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After doing a bit a homework for the last Saturday’s Jazz Chronicles session on Miles, Chick Corea, Return To Forever, Billy Cobham along with Mahavishnu of course, Mystic Radikal couldn’t have arrived at a much more of a convenient time. But before that, check out Shez Raja impressive background.

Shez was born in the Wirrall in the North West of England (more renown for footballers wives these days) where he started out on the violin (aged 9) before moving on to the electric bass (13) before moving onto Leeds (18) to study music theory and Indian tabla drumming with master tabla player Sharda Sahai. Ir was around this time that we toured with Elephant Talk (jazz/world group who collaborated with Eddi Reader) and performed with Ninja Tune’s experimental fusion jazz outfit Loka (you’ll recall how fantastic their Fire Shepherds album was and it’s about time we has another).

With a move to London and as pre-eminent bass player, Shez has found himself busy both in the recording studio as a session musician and on the live stage having played from Ronnie Scott’s to Glastonbury as well as tours with MC Lyte and Amphibic. So it’s no surprise that he’s rubbed shoulders with many musicians working in many different styles but it migh be a surprise to fing that Mystic Radikal is Shez’s third album as the Shez Raja Collective which he formed in 2007.

The latest album features top UK saxophonist and “hired gun” Andy Sheppard and South African born Claude Deppa on trumpet. Add to that, Aaron Liddard (tenor sax and flute) who played on Back To Black, Pascal Roggen (electric violin), Alex Stanford (keyboards), Chris Nickolls (drums) and Mark Cherrie (percussion) you can see the basis of what’s been described as “a mix of euphoric jazz, thundering funk and intoxicating grooves”.

The title track is jazz-funk fusion par excellance as if it’s 1969-79 and a great way to start the CD. Whilst ‘Chakras On The Wall’ is like the formation of a supergroup of Jaco, Jean Luc Ponty, Billy Cobham, Paco De Lucía, Pura Furim, Joe Zawinul and Wayne Shorter.

Don’t get me wrong, I love finding new albums like this that absorb the great jazz musicians of the past and jazz-funk in particular (many of the heros of the time have past away whilst some have moved on, sometime for the better, often for the worse and sometimes for a surprise - watch out for the new Herbie Hancock album)

And talking surprises, 2010 in a fusion can find a Arabic style chill-out morph into some jazzy fute based d’n’b (‘Karmic Flow’) and I love the Bob James-ness of ‘Infatuation’ with some Rick James bass interludes (plus some more sweet skat vocals by Monika Lidke) and it’s the first of three tracks that feature Sheppard. Sheppard is at his best on ‘Angel’s Tears’ that’s in the same mellow groove TV theme of old but why not now?

‘We Are One’ is another that features Roggan’s violin that gives it that word-jazz touch especially when there’s some echo-dub of the bass that’s in total contrast to the dirty funk groove of ‘Soho’ featuring Aaron Liddard on tenor sax and a proper trumpet solo by Claude Deppa.

This album is brilliant for Jazz Chronicles as there’s a mood for any part of your DJ journey set provides all the moods; although I can’t wait to hear ‘Soho’ on those might Funktion One speakers (can’t we have an extended 12” Eddie Henderson style mix?)

When Mark Cherrie gets the steel pan out on ‘Carnival Of Colours’, that flips mid flow into a bit of a Sheppard skank and Shez bass solo, it sounds a bit too Zawinul Syndicate for me. ‘Manadala Girl’ is better as it’s saved when it goes jazz-psyche-crazy mid way (why the fade out?) so lets keep it hard like Stanley Clarke with ‘Quiverwish’ (note, Jazzwise went for Marcus Miller - oh dear!)

All the track were written by Raja except the last one, the “lyrical ballad” called ‘Beauty Of The Beast’ co-written by and with the vocals provided by Monika Lidke and it sounds a little out of place with the rest of the album for that reason, I’m sure it would sound far better if you heard it on compilation like the Sonar Kollektiv Secret Love series.

Shez Raja Collective would certainly be a great live so if you can’t make the album launch night this week (see details below) they are on tour this summer with festival dates signed up for Bath, Marlborough and Ealing (but Sheppard with only be at the Pizza Express); get me a Shez Raja Margherita Fusion Pizza pronto!

Artwork by Tessa Shields is rather good also.

Shez Raja Collective - Album Launch feat. Andy Sheppard - Thursday, 8 July 2010 - Pizza Express Jazz Club, 10 Dean Street, Soho, London, W1D 3RW Doors: 7pm, Music: 8.30pm
Tickets http://tinyurl.com/2vnpzqn Tel: 0845 6027 017

Reveiewed: Shez Raja Collective - Mystic Radikal (33 Records) Cat. No. 33JAZZ208 Release date: 12th July 2010
Tracklisting:
1 Mystic Radikal (4:14)
2 Chakras On The Wall (3:31)
3 Karmic Flow (5:09)
4 Infatuation feat. Andy Sheppard (4:30)
5 We Are One (5:10)
6 Soho (3:32)
7 Angel’s Tears feat. Andy Sheppard (5:06)
8 Music For Elves (0:50)
9 Carnival Of Colours feat. Andy Sheppard (4:37)
10 Quiverwish (3:43)
11 Manadala Girl (5:44)
12 Beauty Of The Beast (3:54)

Links:
www.shezraja.com
www.myspace.com/shezraja
andysheppard.co.uk
33jazz.com
tessashields.com
Jazz Chronicles with Simon S and Gerry Hectic Saturday 3 July 2010 at 3:00pm @ Sixty Million Postcards
www.myspace.com/60millionpostcards</a
Jazz Chronicles Saturday 14th August 2010 at 3:00pm @ Sixty Million Postcards
Slices - The Electronic Music Magazine. Issue 2-10: Tech Talk: Funktion One eb-slices.net