THE JAMES TAYLOR QUARTET are back with a brand new album next month, and it's a bit different to their usual fare.
Although a founder of Medway garage legends THE PRISONERS, Taylor and his Quartet have since become better known as prime purveyors of floorfilling Hammond-driven jazz-funk and soul.
This time around, on Hung Up On You, the organist has allowed earlier influences such as punk and rock'n'roll to do the talking...
“Since covid I've been working again, writing and playing, for my original band from the 80’s, The Prisoners and making albums of late with Billy Childish," he explains. "At the end of a long writing session for The Prisoners I had quite a few tunes left over and I did not want them to go to waste so I got my band JTQ to try them out in rehearsal. The guys in my band are jazz/funk musicians, although Andrew, our bass player, also plays bass for Pulp. When we started running these tunes they gave me a few quizzical glances but pretty soon we had the tunes sounding well exciting. I guess funk and soul is connected to rock'n'roll in some ways, anyway it feels right. We’ve drawn inspiration from things like The Buzzcocks, The Rolling Stones, The Who but we’ve also included some out-and-out Hammond funk instrumentals in Jimmy McGriff style, these butt up against the punky stuff in a curious way but because its the same guys and the same recording session etc, it’s not incongruous. Anyway, I booked a local studio and we banged these out. We are very pleased and excited about the results. It reminds me of being 17 again!”
Check out the single 'She Dreams In Crimson'...
Set for release on 25 October as a download, CD and on limited edition white vinyl, Hung Up On You is available to pre-order here.
While not recording, Taylor has been helping in the community by fundraising for Rochester Cathedral. Having organised a regular jazz gig at the Cathedral for years, it has since blossomed into a festival and this year's event on 12 November, will feature sets from JTQ, BBC Big Band, Jason Rebello, Lawrence Cottle Big Band plays Tower of Power, Tim Garland and the Britten Sinfonia in raising awareness for refugees.
The Cathedral, says Taylor, “supports the whole community, providing their services for free, and I help raise funds by doing piano recitals, sponsored runs, and working in the gardens. Its a big effort but we have got a great team and we are looking to expand it into a classical concert as well next year. For years I worked for Emmaus in Woolwich, a homeless charity so I’ve had a lot of experience with helping out on that front.”
The band will be playing several shows throughout the Autumn, including two nights at London's legendary Ronnie Scott's club. Full dates are...
30 Oct - Ronnie Scott’s, London tickets
31 Oct - Ronnie Scott’s, London tickets
1 Nov - The Bullingdon, Oxford tickets
2 Nov - The Junction, Cambridge tickets
12 Nov - Rochester Cathedral, Rochester tickets
17 Nov - Benenden Hall, Benenden, Kent tickets
20 Dec – 229, London tickets
21 Dec – The Boileroom, Guildford tickets