The Boom Yeh, Music Spoken Here, The Marr’s Bar, Worcester, 10/04/2025.

Jon Speedy – guitar, Ian Bailey – alto sax, percussion, Dave sear – trombone, Thomas Kleyn – baritone sax, Matteo Grassi – electric bass, William Francis - drums

There was yet another excellent audience turnout at The Marr’s Bar for Music Spoken Here’s latest event, a visit from the London based jazz, funk and Afrobeat collective The Boom Yeh.

The band is led by guitarist, composer and musical director Jon Speedy, originally from the Warwickshire town of Nuneaton but based in London for the past twenty five years. Speedy’s father was a trumpeter and big band leader who was active on the Birmingham music scene and was a fan of the music of Duke Ellington and Count Basie, plus the hugely successful jazz, funk and soul combo The Crusaders.

Some of Speedy senior’s influence, and particularly the Crusaders element, found its way, almost subliminally,  to Jon, who played guitar with a variety of bands on the Birmingham and Leicester music scenes before moving to London.

He formed the London based Jon Speedy band in 2010 and released an EP the following year.

Inspired by the jazz, funk and West African music that Speedy had been playing with others the band included saxophonist Ian Bailey the group adopted the band name The Boom Yeh in 2012 and released its debut album Reverberations To Constellations in 2013.

In 2016 the band released a now deleted live recording documented at the now defunct, but much missed, Hideaway venue in Streatham, South London.

The Boom Yeh’s most recent album release is 2024’s Near-Earth Objects”, but tonight’s set list included material sourced from both album recording plus the currently unavailable “Darkstar” EP.

In MSH’s regular “Piece Talks” series Speedy explained to Dave Fuller that The Boom Yeh utilises a pool of musicians and that the band variously goes out as a six, seven or eight piece unit, with each version of the group sounding discernibly different. The larger versions of the group variously include trumpet, keyboards and percussion.

The two constants in the line up are Speedy and Bailey, the latter the writer of all the horn arrangements. Bassist Grassi has been there from the beginning and is another crucial presence. The pool also includes trombonists Tom White and Trevor Mires, keyboard player Carl Hudson and baritone saxophonist / keyboardist Paul Silver. Silver had been scheduled to appear at the Marr’s Bar but was replaced by Thomas Kleyn, who was actually playing his very first gig with the band. White was replaced by Birmingham based trombonist Dave Sear, who did a terrific job, while William Francis, who was worked with the band on and off for ten years is one of a rotating cast of drummers. The members of The Boom Yeh are versatile musicians who are in frequent demand, so with the exception of Speedy, Bailey and possibly Grassi the line up is pretty fluid. The band’s recordings also feature guest appearances from vocalists such as Zena Edwards and Aina Roxx, both of whom feature on “Reverberations To Constellations”.

Members of The Boom Yeh have variously worked with Jamiroquai, Brand New Heavies, Incognito and Strata, all acts that Speedy acknowledges as influences on The Boom Yeh’s own sound. Tom White has also played with jazz big bands led by US saxophonist David Murray and British flautist Gareth Lockrane.

The evening kicked off with “Darkstar”, the title track from a now deleted EP dating back to 2015. A loosely structured intro featuring the sounds of guitar, alto and drums, subsequently joined by trombone, baritone and electric bass, gradually evolved into a bass and drum groove that provided the platform for the powerful unison horn lines of Bailey, Sear and newcomer Kleyn. Sear, based in Birmingham, is a familiar figure to Midlands jazz audiences and he was only the member of tonight’s sextet that I had actually seen play live before. He’s ‘depped’ for The Boom Yeh before and seemed perfectly at home in this environment. Kleyn looked a little more tentative, but still rose magnificently to the occasion. Sear, whose 2022 quintet album “I Always Thought My Thoughts Were Me”  (Ubuntu Music) is reviewed elsewhere on the web pages was the first featured soloist, followed by leader Jon Speedy on guitar.

Bright, punchy unison horn lines harnessed to buoyant rhythmic grooves were also a characteristic of “Othership”, a tune from the “Near-Earth Objects” album. This featured a lively series of trades between Bailey on alto sax and Sear on trombone as Speedy’s choppy rhythm guitar combined with electric bass and drums to generate a seriously funky groove that tempted the first dancers of the night onto the floor.

All of tonight’s featured tunes were original compositions, created by the band members in various writing combinations. Next up was “Momentum”, another tune from that deleted EP that was ushered in by Speedy with a passage of unaccompanied guitar. This was a less frenetic item than its immediate predecessor and featured long unison horn melody lines followed by an alto sax solo from Bailey. But true to the tune’s title the pace did begin to build, kickstarted by a carefully constructed drum feature from Francis. The West African elements in the band’s music also became more pronounced as the music began to gather the titular momentum, culminating in an electric bass feature from the excellent Grassi, whose playing was very much at the heart of the band’s music.

The Boom Yeh paid homage to the inspirational figure of George Clinton (Parliament, Funkadelic) with “Pocket Rocket”, which featured a rousing trombone intro allied to taut funk grooves. Kleyn’s baritone sax was prominent in the arrangement and this piece also saw him delivering his first solo of the evening as the underpinning funk grooves turned into a definite strut.

The first set concluded with the title track from the “Reverberations To Constellations” album, introduced by Francis at the drums and characterised by tight unison horn riffing and solid, but highly infectious,  funk grooves. Bailey took the first solo on alto sax, this followed by an unaccompanied guitar episode that marked the transition into the second, mainly improvised, part of the tune. Here the leader’s guitar soared free above powerful horn riffs and tight bass and drum grooves. This was an item that was particularly well received and sent the crowd into the break in an upbeat mood, with Speedy promising to the audience that the band would be upping the funk quotient even further in the second half, a pledge that the sextet were to deliver on in spades.

The second set saw the band hit the ground running with “Osmosium”, the opening track from the “Reverberations” album. This proved to be a sturdy slice of soulful funk that somehow reminded me of the Average White Band. Powerful solos came from Bailey on alto and a flamboyant Grassi on electric bass. A quieter passage led by Speedy’s guitar offered a brief opportunity for relaxation before the full on grooves kicked in once more.

From the band’s most recent album the title of “Keep Right On” elicited a nod of recognition from the Birmingham City supporters in the room. Speedy’s rapidly strummed guitar intro set the pace, aided by Francis’ crisp drumming and more of those rousing unison horn riffs. Sear took the first solo on trombone before entering into a series of exchanges with Kleyn’s baritone. It was then left to Francis to crown this explosion of energy with a dynamic drum feature.

“Burnin’”, from the “Darkstar” EP paid homage to fallen musical heroes Roy Ayers, Roy Hargrove and Quincy Jones and featured hard hitting grooves, these centred around Speedy’s choppy rhythm guitar phrases. His jagged, percussive guitar style, allied to his physical appearance and mannerisms found one audience member comparing him with Wilko Johnson. Of course The Boom Yeh sound very different to Dr. Feelgood, but nevertheless I could see where he was coming from. Speedy was also to feature as a soloist, making good use of his range of effects, his playing underpinned by the tight riffing of the other members of the ensemble. This was another item that was particularly well received and the dance area was beginning to fill up as the Worcester public really started to get behind the band.

Described by Speedy as being “nice and funky” “Kicks”, a tune from the “Reverberations” album ensured that there was no slackening of the pace. The Boom Yeh had ‘got’ their audience by now, and there was no way that they were going to let them go. This was introduced by Francis at the drums, soon augmented by electric bass and choppy, funky rhythm guitar. Bailey was featured playing one of the many small percussive devices that he had wielded at various times during the evening (vibraslap, cowbell, tambourine etc), but also stepped out as an alto soloist before trading phrases with trombonist Sear.

Also from the “Reverberations” album “Mushana” featured Speedy’s distinctive guitar style in both its rhythm and lead incarnations as the band’s West African influences again came to the fore. His solo was crisp and attacking and included impressive note bending techniques. He was followed by a blistering trombone solo from the excellent Sear, a virtuoso feature from Grassi that included slap bass techniques, and finally a powerful drum feature from Francis.

The Boom Yeh signed off in style with “Turn It Up”, a final explosion of energy featuring that trademark choppy rhythm guitar sound allied to rowdy horn solos from Bailey, Sear and Kleyn as the dance floor became even fuller. Francis’ final drum flourish was accompanied by the sound of screaming horns as this relentlessly funky and energetic set drew to a close.

An encore was thoroughly deserved, but Francis, who was suffering from the effects of a heavy cold, was thoroughly burnt out by now and reluctantly the band had to decline. A bit disappointing for the crowd, but completely understandable following a second set that had crackled with energy from start to finish. It didn’t prevent everybody from going home feeling enthused, energised and happy.

My thanks to Jon Speedy for speaking with me after the show and providing full details of the set list and personnel.

I have to admit that The Boom Yeh’s blend of jazz, funk, soul and Afro-beat isn’t necessarily what I would choose to listen to at home but as a live music experience this was a terrific band performance and one that was enjoyed by a satisfyingly large number of appreciative people. The standard of the playing was excellent throughout and the members of the band delivered some superb solos, these underpinned by commendably tight and funky grooves. For many people this event will represent an MSH highlight and the feedback regarding this performance has been overwhelmingly positive. This was a great example of the ‘funk’ side of MSH’s remit. Thanks to Dave Fuller for bringing this London band with a strong Midlands connection to Worcester.

The Boom Yeh’s recordings are available here;
https://theboomyeh.bandcamp.com/music

IAN MANN

MSH instigator Dave Fuller’s own account of this event appears below;

Standing room only as Worcester comes through for jazz-funk sensation The Boom Yeh!

Well now, wasn’t Thursday right up there on the top nights out of 2025, when London-based jazz-funk sensation The Boom Yeh filled The Marr’s Bar for their first appearance in Worcester? It was so great to see so many come through and a few make use of the dance floor too! Now officially three years old, Music Spoken Here is at last reaching a consistently respectable number of people with impeccable taste and a sense of adventure in and around Worcester!

The core band, led by guitarist Jon Speedy (originally from Nuneaton) with horn arrangements by saxophonist Ian Bailey and the solid rhythm section of Matteo Grassi on bass and Will Francis on drums, were joined by baritone saxophonist Thomas Kleyn and West Midlands’ own trombonist Dave Sear, each making their first appearances with the band.

The first set got underway with “Darkstar”, the title track of their 2015 EP, with subdued, wailing horns before Jon got involved with a guitar riff and Will ushered in a bold horn arrangement with a distinctive trombone part somewhat reminiscent of The Specials’ “Ghost Town”.

“Othership”, from their third album “Near-Earth Objects” released last year was a really swinging bag of fun that got one sharp-dressed couple up onto the dance floor for the first time - it was apparent they’d come out to dance, but it wasn’t until the second set that a few others let go a bit and joined them.

The West African influence on the band was apparent in “Momentum”, the second track on their Darkstar EP, bearing a notable resemblance to some of Ezra Collective’s composition, with a feature from Will on drums.

Jon introduced “Pocket Rocket” from their latest album as a tribute to George Clinton’s P-Funk collective and it rightly delivered heavy on the funk with Matteo in the driving seat on bass, at times suitably FX’d for the synth-bass thang!

The first set closed out with “Reverberations”, the title track of their 2013 debut album. This was another unapologetically funky number, this time invoking the spirit of the J.B.’s - you could certainly picture James Brown strutting all sweaty to this one!

The second set opened with another track from their first album, “Osmosium”, which they played live tonight for the first time in 5 years. Proper old-school jazz-funk with a brilliant sax solo from Ian, followed by a bubbly outing up and down the bass neck from Matteo.

“Keep Right On” continued the classic jazz-funk vibe as a few more ventured towards the dance floor, with blistering solos from Ian and Dave, plus another drum solo from Will. This is definitely one of my favourites and featured briefly in our promotion of the event.

Introduced by Jon as ‘an experimental one, can get a bit heavy, we’ll see how it goes!’, “Burnin’” from the Darkstar E.P. was up next. The band have a tradition when performing live of dedicating this tune to different artists who have influenced them, and this evening it was played for the late Roy Ayers, who passed away last month. This was an arrangement that really went on a journey, in my mind variously taking in Tower of Power horns, Zappa’s enigmatic musical diversions and a phrase that could have been a nod to Working Week’s “Storm of Light”.

A return to their first album, with “Kicks” getting down-and-dirty-funky again, was followed by “Mushana”, with stabbing horns and guitar feature from Jon, again betraying a West African influence, followed by solos from Dave on trombone, Matteo on bass and a stonking drum solo from Will before the band rejoined with the glorious brass arrangement of the head.

The second set had definitely cranked up the energy in the room with a few now gathered on the dance floor, but there was apparently one notch further to go as the band launched into “Turn It Up” - the last number of the evening with a compulsive, urgent, get-up-and-get-down groove that had the audience clapping and just kept rolling, with several delightfully teasing ‘false stops’ to keep us all on our toes and riding the wave for one more round before coming to a crashing conclusion from Will.

As much as we all wanted more, there was nothing left in the tank for drummer Will Francis, who had been under the weather with a cold from the start and had expended all his energy in the blistering second set. I was confident that this would be one for the ‘Top Gigs of 2025’ list and the band, performance and feedback from everyone there indicate it is definitely a contender. But we are only just in April and there are another 13 confirmed gigs from us before the year is out!

I’ve got a busy week ahead before taking a short break from Saturday, but I plan to have a video from this superb performance published on our YouTube channel before I go.

DAVE FULLER

 

 

 

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