LIVE REVIEW: James Taylor Quartet Peggy's Skylight 29.1.25

There are venues, arenas and stadiums that showcase 1000’s of extravagant lights, gigantic moving picture screens and pyrotechnics a plenty to add to the attraction of pleasing a crowd. Strip all that back and some might find the spectacle of entertaining a lonely indifferent place.

A dark and cold January Tuesday night furthermore doesn’t fill the mind with much chance of festivities what with the morning wakeup call fast approaching, that is until James Taylor Quartet broke this stereotype at Peggy’s Skylight in Nottingham’s thriving Hockley. JTQ have seemingly found a home from home at Peggy’s, a quant jazz club with plush dinning tables and deluxe lighting surrounding the compact stage, the setting is perfect for a night on the tiles featuring this most stellar of British funk jazz quartets.

Harking back to 1987, JTQ’s line up might have changed fourfold since their Mission Impossible debut, 2025’s line up; band leader James Taylor Hammond organ, Mark Cox guitar, Andrew McKinney bass, and Pat Illingworth drums are as formidable as Jones, Cropper, Dunn, Jackson Jr or Modeliste, Porter Jr, Nocentelli, Neville or even Collins, Collins, Byrd and Starks, but no matter the comparisons on tonight’s showing the foursome are as acutely pleasing as witnessing Roy Castle tap dancing with Sammy Davis Junior.

Template, Never In My Wildest Dreams and Jungle Strutt showcase a formidable band at the very top of their game play. McKinney might look like he’s an observer of the cold sweat carnival but his rumblings on his Fender Bass echo Bootsy on Give It Up or Turn It Loose; Cox aka the Grant Green of the quartet distributes sharp blues, bebop, and Latin-tinged chords at the drop of a hat; special mention must go to Illingworth, his slight demeanor is a clever disguise for the drumming cacophony he unleashes on the eager crowd, I’ve seen the likes of Bernard Purdie take to the drum stool with an attack rarely seen before, tonight Illingworth completes his boisterous detonation on an equal keel.

Taylor is in a league of his own, an exceptional talent of the Hammond organ the British shores very rarely creates; Brian Auger, Georgie Fame and Graham Bond have no doubt been at the forefront of B3 forefathers but witnessing Taylor tonight his talent on the ivories shows no boundaries. If you can imagine a concoction of Dr Teeth, with the sublime transcendent playing of Leon Russell and the planned strikes of Keith Emerson you’re about there when witnessing Taylor in full flow especially on the likes of She Dreams in Crimson taken from JTQ latest release Hung Up On You released via Acid Jazz Records, homage to Booker T and The M.G’s aboriginal jitterbug Green Onions matched with where it all started on Herbie Hancocks 60’s cut a rug Blow Up along with what seems like tonight’s curtain call of Lalo Schifrin much loved Starsky and Hutch Theme.

Thankfully the sextet perform another 2 numbers, All Wrapped Up and JTQ Theme (dedicated to Eddie Piller in attendance with Matt Berry after a local Q&A) leaving the congregation of dinners and floor stompers all echoing the four walls for more, which will have to wait until Wednesday night’s follow up show. A Titanic night of vanguard acid jazz rarely seen in Robin Hood territory.

All photos copywrited to Nigel King who can be contacted here

James Taylor Quartet can be found via their website

Tickets for Wednesdays performance are available via Peggys Skylights website