Players

Players (often referred to as 'The Players' to distinguish from the Scott Henderson fusion group) is a British instrumental supergroup formed in the early 2000s. The lineup is a 'who's who' of the UK's most respected session and touring musicians: drummer Steve White (Paul Weller, The Style Council), bassist Damon Minchella (Ocean Colour Scene, Richard Ashcroft), keyboardist Mick Talbot (The Style Council, Dexys Midnight Runners), and guitarist Aziz Ibrahim (The Stone Roses, Ian Brown).

Their sound is a potent blend of acid jazz, funk, and 1970s-style jazz fusion, heavily influenced by the mod aesthetic and the soulful organ-trio tradition. Unlike American fusion, which often leans toward the cerebral, Players maintain a rhythmic earthiness rooted in the British R&B and soul-revival movements. Their two primary albums, 'Clear The Decks' and 'From the Six Corners', are celebrated for their organic production and the high-level interplay between White and Minchella, arguably one of the tightest rhythm sections in British music history. Critically, they are viewed as a bridge between the technicality of jazz and the accessibility of the Britpop era's more adventurous instrumental tendencies.