Feel the Beat, Dance to the Rhythm!

An eight-piece band – to get your feet moving - playing dance music with hints of Afro, Caribbean, Spanish, Latin and Western pop. Three saxes, two guitars, bass, drums and vocals.

Enjoy the party!

LISTEN!

Dig deep - latest recordings

LIVE!

FRI MAR 6

8PM

Grain Barge

Mardyke Wharf, Hotwell Rd, Bristol, BS8 4RU

TICKETS £6 in advance from Headfirst - (or £7 at the door)

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The band

Jonathan Hyams

Lead guitar, vocals

Jonathan set up Shallow Roots with Rob in 2007. He is the principal songwriter. Credits include The Afro Dizzy Acts, The Open Band, The Heartbeats and The Memos.

Rob Vasey

Rhythm guitar, vocals

Rob set up Shallow Roots with Jonathan in 2007. Rob also plays in his own band Neureille and guests with several others on the Bristol music scene.

Romilly Gibbs

Alto sax

Romilly leads the horn section, playing those soaring soprano solos that are so distinctive to Shallow Roots. Credits include Meet Your Feet.

Rosalind Moreno-Parra

Vocals

Rosalind's fabulous voice features on many of our songs. She has her own Spanish / Ladino band in Bristol.

Jamie Darwen

Tenor sax

Jamie's tenor sax gives the band that great gutsy sound with driving solos.

Carol Arnold

Alto sax

Carol adds the mellow sound alto sound to the band. Credits include the Mendip Swing Big Band, the Ambling Band, and Magna Jazz.

Toby Kohler

Bass guitar

Toby has played bass guitar from late school age, and has been involved in various bands including playing Zimbabwean and Ghanaian music. He has run his own jazz-rock 4-piece outfit for 20 years.

Jeremy Arnold

Drums

Jeremy provides the band with its all vital rhythm and beat. He plays in several other bands.

The music

A few of our songs for you to enjoy

No confidence

El Palo

This is the first public playing of one of our latest songs El Palo or The Stick. Performed at The Tobacco Factory, Bristol, February 2026.

It's a mix of Spanish and Moorish style and it reflects the emotions of someone feeling that they are being rebuked for not doing something for society when the rebuker appears also to not have done anything either! A kind of gaslighting.

Featuring Rosalind (main vocal), and Toby (bass guitar).

Words and music ©2026 Jonathan Hyams.

Video by Les Evans

Dreaming

La Cubana

Featuring Rosalind (main vocal), Jonathan (lead guitar), Romilly (soprano) and Jamie (tenor).
Trad. arr. Shallow Roots

From our 2025 EP Dig deep

Letting go

Me voy ya

Freakin Typico