Brothers Groove

You can play 35 notes if you really want. 3 sounds just fine from over here

Brothers Groove have a lot of miles on the clock. Their music is not, by any definition, cutting edge or new: stylish blues and funk with a little bit of jazz in the mix. Hipster bands half their age might well sniff – until they see how much work the band gets.

Then again, hip or not hip is beside the point.  Lots of people try to get this stuff right in the UK; many miss the mark. Brothers Groove are doing ok: their music breathes. It has space and taste. Think Robben Ford, Crusaders, Little Feat, Steely Dan in their prime. That kind of ballpark. And...` they’re brummies. There’s a second album in the can - samples later in in this post - and a plan.

Still got the Blues. In 2013, in Birmingham, England

Anyone who plays Blues readily admits it's not fashionable. But they’ll also talk of their love for the music. Forthright ideas from two seasoned players.

Robert Johnson

When you think about it, it's astonishing that blues is alive and well in the UK. And it's ironic that blues players like Joanne Shaw Taylor and Davy Knowles, from Rugby and the Isle of Man respectively, should now be plying their trade in the USA. 

That said, there’s some seriously enjoyable blues operators in the Midlands – Steve Ajao’s Blues Giants, The Grey Goose Blues Band from Kidderminster, Babajack from Malvern. Trevor Burton plays some blistering stuff too, and I know I’ve missed out loads of good guys. 

This post talks to two practitioners: a Birmingham 70s original, Steve 'Big Man' Clayton, coming in for a reunion Boogie Woogie gig, and Frankie Williams from the Grey Goose Blues Band. They're not taking any prisoners.