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Ain't It Funky Now 1:020:00/1:02
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Theme From 'Blow-Up' 0:560:00/0:56
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Nica's Dream 0:590:00/0:59
Press release
FUNKY, RETRO SOUL-JAZZ GROOVES IN SOUTH LONDON
You are in a tastefully lit basement. People in front of the band people gyrate uncontrollably. At the tables, heads bob and feet tap to the infectious jazz-organ grooves. No-one can resist a smile.
This is the world of choonDOGS trio, a soul jazz unit inspired by the recordings of 60s and 70s Blue Note artists like Lonnie Smith, Lou Donaldson, and Grant Green.
Comprising top UK jazzmen Dave ‘Jazzman’ Chamberlain, Harry Ashworth, and Matt Home, choonDOGS trio is making waves with regular sessions in London SW16 and continues to build audiences with their backbeat-orientated, highly listenable brand of jazz.
Band bio
Formed in the second half of 2025, choonDOGS trio is a classic jazz organ trio, based in London, led by Dave Jazzman Chamberlain (guitar) with Harry Ashworth (organ) and Matt Home (drums). Each member is a powerful musical presence in his own right. Dave is an established multi-instrumentalist who can be found in many different guises and settings as a solo performer, bandleader and accompanist. Matt’s drumming is a mainstay of the UK jazz scene and makes him one of the most in-demand players of his generation. Harry is one of the newer stars of UK jazz and is rapidly establishing himself as a go-to player who is already much sought-after for his skills at the piano and organ. Together, they approach working as a trio with a spirit of mutual respect, collaboration, and inventiveness.
The trio’s vision is to attract new audiences for high-quality, instrumental jazz by breaking down barriers and dispensing with some of the usual trappings associated with the genre. The trio focuses on repertoire from the 1960s and 1970s Blue Note catalogue and seeks to recreate the sound of the popular organ trios of the time with lively, dance-oriented backbeats and straightforward, bluesy melodies and song structures which are accessible to a broad fanbase. This includes material by funk, soul and pop artists like James Brown and Kool & The Gang, as well as disco-jazz pioneer Herbie Hancock. The trio’s mission is to produce music which grooves, catches the ear, and generates a funky energy which is conducive to dancing, listening, or just hanging out.
Having spent valuable time preparing and rehearsing material and defining a solid rhythmic feel as a unit and a signature sound, the trio is now available for performances at clubs, festivals and other venues, including spaces not typically associated with jazz. Since October 2025, the trio has been hosting a regular gig/jam night in London SW16, which is quickly becoming a popular event where musicians and music fans congregate and enjoy the vibes. Samples of audio and video from this event are available to check out at https://davejazzmanchamberlain.com/music and https://davejazzmanchamberlain.com/videos.
Individual bios
Dave ‘Jazzman’ Chamberlain
Growing up in Derbyshire in the 1980s, Dave sang in the school choir, played the trumpet with the Boy Scouts band, jammed on the guitar and bass with schoolmates, and was inspired to pursue a career in jazz by a television documentary about Django Reinhardt and cassettes of Charlie Parker and Wes Montgomery. He studied at Goldsmiths College and Trinity College of Music and with bass tutors Simon Woolf and Pierre Boussaguet. From the late 1990s Dave maintained a busy bass-playing career as a popular sideman to UK jazz performers and visiting American jazz stars, was featured in the rhythm sections of top UK big bands and orchestras and was a regular member of Blue Note recording artist Stacey Kent’s band. After a decade as a full-time performer, Dave became restless for further study and went back to college to study law in 2008, which led to a second career in legal and professional services. With his current musical journey, Dave is focusing on the guitar, an instrument he rediscovered around 2010, the plectrum banjo, an instrument which he has been investigating voraciously since his discovery of Eddie Peabody’s music around 2015, and his new role as a bandleader.
Harry Ashworth
Harry grew up in the London Borough of Sutton in a musical household, taking early inspiration from his father Steve, an experienced pianist and organist. Harry studied music at Oxford University, surviving the challenges of being a student during the pandemic, and moved back to London to begin a music career. Although still quite new to the jazz scene, Harry has quickly established a reputation as a solid and versatile pianist and organist with a refined swing feel, a developed musical voice and the ability to make mature musical judgments. His influences include greats such as Herbie Hancock, Chick Corea and Bud Powell, as well as modern masters like Micah Thomas and Jeb Patton. He has performed at top UK venues like Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club, The Vortex and Pizza Express Live, Soho, and with leading UK jazz artists including Steve Fishwick, Anita Wardell, Simon Spillett, Alex Garnett, Alex Western-King and Fraser Smith, as well as rising stars Donovan Haffner, Tom Ridout, Alex Ridout and Sam Braysher.
Matt Home
Originating from Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, Matt started on trumpet but switched to drums. Graduating from Leeds Conservatoire in 1991, he played professionally in Leeds before moving to London in 1999. Since then, Matt has established himself as a cornerstone of the UK jazz scene having performed with leading UK artists like Alan Barnes, Claire Martin, Stacey Kent, and Jim Mullen, as well as US artists including Barry Harris, Cyrus Chestnut, Herb Geller, Scott Hamilton, Howard Alden, Ken Peplowski, Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Chuck Redd, Greg Abate, Eric Alexander and Gary Smulyan, with whom he completed two UK tours. Plaudits include winning the 1993 John Scheerer Prize for Jazz Drums and two categories of the 2009 Parliamentary Jazz Awards: Best Ensemble (with the Nigel Price Organ Trio) and Best CD (with the Gareth Lockrane Septet’s “No Messin’”). Current projects include Five-Way Split with Quentin Collins, and Soultime with Steve Fishwick and Leon Greening. Matt has studied privately with NYC drummers Joe Farnsworth, Kenny Washington and Herlin Riley.
