I picked this out of the jazz section in a charity shop for a quid. I wasn't sure whether this was a side project from the You've Got A Friend, James Taylor (it isn't, he's a British keyboard player) or not, but the opening track being the Theme From Starsky And Hutch sold it to me there and then.
This will be short. It's a collection of quite funky, Hammond organ based tunes, all very listenable, but most are background, and fil to grab the attention. The Starsky and Hutch Theme works well in a Proustian rush of 1970s Saturday night TV, but from there it's listenable, unremarkable tunes (apart from the awful version of Say A Little Prayer, stripped of all its soul for use in a lift or when on hold).
There are a couple of vocal tunes towards the end of the collection, Love The Life (sung by Noel McKoy) being the most interesting and likeable. The collection concludes with several tunes recorded live, which are well received, Wide Angle standing out for me. I'd imagine a JTQ gig is a fun experience, although the music would be for the moment.
My impression is that this is listenable, even fun, background music, without much that makes a serious impression. There's definitely a place for that, and it's probably live!
2* - not a bad album, but very little to get excited about
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