Yes I know; ridiculously late and possibly a bit left of centre for a Rock review site, but there are a couple of reasons I’ve come back to this, not least of which being it was an absolutely fantastic show.

So who is Shez Raja? I have to confess, I didn’t know. Turns out Shez is a British-Asian Jazz-Funk bassist, composer and bandleader known for blending Indo-Jazz, Rock and South Asian Classical music. Born on the Wirral in North West England, he was classically trained on the violin from the age of 9, but after trading these 4 strings for some much longer ones when he jumped to bass, he hasn’t looked back. After studying at the Leeds College of Music, Raja toured the UK with various groups before becoming a highly sought-after session musician. Released in 2025, ‘Spellbound’ is, I believe, his 6th and latest studio album.

So… how do I find myself here? Well, knowing I was going to be at a rare loose end on this particular Friday evening, I did the gig listing trawl several weeks before and saw featuring Guthrie Govan. After seeing, and incredulously double checking that this was indeed at the delightfully intimate Jazz Café, I snapped up a ticket immediately, long having wanted to see Guthrie perform live on the back of his work with The Aristocrats which I have long admired and not yet been able to witness. And to be honest, the way the entering crowd clustered around that side of the stage upon entry, I don’t think I was alone in this.

Having said that, with ticket in hand, I checked out more about what I was going to see. Whilst a number of the rockier genres are undoubtedly my primary go-tos, I do have a bit of history with a selection of Jazzier, Fusion stuff that I’ve come across over the years… I have Billy Cobham albums I bought in my teens and stuff by Return to Forever, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Weather Report etc. sits proudly on the shelf alongside Rush (obvs), Genesis, Focus, Skynyrd and Sabbath among countless others. And I think AJ referenced it a while back, but seeing Stanley Clarke live in New Orleans last year was one of the trip highlights for me. For the most part, it’s the stellar musicianship that draws me in. So; scene set… a Fusion gig with a new, acclaimed bass player to experience with Guthrie thrown in too. Game on.

So after couple of drinks in The Black Heart (and the paradoxical nature of this fine establishment compared to where I was spending the rest of my evening was not lost on me), I joined the queue early to get to my preferred spot at the back downstairs… success.

With no support band (this being a two-set affair) the band, completed by Chris Jerome (keyboards) and Sophie Alloway (drums), took to the stage and launched straight into ‘Rabbits’, the first of three tracks from 2016’s ‘Gurutopia’ album before the pairing of ‘Quantum Spirits’ and ‘Together We Fly’ from latest release, ‘Spellbound’.

So three tracks in, and already it’s been confirmed that band leader Shez should have been blipping on my radar waaaaay before this. Unbelievably accomplished. ‘Together We Fly’ is basically a bass solo (so much so that Guthrie confines himself to playing supporting rhythm, albeit with some of the strangest chords I’ve seen and little fills that could only be Guthrie), but one of the most melodic intricate and beguiling I have ever heard. And furthermore, it’s also confirmed nice and early that Chris and Sophie also deserve to be in this esteemed company.

From the Rock and Indian sounding fusion of ‘Maharajah’ to the killer solos/fills from Chris and Sophie (respectively) in ‘Spellbound’ to the little vignettes in the middle of ‘Chakras On The Wall’ (not many people seemed to recognise (or perhaps appreciate) the rather incongruous snippet of ‘For Whom The Bell Tolls’ spliced in alongside ‘Billy Jean’ and, I think, the ‘Countdown’ theme?) …..

As you’d expect, the sets were interspersed with absolutely killer solos from Shez, Chris, and the guitar player? throughout, not least of which was Sophie’s solo in gig closer ‘FNUK’.

Shez also came across as thoroughly personable, humble and entertaining in the inter-song chat and introductions… from the description of ‘Song for John’ as a piece he wrote for his newborn son… 15 years ago? to encouraging signing up to his mailing list through the distribution of 3 clipboard and pens into the crowd.

Shez introduced the 3 members of his fantastic band individually, with the loudest cheer (though not by much, it has to be said) somewhat unsurprisingly received by Guthrie. But after these acknowledgements, the crowd spontaneously breaking into a chant of “Shez, Shez, Shez” seemed genuinely appreciated by the main man, who thoroughly deserved the acclaim.

One of the other reasons for submitting this interminably late note is that the (same) band have another small round of gigs in December and January, notably at Blackheath Halls in London on Friday 4th December (one of two gigs that adds trombonist Dennis Rollins for good measure). Anyone in reach who loves enjoying unparallelled musicianship irrespective of any tribal allegiances (musically speaking), you’d be well advised to get yourselves along.

For my part, I’ve started adding some Shez CDs to the shelf, where he sits with Stanley and Jaco (not to mention Geddy & JMX)… and he doesn’t look at all out of place.

Review, photos and video: Mark C

Set 1
Rabbits
Quantum spirits
Together we fly
Maharajah
Spellbound
Get Cosmic

Set 2
Chakras on the wall
Vishnu
Song for John
Quiverwish
My Imaginary Friend
Fnuk