Best known as the keyboard player of veteran UK jazz-funk quartet The New Mastersounds, Joe Tatton is also the leader of his own Hammond organ trio, the Joe Tatton Trio, whose debut album came out in 2022 and won over a legion of support from fans and media alike.
Now 2 years later, Joe has teamed up with Madrid-based guitarist Lucas De Mulder plus drummer Luke Flowers of Cinematic Orchestra for sophomore album Galáctico, this time on an instrumental footing where Joe is primarily at the Hammond Organ, unlike the debut in which he was also singing. With this new formation, the trio recorded at Joe’s home studio on his C3 (where The New Mastersounds’ latest album Old School was also recorded), and the result will delight fans of vintage jazz-funk as the album gives nods to Jimmy McGriff, Dr Lonnie Smith, George Benson etc etc.
Galáctico starts with the frenetic James Brown groove of “Double Take” – a catchy jazz guitar head that builds moving up in key to a frenetic Hammond solo punctuated by The Haggis Horns. Track 2 is the Meters-esque “Hey!”, the only English language vocal track on the record and only one word at that!
Next up is “El Gato” featuring Sam Bell on congas and Atholl Ransome and Malcolm Strachan from The Haggis Horns on a latin four to the floor vibe with solos traded throughout. While “Guinnee Drop” is a swaggering funk jam with Luke Flowers’ funky drum breaks being a distinct feature.
The only cover on the album is Sixto Rodriguez’s “Sugarman” – Lucas and Joe were both inspired by his story and loved the song so much it had to go on the album with a mellow instrumental twist. Titletrack “Galáctico” is a funky soundtrack tune – the horns are back and take the tune out with some blistering solos. “Retiro” was inspired by the park near Lucas’ pad in Madrid is a laid-back boogaloo vibe with Sam Bell again on congas and an upright piano solo from Tatton.
“Dame Lo Que Tienes” was the first single extracted from the album and is a classic Hammond organ jazz-funk number set up by a funky guitar riff followed by a cutting hammond melody, a little bit Meters, mixed with Booker T, and The Crusader’s! “Moonbow” displays a jazzier mellow vibe with a nod to Khurangbin. And the final track on the album is “Lost on You”, a breezy disco/soul throwback with a bit of George Benson flavor.
The trio will be launching the record at the Saint Paul Soul Jazz festival in the south of France on July 7th and continue to play a series of other gigs throughout the summer.
Release Date: July 5th 2024
Label: Rodina Music
Format: LP / CD / Digital