What happens when one of your favorite guitarists, organ players, and drummers get together? Well, you get a supergroup called The Breaks and they’ve just released their debut album. On guitar, they have Eddie Roberts the cofounder of the now quasi retired quartet The New Mastersounds who wrapped up a twenty six year run at New Years Eve. On organ, there’s Robert Walter, with his own 20th Congress and reigning keys master in GreyBoy Allstars. And, rounding it out on the skins, the incredible Stanton Moore of Galactic and several additional side projects.
This is a real dream team that got together in late 2025 in New Orleans, where they each have spent time (and Moore still does), and put together this heater of an album. The trio glides as one unit throughout the record, and still the tunes offer plenty of chances for each member to play some killer solos. On top of all that greatness, the debut album also features guest horn players Brad Walker (saxophone), John Michael Bradford (trumpet), and Big Sam Williams (trombone), who appear on three of the album’s eight tracks, and percussionist Pedro Segundo, who guests throughout. Have a listen and follow along with my track-by-track coverage:
Rooted in the tradition of late-’60s organ trios and hard-hitting boogaloo, The Breaks pushes the sound forward with deep-pocket rhythms, tight arrangements, and fearless improvisation. Eddie Roberts’ sharp, melodic guitar work dances effortlessly over Stanton Moore’s explosive New Orleans-infused drum grooves, while Robert Walter’s signature Hammond organ tones tie it all together with grit and soul.
Between them, they’ve logged countless tours, recorded landmark albums, and collaborated with a who’s-who of the modern jam, funk, and jazz worlds. But in The Breaks, the chemistry feels spontaneous—three kindred spirits locking into a groove and letting it ride.
Track-By-Track
Hasheesh instantly drew me in with its punch horn-organ opener. Walter carries the main theme throughout the first half of the tune. The organ playing is lyrical, definitely a sing-song melody accented by the horn exclamations points. Eddie comes through midway with a Benson-esque solo that hands the baton back to Walter before a quick Stanton section with horns that drops to a funky solo section towards the end.
Snowballers opens with a drum lead reminiscent of some Tower of Power Garibaldi work—Walking Up Hip Street?! It’s a mid-tempo rollicking roll with the organ setting the tone and the guitar with some extra greasy licks in between. Stanton’s playing a lot of open snare throughout. Pedro Segundo’s percussion pops with a range of sounds, and his imprint here is impressive.
Scapegoats features a strong organ lead-in accented by Eddie’s bent-note guitar twang. Stanton’s playing is rock-steady pocket without fanfare. It’s a solid jaunty tune in classic organ trio fashion.
Goldilocks has a guitar opening for a change that brings in the full trio quickly. The song sounds shadowy, as if played in a dimly lit bar. The syrupy organ theme from Walter is as mysterious as it gets. Roberts takes a well-spaced solo, adding a bit of film noir suspense. I really love the sustained organ groove that Walter drives on the back half, and the bass pedal work is really cool.
Party Like A Rich Kid sounds like an old familiar vocal tune but I can’t quite place it (yet.) It’s got a great organ lead and some funky horn licks on top. Roberts and Moore jockey back and forth for a punchy rhythm. Moore makes the most of a small jazz kit from what I’ve seen in a couple of live video clips. Walter’s organ cascades along with the horns until the back third when Roberts takes an extended solo, including some surf guitar riffs. This is definitely a favorite.
Blood Cover kicks off with Eddie playing guitar with a reggae feel, and Robert joins with a complementary riff. The organ continues on lead with a classic Jimmy Smith organ swing before a handoff back for Eddie to come to the front.
Offsides comes out of the gate hard, with Robert and Stanton laying down a massive low-end groove. The bass pedals thump with Robert and Eddie playing the bulk of the melody in unison. One thing to mention is that all of the tunes, just like this one, are so clearly written. What I mean is that even though they can meander in an improvisational fashion, keeping it interesting, they always can tie back to the head. In the second half of this one, Eddie takes the type of solo he’s long been noted for, amazing fast and crips individual plucking. Walter comes back to the opening melody right before the closeout. Fantastic!
Inheritance Powder is uber funky, a bit like Booker T on the organ, a bit like Isaac Hayes’ Shaft on the guitar. It definitely has that old-school feel, especially with the kick drum and bass pedals thumping big time. Walter shows his stuff with incredible work here, (re)staking his claim as one of the best B3 players of this generation. Eddie comes through with an echoing solo that careens back and forth between the left and right speakers, giving a sense of movement for this one. The mix on this one is really cool with the channel isolation super spacy—definitely needs to be played on high-end speakers or headphones.