Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul Festival Elements

How do we conduct ourselves in extraordinary times? By what metric do we judge our own capacity to make change? In an era where the signal-to-noise ratio is more uneven than ever, what are the measures we must take to retain and remember our own…

Lianne La Havas’s debut album ‘Is Your Love Big Enough?’ seemed to provide more highlights in its life-cycle than many artists experience in their entire career. Sparked by a sensational introduction on Later, it was a journey that encompassed over 120 shows and a top…

Despite growing up in the same picturesque village in Hertfordshire, Chris Davids and Liam Ivory aka Maribou State customarily ignored each other at school, but discovered their shared passion for music when they both went to University. Since then they have steadily built a glowing…

The legendary Wailers continue their quest to bring reggae to the forefront of the world’s stage.  Led by renowned bassist and founder Aston “Familyman” Barrett, and joined by original Wailers guitarist Donald Kinsey, The Wailers give audiences around the globe the opportunity to experience their…

THE FATBACK BAND makes funky, orchestral soul music built for the live party circuit. Piloted by legendary bandleader Bill “Fatback” Curtis (percussion) and reinforced by Ledjerick Todd Woods (trumpet), Robert Locke (saxophone), Zachary (Zach) Guinn (bass, vocals), Darryl McAllister (guitar) and Desmond Humphrey (drums, vocals)…

It is no exaggeration to say that Nightmares on Wax’s work is synonymous with a place in time. It is a place individual to those who have savoured his popular b…rand of sun-drenched dubbed out soul, where fragments of hazy memories, halcyon days and past…

When looking for the perfect presentation of the Motown sound and style, few fit the bill as well as Martha Reeves & the Vandellas. It was 1963 when they moved from being Marvin Gaye’s original backup singers (“Stubborn Kind of Fellow,” “Pride & Joy,” “Hitch…

Craig Charles is live at Mostly Jazz Funk & Soul Festival 2020  in Moseley Park Birmingham on Saturday 11th July! Asked by The Independent to define himself in six words, Mostly Jazz, Funk and Soul stalwart and curator Craig Charles said “Late to bed, early…

2020 sees The Hypnotic Brass celebrating twenty years together not only as a band but a Band of Brothers and they are marking this anniversary with the launch of their sixth studio album “Bad Boys of Jazz”, which sees them seamlessly weave Funk, Dub, Hip-Hop…

“Before melody or harmony, there’s rhythm,” cites Sheila Maurice-Grey, the band leader of KOKOROKO, when speaking to Dele Sosimi about the musical structure of the late, great Fela Kuti. A profound statement that is reflected through the sonic depths of their hypnotically bracing new single,…

The modern-day leaders of Ghanaian highlife music are back! Strut is proud to announce Pat Thomas & Kwashibu Area Band’s sophomore release ‘Obiaa!’, released on 20th September 2019. The album, produced again by Kwame Yeboah and Ben Abarbanel-Wolff at Lovelite Studio’s analogue HQ in Berlin,…

Norman Jay MBE is unquestionably one of most respected and popular DJs in the world today. Born in Notting Hill, Jay played his first gig aged 8 at a 10th birthday party. Influenced by his father’s record collection of blue beat, ska and jazz, by…

Bio to follow…    

Hannah Williams, the British soul hurricane who sensationally became part of Jay-Z’s chart-topping 4:44 album, is primed and ready for her own national and international breakthrough. Born in High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Williams’ father was a musically gifted minister, and her mother let her join…

Scott Hendy aka Boca 45 is known as somewhat of a Bristol (UK) institution from his early days in the mid 90s selling Golden Era Hip Hop from behind the counter of the seminal Purple Penguin record shop rapidly becoming one of Bristol’s most in…

The title of his 2003 debut album says it all: Music For The Mature B-Boy. That’s DJ Format for you, boiled down to the essence. He’s the grown up producer/beatmaker who, admittedly, spends far too long digging for bafflingly scarce records to play, sample, and…

Delivering an infectious blend of soul, jazz and rhythm & blues, the DELVON LAMARR ORGAN TRIO proves to be a band on the rise. Their tantalizing grooves, lush sounds and vibrant jam sessions are always fresh with improvisations strengthened by their undeniable chemistry. This Seattle-based…

UK hip hop has never been in a more exciting state. With the advent of all things grime and hip hop in the international blogosphere this year, Kofi Stone emerges to stake his claim as one of the UK’s most vibrant and naturally talented young…

Birmingham emcee Lady Sanity has been steadily building a strong reputation for her hard-hitting flow and blend of grime, ‘90s hip hop and jazz influences. With a 2017 GRM Daily Get Rated Award under her belt, performing at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Australia along…

Singer / songwriter & guitarist Call Me Unique infuses the sounds of jazz, soul, futurebeats, and scat- singing. Influenced by the sounds of Lauryn Hill, Ed Sheeran, Ella Fitzgerald & Lisa “Left-Eye” Lopes. Renowned for her love of scatting and eclectic performance approach, her vibe…

Freedom 35’s are a 4 piece Organ Driven Instrumental Funk/Soul/Groove outfit from Co.Armagh Northern Ireland. Jimmy Hagan – Drums, Aidy Lee – Bass, Anthony McKee – Organ and Gordee Lee – Guitar. They released their debut album ‘Obsessive Complusive Groove Disorder’ in 2019 on Vinyl,…

JoyBang is a psych/groove/noise duo made up of Stella Roberts on keyboards and Will Glaser on drums. The duo have been working on a brand new set of music which aims to compromise noise and groove with delicate ballads and electronic improvisation. Bringing a contrasting…

Having DJ’d at all but one of the previous Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul festivals, 2020 signals a landmark for Sam Redmore as he is joined by a full live band to perform tracks from his forthcoming debut album for the first time. Expect funk,…

The Little Easy Band kicked off their career headlining a popular Worcestershire music festival in the summer of 2018. Shortly afterwards the band landed in the acclaimed Parr Street Studios in Liverpool to craft their first release ‘I’m So Tired’. The soulful, authentic British R&B…

Made in Manchester, The Plimp Souls are a conga-crammed, horn-heavy, soul-stuffed nine-piece fuelled by boundless energy and a burning mission to put the fun back into funk. Blending the best of funk, jazz, soul, afrobeat and everything in-between, their raw, bouncing sound makes for a…

Meet Julie Dexter, a world renowned, award winning, British singer, songwriter and producer considered by many to be one of the most influential female vocalists of our generation. Having shared the spotlight with a host of cutting-edge artists, including Mint Condition, Caron Wheeler, Jill Scott, Lalah Hathaway,…

Multi-instrumentalist and composer Alicia Gardener-Trejo brings an exciting new quintet to Mostly Jazz, Funk & Soul Festival this year.    Alicia is a member of the Ray Prince/Jonathan Silk Gospel Revisited Project, Andy Bunting’s Reworkestra and the acclaimed Birmingham Jazz Orchestra. She also runs her…

Theo grew up without the influence of a big city like London. Her home is in Long Whittenham; a village outside of Oxford. Neither one of her parents were singers or musicians of any kind but somehow, she was always drawn to singing. Her dad…

Steve Cobby co-founded Fila Brazillia with David McSherry in 1990.  They released 10 critically acclaimed LP’s of original material as well as producing over seventy remixes for artists as diverse as Radiohead, Busta Rhymes, Black Uhuru, Simple Minds, James, A Certain Ratio and Moloko.  After a…

TOUCAN are the explosive ten-piece funk-pop band blasting out a blend of feel-good, contagiously funky hits. Leading the group is Irish songwriter Conor Clancy and with a team of top performers from brass to keys behind him, their sold-out shows have proven them to be…

Selextorhood is a community of femxle and non-binary DJs based in Birmingham. Through parties and collaborative events, Selextorhood are pushing for gender equality through music. They promote and support the next generation of DJs with workshops, talks from women with experience in the music industry,…

Exploring anomalous strains and fragmented genres of electronic music. Noods Radio monthly w/ ACID TEST, Melodic Distraction monthly w/ Lucid States and co-founder of Birmingham based events Voyage and Freedom of Movement. A passionate record collector and event curator, Trieste has carved a unique sound…

LoveBrum was founded in 2015 with a simple goal – make Birmingham even better. The vision was to create a charity that local people could get behind to make a real positive change in their community. We are passionate about the city of Birmingham and…