Roots 8

About

Friday 21 April 2023 
Venue: Peggy's Skylight 

TWO SHOWS
Twilight: 6-7pm
Doors at 5pm, vacate by 7.30pm
Highlight: 8.30-10.30pm
Doors at 7.30pm, vacate by midnight.
Two sets of music with an interval

Tickets: £13-£18

Roots 8

This multi-national 8-piece band boasts a wealth of super talented musicians joining together on stage to create "World Music". Their unique sound draws on rare groove rhythms combined with African back beats and soulful melodies.

Gregg Kofi Brown – guitar/vocals (Osibisa, Sting, Billy Cobham, Gabrielle, Des'Ree) With a musical career spanning more thirty years, Gregg still tours around the world with Osibisa. In 2003 he was executive producer of the Evening Standard cover-mount CD give away in memory of Damilola Taylor which featured Robbie Williams, Craig David, Gorillaz, Blue and Ms.Dynamite.

Sam Kelly – drums (Cymande, Robert Plant, Chaka Khan, Roger Chapman, Gary Moore) Internationally renowned, legendary drummer, Sam Kelly, started his playing career in the early 1970's with Cymande, an 8-piece African funk band. He continues to work around the world, stamping his brand on all genres of music, from blues to rock, R&B, funk, soul and reggae.

Phil Ramocon – keys/vocals (Rico Rodriguez, Jimmy Cliff, Gregory Isaacs, Neneh Cherry) Grammy-Award winning singer/songwriter/pianist, Phil Ramocon has worked with many industry greats and toured with the legendary Bob Marley. He is renowned for his co-writing credits with Neneh Cherry and Keb Mo.

Maiuko -vocals (Max Middleton, Dick Pearce, Chris Difford, Jeff Beck) Born in Mozambique of royal Swazi and Portuguese ancestry, Maiuko is a multi award winning singer song-writer and has developed her very own style, blending Jazz, African Blues, world inspired rhythms and Portuguese melodies, into one timeless language of music.

Clare Hirst – flute/sax/backing vocals (David Bowie, The Communards, Mica Paris, The Bellestars, Maxi Priest)
Clare is a much sort-after multi-skilled musician covering a diverse mixture of musical styles that range from salsa to reggae to funk and African music. She is also highly respected amongst the jazz fraternity. In 1985 Clare was part of David Bowie's band on the Live-Aid concert.

Claude Deppa – trumpet (Art Blakey, Miriam Makeba, Courtney Pine, Brotherhood of Breath, The Grand Union Orchestra)
At the forefront of the African jazz music scene is South African-born trumpeter and composer, Claude Deppa. Claude leads the brass section of "Kinetica Bloco", a project that celebrates the music of the African Diaspora with themed summer schools and performances.

Tony Qunta – guitar/vocals (Hazel O'Connor, Imagination, The Drifters, Zigaboo Modeliste) As a child, Tony studied classical piano and violin before picking up a guitar in his teens. Now with over 20 years in the business, he is a highly respected singer/songwriter/guitarist and violinist. Besides performing with a host of notable musicians, Tony has also worked on West End shows and touring musical productions.

Richard Sadler – bass (Paul Weller, Tom Jones, Ray Davies, Jean Toussaint, Tom Cawley) Richard boasts an impressive track record as a blues, funk and jazz bassist, composer and arranger. He is a highly respected musician on both electric bass and double-bass. He has played at major festivals all around the world and has appeared on "Later with Jools Holland".