As well as playing for a variety of artists and bands (including Rolf Harris' band at Towersey and Edinburgh Festivals 2005), Simon has also founded and runs his own. This gives him the opportunity to use aspects of his playing (and even instruments) not used or even allowed elsewhere! The following acts are a combination of traditional sounds and the eclectic tastes and styles of those musicians involved.

Zambomba's sound is inspired by the percussion driven "Son" bands Simon saw in Cuba where the rhythm sections consisted of just a percussionist and a double bass player. To this, the musicians in Zambomba have added jazz, samba, funk and outrageous improvisation to create their own sound and style of Latin Jazz.

Zambomba play a mixture of original compositions from the band and some classic tunes of the genre by D. Gillespie, H. Hancock, and S. Mendes to name a few. The core of the band is a trio consisting of Simon on Latin and Arabic percussion, Terry Pack on double bass and Dave Barrett on piano. If however, a larger version is requested, the trio are joined by Rob Leake on saxophone and Enrico Pinna on guitar.

This versatility allows Zambomba to play in a wide range of settings and to create very different ambiances from intimate lounge jazz to up-beat, funky Latin dance music. This really is the music to suit all tastes and occasions!

Song For My Father - 6:32 Aquerella De Brasil - 2:02 Canteloupe - 3:00 Lover Man - 2:17 Descarga Curiosa - 1:52 Mas Que Nada - 2:36

Duo of traditional Moroccan music with Mouna Eddrou.

Simon and Mouna have been playing as a duo since arriving back in London in 2001. They have played in Moroccan and North African restaurants in London and Brighton as well as night clubs and live music venues around the country.

Haleshla perform with equal ease at weddings and other functions and have the advantage of being able to play fully acoustic ie. no amplification. With their powerful combination of drums and vocals, they switch between the varying atmospheres they create; from the haunting more mystical styles such as Aissawa and Gnawa to the "popular" stomping dance styles of Chaabi and Rai music.

Ji-Lelli - 1:56 Tooting Remix - 2:05 Mama - 5:37 Darbouka Solo - 2:02 Door bi Ha - 2:27 Maleka - 2:17

The Moroccan 'Roll Convention are Simon on percussion and drums, singer and percussionist Mouna, guitarist and singer Ely, and keyboardist Youness.

A fusion of traditional Moroccan music and rock and roll might not seem like an obvious combination, but to Simon it makes perfect sense. "Both types of music are energetic dance music, and what we're doing comes from a crossover in that energy." With two Moroccan and two English members, the group have shared their expertise to make music that is real fusion, as Simon puts it "AB" rather than simply "A+B".

Mouna's family are musicians in the Gnawa and Aissawa tradition, so singing is very much something she was brought up with. Simon believes that his solid musical background in both Western classical music and World Music, along with Mouna's expertise, helped him to understand the music. "Moroccan music is easy to listen to, but can be hard to perform because they do a lot of 6/8, 12/8 rhythms."

The band plays traditional Moroccan songs with a rock and roll influence, rock and roll standards with a Moroccan influence, and also their own compositions, but their guiding light is making sure that they are making music to dance to. This gives them a unique sound and groove which is proving to be very popular with both Western and North African audiences in the UK.

Bombala's Dream - 5:00 Maman - 4:23 Sqwauk - 2:01 Its Alright - 3:08 Lena Hi - 2:31