Zombo Combo, the Gulf Coast instrumental funk combo, has had a busy stretch on the lower Alabama festival circuit. The four-piece — Chris Spies on keys, Christopher Spies on saxophone, John Milham on drums and JoJo Morris on bass — played the Earth Day celebration in Fairhope earlier in the year and now heads to Mobile for Bayfest, where the band performs Saturday at 8 p.m.
The group’s sets lean heavily on the deep funk and soul-jazz songbook. Recent shows have included renditions of Willie Tee and the Gaturs’ “Gatur Bait,” James Booker’s “African Gumbo” and Fred Wesley’s “Fire Eater,” alongside band originals like “The Weasle.”
Milham is one of the busier drummers on the Mobile Bay scene, and the combo’s rotating chemistry has made it a favorite at Fairhope’s community events. Bayfest’s Saturday slate gives the band its biggest audience of the fall.