Music Spoken Here

Philip Clouts Quartet
2026-04-09 19:30 - 22:30 (Europe/London) | The Marr’s Bar, 12 Pierpoint Street, Worcester, Worcestershire, WR1 1TA, United Kingdom
Original music rooted in South Africa, soaking up joyful calypso, bluesy middle-eastern praise songs, exuberant Cuban dance and tuneful gospel while honouring jazz heroes
Cape Town-born pianist/composer Philip Clouts’ South African roots have inspired a voyage of discovery that has led to him soaking up the joyful passion of Caribbean calypso, the bluesy melodies of middle eastern praise songs, the exuberant sway of Cuban dance music and the tuneful essence of Gospel while honouring jazz heroes including Bill Evans, Keith Jarrett, and Charles Lloyd.
As a key member of the popular London-based world jazz ensemble Zubop and its offshoot ZubopGambia, with BBC World Music award-winner Juldeh Camara, Clouts created a solid body of work with African roots and since moving to Dorset in 2006 he has responded to his new surroundings with impressionistic compositions that complement his world music interests, resonating with strong themes and packing a mighty rhythmical punch.
The latest CD from the Philip Clouts Quartet is one of the first wave of releases on the jazz imprint from prestigious label Odradek Records. On this album, entitled Umoya (named from the Zulu word for life force), Clouts’ African inspirations extend beyond Cape jazz to Gnawa music and Afrobeat, and further to pan-European folksong and soul-jazz. Joined by rising star saxophonist Samuel Eagles, bassist Marcus Penrose and drummer Ted Carrasco, he brings his musical journey alive with superb musicianship and infectious vigour.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Poppy Daniels
2026-04-23 19:30 - 22:30
‘Go-to’ trumpet player on the London scene brings her own music blending London roots with jazz, latin and hip-hop.
Londoner Poppy Daniels has become an integral part of the UK jazz scene, and ‘go-to’ trumpet player for the likes of Blue Lab Beats, Daniel Casimir, Celeste, Jordan Rakei, Arlo Parks, Hak Baker and more, at world renowned venues at home and abroad.
After an extensive career thus far, Poppy is now focusing on her own music, blending her London roots with jazz, latin and hip hop influences. In 2025 she released her debut EP ‘Keep On Going’, on the progressive Jazz Re:freshed label. The EP was co-written with bassist Alley Lloyd (Colectiva, Fleur East, Poppy Ajudha, Yasmin Lacey) and features Allexa Nava, who played for us in November.
Poppy will be performing with her band featuring Eddie Lee (keys), Kian Cardenas (guitar), Patrick Hand (bass) and Lox (drums).

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Shapeshifter Trio
2026-05-14 19:30 - 22:00
A new trio featuring three very special creative voices of the UK scene
Saxophonist, clarinetist and composer Mark Lockheart (Loose Tubes, Perfect Houseplants, Polar Bear) brings his new project Shapeshifter to Worcester, featuring Huw V Williams (Di-Cysgodion, George Crowley, Laura Jurd) on bass and Jay Davis (Alex Hitchcock, Airborn, Rob Luft) on drums.
This new trio creates a unique sonic experience, shifting moment to moment, gracefully and spontaneously stitching together sound landscapes and grooves. The three members share the writing credits alongside a few carefully chosen works by Bill Frisell, Joe Henderson and Paul Motion.
Taking the exploratory spirit of groups like Polar Bear and Malija, the band move together through a common language of jazz, rock, classical and free improvisation exploring dark textures and dramatic musical shifts as they revel in the unexpected.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Check out our ‘Piece Talks video interview with Mark

And here are a couple of videos of Shapeshifter in the studio…

MSH Birthday Bash with Tomorrow's New Quartet
2026-05-28 19:30 - 22:00
We’re celebrating 4 years of Music Spoken Here at The Marr’s Bar with one of the most exciting jazz bands emerging from the British scene

Tomorrow’s New Quartet is quickly gaining a reputation as one of the most exciting jazz bands emerging from the British scene. Taking inspiration from Chick Corea’s ‘Return To Forever’ and Keith Jarrett’s ‘European Quartet’, Tomorrow’s New Quartet has been thrilling audiences all over the country with its engaging brand of modern jazz.
Led by drummer / composer Rod Oughton, the band released its debut album ‘All Together, Now!’ on the Ubuntu Music label in 2022. Following a successful launch tour, which culminated in a sold-out show at Pizza Express Dean Street, the album was named ‘Editor’s Choice’ by Jazzwise Magazine, and dubbed ‘very fresh’ by Jumoké Fashola on BBC Radio 3.
For this performance the band features Harry Brunt on sax and Pete Komor on electric bass (both from Howl Quartet), with Sam Watts on piano.
“A terrific performance from a hugely talented quartet” The Jazz Mann
“A quartet for today as well as tomorrow” Jazzwise

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

V6 Organ Trio
2026-06-11 19:30 - 22:30
Hot, fiery, swingin’ and groovin’ organ trio from The Midlands
Following his debut appearance at The Marr’s Bar with Detroitwich Funk Machine in January, Arran Shanghavi returns on Hammond Organ with the hot, fiery, swingin’ and groovin’ V6 Organ Trio – a new collaboration with guitarist Jamie McLeish and Jono Hilliam on drums.
Shanghavi brings the bluesy, funky style we all know and love! McLeish, with ‘the finest ear in The Midlands’, adds harmonic and melodic richness while Hilliam, with his big band background, adds a huge sound and exciting energy into the small ensemble setup.
Expect to hear tunes you know, tunes you don’t and some you never thought you’d hear in this setting!

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Alex Hitchcock Quartet
2026-06-25 19:30 - 22:30
“Tumbling with ideas, impulsive improvisations and swinging, left-field energy” – MOJO Magazine
We are delighted to welcome Alex Hitchcock back to the Marr’s Bar for the third time on our program. He first appeared with Resolution 88 in November 2022 and, as a mentor for Dan Lockheart on the Jazz Central Mentoring Scheme, he performed with Dan’s quintet in September the following year. This time, following sold-out album launches in New York and London, he’s back with his own cutting edge quartet performing music from his new album, Letters From Afar, a sonic correspondence across emotional, geographic, and artistic distances.
Described as “leading the charge of new jazz music being created in the UK” (BBC Jazz World), “an astonishingly quick thinking virtuoso” (Jazzwise magazine) and “tumbling with ideas, impulsive improvisations and swinging, left-field energy” (MOJO Magazine), saxophonist and Ivor Novello-nominated composer Hitchcock is a leading voice on the international jazz stage. Emerging from London’s fertile jazz scene and shaped by inventive collaborations across Europe, the US, and further afield, he has built an international reputation for music that balances real-world urgency with formal and stylistic exploration.
The group’s sound draws as much from film and visual art as from music itself: shimmering bitonal harmonies that bloom and fracture; layered textures of colour, density, and rhythmic asymmetry; loops and motifs that build, collide, and dissolve. Hitchcock has carved out a distinctive space in contemporary jazz – at times intense and chaotic, at others disarmingly sparse and direct. Beneath the surface of the quartet’s notated forms lies a deep commitment to free improvisation, creating music both tightly sculpted and thrillingly fluid.
This is music for curious, open-minded listeners drawn to art at the edge of beauty and disruption. Fans of Caroline Davis, Tyshawn Sorey, or Peter Evans will find familiar terrain, though this is a group never content to stay in one place for long.
The quartet features Will Barry on piano, Freddie Jensen on bass Ananda Brandão on drums.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Boomslang
2026-09-10 19:30 - 22:30
High-intensity jazz virtuosity with the driving energy of drum & bass, the weight of hard rock, and the sonic edge of electronic production

Boomslang is a UK-based jazz fusion powerhouse pushing the genre into new territory. Led by bassist Kyle Welch, the band fuses high-intensity jazz virtuosity with the driving energy of drum & bass, the weight of hard rock, and the sonic edge of electronic production.
Known for their uniquely interactive live performances, Boomslang thrive on real-time musical conversation — twisting complex harmony, breakneck rhythms and deep grooves into something unpredictable and electrifying, with Nat Evans on EWI adding soaring, otherworldly lead lines that blur the line between human and machine. Joined by Nathan Thomas and Dom Holyoake, Boomslang’s music sits at the crossroads of Tribal Tech’s precision, Chick Corea Electric Band’s fusion legacy and Squarepusher’s boundary-breaking intensity — delivering a sound that’s as technically fearless as it is physically moving.
Boomslang don’t just play jazz fusion; they rewire it.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Frederico Heliodoro
2026-09-17 19:30 - 22:30
Progressive modern music from Brazil, combining jazz, electronic music, rock & blues with echoes of Milton Nascimento, Toninho Horta and Beto Guedes
I’m delighted we were able to secure an additional night at The Marr’s Bar, outside our regular fortnightly programme, to accommodate Brazilian multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, producer and composer Frederico Heliodoro, as he performs just three dates on the UK leg of his current international tour.
Frederico was born in Rio de Janeiro, grew up in Belo Horizonte and spent a few years in São Paulo before returning to Rio, where he currently lives. Celebrating ten years of international touring, Frederico presents a new concert featuring music from his albums The Weight of the News, Máximos Eventos and Gávea Days Compact, alongside recent compositions written in Rio de Janeiro. The new material reflects a growing connection with the city, its atmosphere, its neighbourhoods and its particular sense of mystery, heard in pieces such as Fantasia Carioca and Ciclo do Leme.
Bringing together different moments of his artistic journey, the program moves between older and newer works while maintaining a strong personal voice shaped by years of performing and collaborating with artists such as Kurt Rosenwinkel, Milton Nascimento, Louis Cole and Zé Ibarra. Rather than looking back, this concert offers a glimpse of where that journey has arrived today.
Frederico, on lead bass and vocals, will be joined by Birmingham legend Tom Ford on bass, Nathan Shingler on drums and Laurie Milton on keys.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £18 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Living In Shadows
2026-09-20 16:30 - 19:00
Straddling the line between popular accessibility and the “Quark, strangeness & charm” of progressive rock
Formed by award winning vocalist Zoë Gilby and multi-instrumentalist Andy Champion as a studio project during COVID lockdown, Living in Shadows released their eponymously titled debut album in 2020. In 2024, their follow up album ‘Neon Burning’ on Lamplight Social Records saw a development in their original identity, building confidence in a more progressive sound.
“If you want an album that stops you questioning about which genre of music it fits into and has the prowess to captivate you from a melodic and musical capability point of view, look no further than…this banger of an album.” – The Progmeister
“If you’re looking for something innovative in the cross-over prog area then start here.” – Martin Burns, DPRP
The duo on the recording has been expanded to a five-piece band for their increasingly popular live performances, fronted by Zoë with Andy on bass and synths, Mark Williams on guitar, Ben Lawrence on keyboards and John Bradford on drums.
Doors 4:30pm for 5pm start.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is £12 for Music Spoken Here Club Members and £15 for non-members.
No advance tickets, just turn up and pay on the door, cash or card.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Neil Angilley Trio
2026-09-24 19:30 - 22:00
A spellbinding, uplifting take on infectious rhythms from Brazil and Cuba, incorporating instrumental virtuosity and 3-part vocal harmony
I’m delighted to welcome virtuoso pianist Neil Angilley back to our stage, following his first appearance in 2024 with Steve Taylor’s Fusion Phew and, more recently, with Minas Project in January this year. This time, he brings his own trio featuring Minas Project leader, drummer and vocalist Davide Giovannini and bassist Davide Mantovani.
The Neil Angilley Trio have released five albums since 2007, most recently Live at the 606 Club – the prestigious London jazz venue which holds a special place in Neil’s heart. Their spellbinding live show incorporates instrumental virtuosity and 3-part vocal harmony, which adds a unique dimension to the sound, creating an uplifting take on infectious rhythms from Brazil and Cuba.
As an original member of Grammy Nominated band Down To The Bone, Neil has co-written and played on many of their albums, most recently The Sweetness, which charted at number one in the USA Billboard Charts for Jazz/Funk. Along with Davide Giovannini, he performs with Snowboy and The Latin Section, with other live performance credits including Vanessa-Mae, Maceo Parker, Lionel Richie, Lisa Stansfield and Three Friends (Gentle Giant) and Glastonbury main stage with Dame Shirley Bassey.
Davide Giovannini was on drums when the fantastic 7-piece TRYPL raised the Marr’s Bar roof in January last year, while Davide Mantovani made his Marr’s Bar debut with the Brazilian-infused Tristan Banks Quartet back in 2023. This really is a Latin powerhouse that you won’t want to miss!

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Klara Devlin Quartet
2026-10-08 19:30 - 22:30
“One of the most amazing and unique new trumpet voices to emerge onto the UK jazz scene…I’ve never been this excited about a young musician” – Tony Kofi
We’re really excited to welcome rising star trumpeter Klara Devlin back to The Marr’s Bar for what will be her third appearance, having made her Worcester debut with the Miranda Radford quartet in February 2025 and returning with the phenomenal 8-piece Ankora a year later. This time she brings her own quartet, featuring Chris Outhwaite (keys), Tom Sheen (bass) and Emmanuel Ampong (drums).
Klara was a 2024 BBC Young Jazz Musician finalist, currently studying jazz at the Royal Academy of Music. She began playing trumpet at five and discovered jazz at eight. Her quartet, formed through Tomorrow’s Warriors, performs her original compositions and arrangements inspired by bebop, blues and free jazz. The Klara Devlin Quartet has appeared across numerous jazz venues and festivals, including The Jazz Café, Jazz In The Round, Pizza Express Soho, JazzLive at the Crypt and performances at the Brick Lane, We Out Here and Brecon Jazz festivals.
In the words of Tony Kofi: “Klara Devlin, remember her name, she is in my opinion one of the most amazing and unique new trumpet voices to emerge onto the UK jazz scene. To coin the famous quote ‘if ya ain’t got it in ya, ya can’t blow it out’. Klara Devlin definitely has it, and definitely blows it out of her horn! I’m about 2-3 jazz generations in front of her and I’ve never been this excited about a young musician, definitely a stylist who’ll be making new waves for the next generation.”

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £17 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Tristan Banks Quartet
2026-10-22 19:30 - 22:30
Blending the vibrant languages of jazz, Latin, and fusion with high-octane virtuosity and musical sensitivity from one of the most sought-after players on the international scene.
We’re delighted to welcome back drummer, composer and proprietor of Brighton’s award-winning Verdict Jazz Club Tristan Banks, following his first appearance with us in April 2023 on the album launch tour for ‘View From Above’, released on Ubuntu Music.
Tristan draws on over 30 years of experience as a sideman for many grammy award winning and multi-platinum selling artists (Roy Ayers, Steve Winwood, Dave Valentin, David Gilmour, Beverley Knight, Hexagonal, Peter King, Lewis Taylor, Guy Barker, Marcos Valle, Liane Carroll, Mike Lindup, Terry Callier, Da Lata, Jim Mullen, Carleen Anderson and Mayra Andrade). Since he was last with us, he has toured globally with Steve Winwood and James Mason.
Mixing influences from jazz, Latin and fusion, the Tristan Banks Quartet features Latin-jazz piano sensation John Crawford and bassist Davide Mantovani. This will be Davide’s fourth appearance, having returned with Minas Project in January 2026 and the Neil Angilley Trio in September and will be making his fifth appearance with Baiana in November. This performance will also feature the UK’s premier jazz flautist Gareth Lockrane.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £17 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Baiana
2026-11-12 19:30 - 22:30
Brazilian jazz fusion, a vocal style reminiscent of Elza Soares and Gal Costa and a first-class lineup of the UK’s leading jazz musicians
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to see this hugely popular band in The West Midlands!
Baiana is the Brazilian influenced project fronted by charismatic vocalist Laura Doyle, who has been winning fans across the country with her unique blend Latin jazz fusion. Singing in both Portuguese and English, Laura evokes a vocal style reminiscent of the great romantic torch singers of the 40s and 50s and the Brazilian greats such as Elza Soares and Gal Costa, singing of lost love and broken hearts.
Described as “The band we are all obsessed about” by 6 Music DJ Deb Grant, Baiana were a hugely popular draw at Love Supreme and Ealing Jazz festival, opened for Brazilian mega star Gilberto Gil on his UK tour, were awarded “Album of the week” on Jazz FM as well as spending and unprecedented 25 weeks collectively on the station’s A-List with three of their breakthrough tracks.
With a first-class line-up of the UK’s leading jazz musicians – Neil Angilley (keys), John Wheatcroft (guitar), Andres Lafone (bass) and Davide Giovannini (drums) – the show will feature songs from their standout self-titled album as well as some of the much-loved jewels from the treasure chest of Brazilian music.
This promises to be an unforgettable night of infectious rhythm, superb musicianship and beautiful song.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £18 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach

Stone Cold Hustle
2026-11-26 19:30 - 22:30
Nothing but the heaviest funk grooves for the singular purpose of bringing people together and making them dance

Formed on the frontline of Bristol’s renowned jam scene, Stone Cold Hustle are emerging as one of the UK’s most dynamic and engaging funk bands. They play nothing but the heaviest funk grooves for the singular purpose of bringing people together and making them dance.
Whether tearing up the Peace stage at Glastonbury Festival, packing out a sweaty bar in the heart of the city, or sharing bills with funk legend Fred Wesley, Stone Cold Hustle perform every gig like it’s their last. Rooted in classic funk, their sound lands between bands like Lettuce, Vulfpeck, The New Mastersounds, and The Greyboy Allstars and they’ve already graced the stage at such well-respected London establishments as South London Soul Train and Pizza Express Jazz Club, Soho.
The band features Andrew Hayes (sax), Jacob Houghton* (guitar), Martin Mexme (guitar), Max Killing (bass), Jim Davies (congas) and Cam Macdougall* (drums).
*You may remember Jacob and Cam from King Heron, who played for us in November 2024. Cam has also appeared with Slinky Machine, in March the same year.

TICKETS
Admission for this event is complimentary for Music Spoken Here Club Members.
Non-members are welcome – just show up and pay £15 cash or card on the door.
You can find out more about our admission and membership options at A New Approach
