Music Spoken Here presents
Detroitwich Funk Machine
The Marr’s Bar, 12 Peirpoint Street, Worcester WR1 1TA
Thursday 22nd January, 7:30pm doors for 8pm start
A phenomenal 9-piece, West Midlands band are set to fill the stage at The Marr’s Bar in Worcester on Thursday 22nd January.
Co-led by Droitwich-based Californian bassist Tom Clarke-Hill and saxophonist Andy Shilingford from Stourbridge, Detroitwich Funk Machine have raided the archives of 70s and 80s funk, jazz-funk and fusion to deliver an outstanding and entertaining show reviving the music of James Brown, Tower of Power, Herbie Hancock, The Brecker Brothers, Blood Sweat & Tears, Kenny Garrett and more.
The band features familiar faces from the Birmingham and wider West Midlands jazz scene. Shillingford and fellow Funk Machine saxophonists Chris Bowden and Pelham Wood play regularly together in the Fat Chops Big Band, while Clarke-Hill (also a professional voice-over artist) performs regularly with Edgar Marcias, the Garry Allcock Trio and with many top touring artists. The 5-piece horn section is completed with Alex Astbury (one of the team behind Digbeth Jazz) on trumpet and Dave Sear on trombone. Joining Clarke-Hill in the rhythm section are Tom Morgan (guitar), Arran Shanghavi (keys) and Andy Brotherton (drums).
The band have played several times at The Tower of Song in Birmingham last year and are now venturing out with a mini tour of West Midlands, starting this month with Stratford Jazz at Rother Street Artshouse on Wednesday 14th and Music Spoken Here at The Marr’s Bar on Thursday 22nd. Next month they are back at The Tower of Song on 19th February, then the Castle Pub, Droitwich on 27th March, Lichfield Jazz Festival on 6th June, The Bonded Warehouse, Stourbridge on 12th June and Corner Pocket Jazz & Blues Club, Coventry on 11th August.
Although this is the band’s first performance in Worcester, Chris Bowden and Dave Sear have each appeared separately on the fortnightly Music Spoken Here program of jazz, funk and fusion at The Marr’s Bar last year – Bowden with his own Hypnos Files band and Sear stepping in on trombone for London-based jazz-funk outfit The Boom Yeah.
Doors open at 7:30pm with DJ MooreFeJazz getting things warmed up for the band to start at 8pm. Admission is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members, or £15 on the door for non-members. For more information go to musicspokenhere.club.