The Truth The James Taylor Trio

• 1 Linus & Lucy 04:38
• 2 The Truth 04:19
• 3 Elavation 05:18
• 4 Get Carter 03:07
• 5 Thus Sprach Zarathustra 05:24
• 6 Another Day 02:51
• 7 Aref's Space 03:40
• 8 Nothing Else 03:52
• Total Runtime 33:09

Info for The Truth

The third instalment in Acid Jazz’s Jazz Sessions series celebrates the 40th anniversary of the original Acid Jazz star as a solo artist - James Taylor, of the James Taylor Quartet, recording in a trio setting for the first time on 'The Truth' out 18 September.

After the second instalment in the Jazz Sessions Series – the Matt Berry Trio’s 'Everything’s Peachy' – reached number one on the Official Chart Company’s Jazz and Blues chart – the Acid Jazz series returns with Volume Three, the James Taylor Trio’s 'The Truth'

'The Truth' marks the 40th Anniversary of original Acid Jazz star James Taylor’s as a solo artist. After The Prisoners, the cult band he was a member of, split in 1986, later that year he recorded his first single as the James Taylor Quartet - a take on Herbie Hancock’s ‘Blow Up’.

'The Truth' sees James working with noted players Theo Carasco on drums and Orlando Flemming on Upright bass, to recreate a sound influenced by the records that Les McCann, Hampton Hawes and Lonnie Liston Smith were making in the early 70s. The sound world of the trio involves an extensive interaction with analogue electric keyboards, be it the Fender Rhodes – James’ lead instrument throughout - the Solina string synthesiser, and Hammond Organ.

The sound is filled out in several places by Aref Durvesh’s Tablas, and on three tracks vocals are added by gospel trained singer Liz Jai.

The material includes takes on Vince Guaraldi’s ‘Lucy & Linus’ and ’Thus Sprach Zarathustra’ as well as the inspirational vocal title track, and the cosmic jazz of 'Aref’s Space'.

The Jazz Sessions series was conceived by Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller as a return to the jazz roots of the label. The first release came from former Style Council drummer Steve White, with his first album as leader 'Soul Drums', followed by Matt Berry’s widely acclaimed and number one album, 'Everything’s Peachy'.

The James Taylor Trio

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), although recordings and live performances usually feature vocalist Yvonne Yanney.

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. During this period a contract with a major record led to them playing to ever increasing audiences. 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 (even though it was recorded ‘live’ in the studio, the audience cheering being overdubbed later).

This album contains no booklet.