Cd Launch: Shez Raja With Special Guest John Etheridge at 606 Club

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 the official launch of Shez & the Collective's newest album, "Gurutopia", his first on US/Dutch 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, 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, guitarist John Etheridge, who first took the UK jazz scene by storm in the 1970’s as a member of the classic fusion band Soft Machine, and as guitarist in the band of celebrated swing jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. A superb and versatile musician with a vast reservoir of creative energy, John includes work with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Williams, Yehudi Menuhin, Pat Metheny and John Williams on his extensive CV (while also leading several of his own groups, notably the “Zappatistas”, his tribute to Frank Zappa). 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 will not want to miss…...

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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 the official launch of Shez & the Collective's newest album, "Gurutopia", his first on US/Dutch 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, 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, guitarist John Etheridge, who first took the UK jazz scene by storm in the 1970’s as a member of the classic fusion band Soft Machine, and as guitarist in the band of celebrated swing jazz violinist Stéphane Grappelli. A superb and versatile musician with a vast reservoir of creative energy, John includes work with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Williams, Yehudi Menuhin, Pat Metheny and John Williams on his extensive CV (while also leading several of his own groups, notably the “Zappatistas”, his tribute to Frank Zappa). 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 will not want to miss…

“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;
“Chic, contemporary & groove-laden” The Musician;
“One of the best guitarists in the world”Pat Metheny;
“A virtuoso on acoustic and electric guitars”Time Out

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