Grooving and funky acid jazz with a quartet around the popular and sought after organ player from England.
James Taylor, b3
Mark Cox, g
Andrew McKinney, b
Pat Illingworth, dr
Exclusive in Switzerland!
At Jazzfestival for the first time!
The James Taylor Quartet (or JTQ) are a British four-piece jazz funk band, who have become renowned for their live performances. They were formed in 1987 by Hammond organ player James Taylor following the break-up of his former band The Prisoners in the wake of Stiff Records’ bankruptcy. The current line-up is James Taylor (keyboards and orchestration), Mark Cox (guitar), Andrew McKinney (bass) and Pat Illingworth (drums). The James Taylor Quartet’s first single, “Blow-Up” (a funked-up version of Herbie Hancock’s main theme from the seminal 1960s film of the same name), was released in 1987 on the Re Elect The President label, which would later become the Acid Jazz label. The track was championed by the NME and John Peel, appearing in Peel’s Festive Fifty chart for 1987. The band’s debut 7 track mini album, “Mission Impossible” (1987) followed and predominantly comprised covers of 1960s film themes such as “Alfie”, “Mrs. Robinson” and “Goldfinger” in a rough, up-tempo, almost punk-like style that was primarily focussed on Taylor’s Hammond organ playing. Their second album, “The Money Spyder” (1987), was the soundtrack to an imaginary spy film, applying the band’s distinctive style to Taylor’s own compositions. While promoting these albums The James Taylor Quartet developed a strong reputation as a live band, that remains to this day. The live set focuses on accessible rhythm driven music, that some classify as having elements of modern dance music, despite including a lot of improvised solos. The band recorded their signature tune “The Theme From Starsky and Hutch” featuring Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis of The JBs in 1988 and this was included on their next album “Wait A Minute” (1988). Their popularity as a live act led to the release of the live album “Absolute – JTQ Live in 1991”, which attempted to capture the experience of the band in concert. For a quarter of a century, the James Taylor Quartet have set the standard for the coolest sounds in funky acid jazz. On dozens of mighty albums and at their legendary gigs at home and around the world, they’ve quietly become a byword for distinguished British creativity.
Concerts
Tue. 25.04. - Sat. 29.04.2023
1st Concert 7:30 p.m.
(Doors 7:00 p.m.)
2nd concert 10:00 p.m.
(Doors 9:30 p.m.)
Venue
Marians Jazzroom
Admission
One Concert CHF 48.-
Both Concerts CHF 72.–