Shez Raja featuring Arun Ghosh - Gurutopia Indo-Jazz Special

Shez Raja is a seriously talented electric bassist 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 vibrant 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 is a special celebration of the release of Shez & the Collective's newest album, “Gurutopia”, his first on US label Dot Time Records, and featuring guest performances by six-time Grammy nominee & Guitar Player’s “Best Guitarist” of 1993 Mike Stern (Miles Davis, Billy Cobham) & superstar trumpeter & four-time Grammy winner Randy Brecker (Art Blakey, Jaco, Bill Evans). With this new release – his latest following along after his prior albums “Soho Live” & “Mystic Radikal” featuring the likes of Soweto Kinch, Shabaka Hutchings, Andy Sheppard & Jay Phelps – Shez continues to cement his reputation as an artist of international prestige, with an increasing sphere of influence in the UK and beyond.
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, Alex Stanford on keyboard and Chris Nickolls on drums. Adding even more spark and a very special Indo-Jazz flavour to this 606 gig will be Shez’s Special Guest, clarinettist Arun Ghosh. Winner of the 'Jazz Instrumentalist of the Year' award at the 2014 Parliamentary Jazz Awards, The Telegraph newspaper recently credited Ghosh for creating music that is “at once no-nonsense, thrilling and beautiful...uproarious and irresistible”. Arun Ghosh’s playing is full of lyrical melodies and searching harmonies, down to earth directness and psychedelic ambient introspection.

Shez says of tonight’s collaboration: "Expect exciting music that’s full of surprises – a sonic kaleidoscope of euphoric jazz, thundering funk, tuneful ragas and intoxicating grooves!"

"Shez Raja personifies the modernisation of jazz. He is fearless as a musician" - All About Jazz ★★★★+

“A tailor-made festival band with a unique identity” - The Guardian ★★★★

“Multi-layered and imaginative” - Manchester Evening News ★★★★

"I thought my head was going to explode. It sounds like it's come from the future!" - Bradford Telegraph ★★★★★

"Chic, contemporary and groove-laden" - The Musician

“Mahavishnu Orchestra with Jaco Pastorius in charge” - The Guardian

"British bassist Shez Raja is back with a fantastic, innovative jazz fusion album. It takes talent, courage and an incredible amount of creativity to write an album like Gurutopia. Jazz fusion has never been so alive!" - Erminia Yardley, Kind of Jazz ★★★★

"Entertainment was always on the cards. A Shez Raja gig is an event. Virtuoso bass playing, a tight, funky band, backward hats, basses thrown in the air. There’s a lot going at a Shez Raja gig and audiences always come away from his shows energised and thoroughly entertained" - Rob Mallows, Kind of Jazz ★★★★

“The hip-shaking mix of Eastern song lines and funky Western dance-beats never wavers” ★★★★ Evening Standard

Line-up: Shez Raja – electric bass guitar, Arun Ghosh – clarinet, Vasilis Xenopoulos – saxophones, Monika Lidke – voice, Alex Stanford – keyboards, Chris Nickolls – drums