I loved The Portico Gallery (recently refurbed and renamed The Portico) the first time I saw it – on a Folk Of The Wood Ceilidh night – and our first Mambista session happened there in October 2014. The plan was to feature the music I have always loved and played from Mambo Inn days onwards.

Latin, African and Jazz are all huge areas covering rhythms/styles taking in Soukous, Highlife, Afrobeat, Afrobeats, Township Jive, Mbalax, Salsa, Cumbia, Son, Timba, Charanga, Bugalu, Samba, Choro, Samba Reggae, Latin Jazz, Jazz Funk, Jazz Fusion. That’s where we start but if you believe, as i do, that most great music has its roots in Africa then reggae, funk, soul, blues, Drum and Bass, rock are also part of the mix aka The Patented Mambista Mash up!