Shez Raja Feat. Monika Lidke & Special Guest Arun Ghosh

Shez Raja is a seriously talented electric bass player whose work in a fascinating mix of Indo-jazz, funk and groove settings has propelled him to the forefront of the UK jazz scene. Since the formation of his collective in 2007 his energetic and extremely fluent playing, combined with his innovation as a bandleader, have already drawn comparisons to the style of electric bass legend Jaco Pastorius. This evening’s gig will feature material from the Collective's newest album, "Soho Live", which was recorded with heavyweight UK artists including Soweto Kinch, Shabaka Hutchings and Jay Phelps. Shez leads a formidable line-up tonight featuring Polish folk-jazz singer Monika Lidke providing beautifully structured melodic vocals in front of a band that is completed by Vasilis Xenopoulos on saxophone and flute, Pascal Roggen on electric violin, Alex Stanford on keyboard and Chris Nickolls on drums. Adding even more intensity and spark to this 606 gig will be Shez’s Special Guest, the internationally-renowned clarinettist Arun Ghosh. As Shez says: "Expect exciting music that’s full of surprises – a sonic kaleidoscope of euphoric jazz, thundering funk, tuneful ragas and intoxicating grooves!" Hmm, that sounds like something you should definitely put in the diary…

“Multi-layered and imaginative” **** - Manchester Evening News
“The hip-shaking mix of Eastern song lines and funky Western dance-beats never wavers” **** - Evening Standard
“If the Mahavishnu Orchestra were reformed with a reincarnated Jaco Pastorius in charge it would sound pretty similar” The Guardian