The Breaks: Inheritance Powder

Built around the irresistible pull of deep-pocket grooves, the classic Hammond-guitar-drums lineup is as seductive for the listener as it is for the player. But the lure of deep-pocket grooves can be dangerous for the unwary musician: lock in too tightly, and finding a way out gets awkward.

The Breaks—the new project of veterans Robert Walter, Eddie Roberts and Stanton Moore—lives up to its name. These three "escape artists of the funk pocket" know exactly where the breaks are—not just in the beat, but in the walls that deep grooves can build around less experienced players. They also know there's no point in fighting the groove; the real thrill lies in using it to stage a getaway. The trick is not escaping the lock—it is making the lock part of the performance.

A perfect illustration of that balancing act is offered by the closing track of their self-titled debut album (Color Red). Titled "Inheritance Powder"—an old street name for arsenic, notorious in the 18th and 19th centuries as the poison of choice for impatient heirs—the piece unfolds like the soundtrack to a noir detective film, full of simmering tension, sly twists and shadowy intrigue. Witnessing the process by which these funky Houdinis stretch out and escape their own grooves is a reward in itself.