Photo of Shez Raja

Shez Raja

Shez Raja Radio

Music

FEATURED SONG
Mystic Radikal feat Claude Deppa
  1. Play
  2. Play Next
  3. Add to queue
Mystic Radikal feat Claude Deppa
Album:
Released: Jan 1, 2010
Label:

All-star album promo shows in 2012

Dynamic bass guitarist Shez Raja leads a stellar line-up of international jazz stars on a tour of London’s top jazz venues.
Together they’ll be performing tracks from Raja’s latest highly acclaimed album, Mystic Radikal (33 Records) recorded with Andy Sheppard and Claude Deppa.
The Collective's live show is an eclectic headcharge of raw energy and always leaves audiences uplifted, inspired and asking for more. Expect exciting music that evokes all of the emotions – a mix of euphoric jazz, thundering funk, lyrical ballads and intoxicating grooves..

Live dates
Wed 22nd Feb - The Pheasantry ft Arun Ghosh
Fri 16th Mar - The Hideaway ft Jay Phelps
Thu 3rd May - Pizza Express Jazz Club ft Soweto Kinch & Jay Phelps
Fri 4th May - Pizza Express Jazz Club ft Denys Baptiste & Shabaka Hutchings
Fri 29th Jun - The Forge ft Jay Phelps

“The CD got me wondering where the Mahavishnu Orchestra would be in 2010 if they’d been led by Jaco Pastorius; Mystic Radikal wouldn’t have been too far away. Yep, it’s that good!” – FlyGlobal Music

“Multi-layered and imaginative” – Manchester Evening News

"This is fusion music at its most straightforward and entertaining" - All About Jazz

Further info, review copies, press tickets, interview requests:
shez@shezraja.com

Comments

Post a comment...
10 of 108More

Get in touch: shez@shezraja.com

shez@shezraja.com

General Info

  • Genre: Experimental / Funk / Jazz

    Location London, Un

    Profile Views: 49759

    Last Login: 6/10/2012

    Member Since 3/21/2006

    Website www.shezraja.com

    Record Label 33 Records

    Type of Label Indie

  • Bio

  • Members

  • Influences

  • Sounds Like

New album Mystic Radikal-Out Now!

Featuring one of the UK's foremost saxophonists Andy Sheppard and international trumpet star Claude Deppa. Exciting music that evokes all of the emotions: a unique mix of euphoric jazz, thundering funk, lyrical ballads and intoxicating grooves.
Get your copy here: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/ShezRajaCollective

What the critics say

"A heady brew of bass-driven funky jazz and world fusion that takes you to another place" - Guitar & Bass magazine

"The Marcus Miller-influenced funky fusion quintet serves up a well-executed, feisty set of originals" - Jazzwise magazine

“The CD got me wondering where the Mahavishnu Orchestra would be in 2010 if they’d been led by Jaco Pastorius; Mystic Radikal wouldn’t have been too far away. Yep, it’s that good!” - FlyGlobalMusic.com

"Catchy hook-laden melodies, spacious arrangements and memorable compositions will doubtless go down a storm at their increasingly frenetic gigs" - Mike Flynn, Bass Guitar Magazine

"A nice and very varied album. Good quality stuff!" - Peter Slavid, UK Jazz Radio

“An album that scores high on bright tunes, good ideas and individualism. Led by a virtuoso bassist, there’s always some arresting melodic twist and arrangements which are multi-layered and imaginative” – Manchester Evening News

“Jazz bass as you’ve never heard it before. Experience Shez Raja!” – Wiltshire Times

"Mystic Radikal is an exciting mixture that's all the more enjoyable because the constituent elements never seem forced or unnatural in combination. It's a melting pot, but without the political connotations of cultural friction. This is fusion music at its most straightforward and entertaining" - All About Jazz

“Shez Raja reached out to a capacity crowd at the Dean Street Pizza Express with an accessible groove-based approach. Raja delights in matchmaking genres from different continents, and achieves some fascinating results in the process. The band’s (and the audience’s) enjoyment was palpable, driven by Raja’s irrepressible energy and amiable patter between numbers and had it not been for the tightly-packed tables and chairs this audience would have certainly been on its feet.” – Live review – Sebastian Scotney’s London Jazz Blog

“Stylish brand of noirish uptempo jazz funk. Raja’s is a global groove, with rock, and world music flourishes thrown in. If you want to hear the bass guitar as something other than a rhythmic underpinning then check out his silky playing on the gorgeous piece Angel’s Tears” – Yorkshire Evening Post

“Mystic Radikal is a strong album through and through” - BluesandSoul.com

“Shez has a masterful way with catchy melodies and his Stanley Clarke-inspired playing leads confidently from the front. A highly satisfying album full of joyful surprises” – The York Press

"This work grows in boldness and variety" - John Fordham, The Guardian

"Which is your idea of the F word? UK fusion hasn't gone anywhere much since the hey-day of Roadside Picnic two decades ago, while on a bad day funk seems to have become just another stylistic gesture. Then along comes the Shez Raja Collective, proffering a fine new album with Andy Sheppard and Claude Deppa guesting and a clutch of upcoming dates which not only provide a welcome antidote to both of the above but which rehabilitate the electric bass (again) in the process" - Roger Thomas - Editor, Jazz UK

“Bass guitarist Shez Raja brings his Asian roots to bear on his approach to jazz, and adds more besides. The band creates a colourful, accessible blend of electric jazz-fusion” – The Scotsman

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

“The Shez Raja Collective played a high-octane mix of fresh and older material to launch their new album Mystic Radikal with special guests Andy Sheppard and Monika Lidke at the Pizza Express in Soho. This was a Collective which was both informal and on form. The interplay between Roggen and Liddard was good throughout, combining the duality of Raja’s composition with energetic soloing. Raja himself was near flawless, prowling the stage and clearly enjoying himself. Sheppard’s own interest in Asian and African music bears credence to Raja’s musical template, and there was genuine interest on his part for the music being laid down.” – Live review - Jazzwise

“Really dug his Bootsy-esque sound mixed with some good old British humour in between tracks. It's always great to hear the bass successfully working as a melodic, lead instrument a la Marcus, and Shez's keys player did a great job holding down the bottom end when required to. Shez's grooves were dynamic and fun to listen to and he really commanded the band as you'd have hoped. His passionate performance really captured his integrity to the bass as an instrument. Good times!” – Live review – Bass Guitar Magazine

“Every track seems to have a different flavour. It’s a bit like an Indian meal. Each course takes your ear-buds to a different level” – Raiders FM

'British jazz bassist Shez Raja confounds expectation in the best possible way. Whatever it is Raja is doing, critics are liking it' - Graham Reid - Elsewhere, New Zealand

“It's jazz, but not like you've heard it before - boundary-pushing band Shez Raja performs songs from new album Mystic Radikal live for us in the studio” – New Zealand national TV show ‘Good Morning’ (TVNZ One)

Login

Forgot password?

Need an account? Sign up