneering acid jazz work of the '90s. As the title suggests, Picking Up Where We Left Off finds Taylor returning to a straight soul-jazz setup with a classic Hammond quartet lineup akin to the James Taylor Quartet but featuring new collaborators in guitarist Nigel Price, bassist Andy McKinney, and drummer Neil Robinson. Fresh blood aside, this is entirely familiar territory for Taylor, mixing funky, Jimmy Smith-inspired organ lines with shuffling beats and funk-influenced guitar. The closest thing to a departure is the ballad "Never in My Wildest Dreams," a lovely showcase for an extended George Benson-like solo by Price.

Christophe Goze, Openzone Bar, Jojo Effect, Bebo Best & The Super Lounge Orchestra, The James Taylor Quartet, Brenda Boykin and many more.

On this, their fourth studio album, you are treated to the unexpected missing link between James Taylor Quartet's early mod-cum-spy theme sound and the later polished acid jazz feel (which carried the band through to be the respected pioneer figures they are today) without sounding exactly like either of them. Having landed themselves with the big-budget U.K. label Polydor, James Taylor found he could indulge himself with the best in big jazz-funk sounds, employing what sounded suspiciously like more than a "quartet" to produce a collection of bold and brassy numbers that escalated the sounds of Johnny Hammond and Booker T into the late '80s. The album begins as it finishes, with a touching yet relentless jazz-rock instrumental groove combining clever chord structures and strong piano flourishes gliding over, of course, Taylor's trademark whirring Hammond organ.

What you see is what you get, an excellent little compilation of the various faces of soul-jazz as presented by the Verve label with their amazing array of artists from Hugh Masekela to Willie Bobo and Herbie Mann on the one hand, and Dizzy Gillespie, Jon Hendricks (in an outstanding reading of Herbie Hancock's "Watermelon Man") the Heath Brothers, and Teddy Edwards on the other. The track list is wonderfully varied, too: there's a smoking version of Hancock's "Cantaloupe Island" by Masekela, a pair by Jimmy Smith, and a big band – a new entry by the acid jazz group the James Taylor Quartet, but they get it deep; and Wynton Kelly goes deep into soul and blues with "Escapade." Anyway you cut it, it comes out great.

Summer 1988 and as Acid House raged across the UK pockets of resistance began springing up delicated to a very different beat. Inspired by Hip-Hop, Jazz and a wealth of Soul and Funk recordings stretching back to the 60's America, young musicians breathed life into old sounds, recorded new ones and set about spreading their message worldwide. Soul Jazz Sessions celebrates those bands, producers, and DJ's who took the next step into the studio and produced some dancefloor magic in the process.