sHAMA WOMEX (1)

SHAMA
RAHMAN
BAND
BEAUTIFUL
INTOXICATING
MESMERISING

Award-winning sitarist,
composer and singer, Shama
Rahman weaves stories that
start life as poems and take flight
as songs. The sitar is centrestage
within a brilliant 5-piece
band, playing original lyrically
poetic music with a whole heap
of energy - garnering praise from
the likes of Gilles Peterson.
Mixing music from English,
Bengali, Bulgarian and West
African jazz/folk traditions, with
jazz improvisational textures and
urban world beats, she sings over
her sitar passionately with folkreminiscent
observations on life,
love, revolutions and time.

Discography
Albums
Shama Rahman: Album "Fable:Time", 2014
Asian Dub Foundation: Album "Signal and the Noise",2013
Telemachus Malone: LP. "In The Evening", YNR
Productions, 2013
State of Bengal: E.P. "Doodh Boy",Betel Nut Records, 2014
Kid Karoshi: E.P. "We are not there", 2010
Singles
Covers
26 Hour Baby Eleanor Rigby
Coast
Summer Time
Bolte Paro Ki (Can you tell my why?)
Time
Partial
Warrior
Jokhon (When)
Collaborations
Asian Dub Foundation, State of Bengal, Bangla, Doves,
James, Orchestra Elastique, London Sitar Ensemble, London
Bulgarian Choir ,Kid Karoshi, Telemachus Malone

F E S T I V A L S
LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2015
MERGE FESTIVAL 2015
MANCHESTER JAZZ FESTIVAL 2015
WASSERMUSSIK FESTIVAL 2015
FIRE IN THE MOUNTAIN FESTVAL 2015
ALCHEMY FESTIVAL 2015
LONDON JAZZ FESTIVAL 2014
SHAMBALA 2014
SECRET GARDEN PARTY 2014
MIDDLESBROUGH MELA 2014
GREEN MAN FESTIVAL 2013
SECRET GARDEN PARTY 2013
UN-CONVENTION 2013
SILFEST
SPITIFIELDS FESTIVAL
SUPERSONIX FESTIVAL
WILDERNESS FESTIVAL
ONE LOVE FESTIVAL,
EASTERN ELECTRONIC FESTIVAL
INDIA FESTIVAL
GLOBAL BEATS FESTIVAL,

F e a t u r e d P e r f o r m a n c e s
T H E G R E E N N O T E , T H E R I T Z Y , R I C H M I X , T H E P H E A S A N T R Y ,
C A T C H 2 2 , O L D V I C T U N N E L S , T H E T H R E E C O M P A S S E S ,
T H E M I L L E R , T H E A L B A N Y , T H E W H I T E C U B E , T H E B A R B I C A N
C E N T R E , T A T E M O D E R N , T H E S O U T H B A N K , T H E A L L E Y C A T
A N T W E R P M A N S I O N , T H E R O U N D H O U S E , T H E Q U E E N S
H E A D , T H E B U L L S H E A D , P R O U N D G A L L E R I E S , W I L T O N M U S I C
H A L L , T H E L U X E , T H E A M E R S H A M A R M , K I N G S H E A D , P A S S I N G
C L O U D S , F L O R I P A , A L L S A I N T S , G A L L E R Y C A F E , C A F E
C A I R O , T H E F O R G E , T H E H A R R I S O N , S T P E T E R D E B E A V O I R

In Review: Shama Rahman Band at Manchester Jazz Festival 2015 – Live Manchester
An eager crowd awaited the Shama Rahman Band performing on the last day of Manchester Jazz Festival 2015. In fact the queue stretched around
the Thwaites Festival Square to see what was set to be one of the highlights of MJF’s 2015 programme.
The Shama Rahman Band, comprising of Shama Rahman herself, on sitar and vocals, accompanied by Christopher Lane (guitar), Nicolas Rouger
(saxophone), Thodoris Ziarkas (bass) and Oberon King (drums and percussion), has developed a strong reputation for original, playful music. It is
music which draws on Rahman’s Bangladeshi roots, memories, Middle Eastern influences and even the streets of London.
From the very outset, her infectious personality shines through. She is beaming with delight as she opens the set with the beautiful piece Time. It’s
an ode to how we manage to fall in love again and teases the mystical and exotic sounds of the sitar – her beautiful delicate vocals accompany the
entrancing sound before the drums, guitar and saxophone join in, kicking the tempo up a notch. It builds to a busy and exciting passage as the
saxophone takes centre stage before we are reminded of the thrilling middle-eastern influence with another exquisite sitar passage leading to a false
ending and a delicate vocal passage to conclude.
The scene and standard has been set very early and the untimely clock tower chimes and a touch of feedback are laughed off by the smiling Shama
Rahman.
The Bengali and middle-eastern influences are common throughout the set. In Bolte Paro Ki she demonstrates her bilingual abilities, singing in
Bengali – her strong vocals over a busy bass, drum and sitar platform working perfectly in a track which brings cheers from the audience.
The sitar captivates in the striking Matchstick which displays a suspicion of Carribean influence mixed in with classic jazz and Bengali overtones.
The set is filled with variety. Reflections features interesting rhythms and melodies, 26 Hour Baby more of a playful jazz vibe with changing paces
keeping the audience hooked; Liquid Blue hints at a classic rock influence, whilst Ships In The Night from an ‘as yet unrecorded album’ which we
hope becomes a reality sooner rather than later, moves from the smooth and
traditional to the slightly punctuated and pacey leading to an outstanding crescendo.
She continues to smile throughout, clearly delighted to be performing and the audience respond in kind, clapping, cheering and hanging on every
sound.
The story telling within the songs it excellent, drawing on the mystic, love, poetry and nature. And it is exactly this story telling ability which is
featured in the closing piece Where Did You Come From a spoken word track, bursting with drama and intrigue. Fittingly, the dramatic sitar
opening gives way to beefy saxophone interjections, with the vocal element hitting home perfectly to conclude a set which has been simultaneously
calming, exciting and invigorating.
Stories from the Manchester Jazz Festival Continued... – The Culture ReviewCombining the rich, expressive sound of the sitar with instrumentation
that could be described as being more traditionally associated with jazz, the Shama Rahman band delivered a set that was captivating through its
poetical storytelling, complex grooves, and carefully constructed instrumental interaction that was delivered with such ease. Each composition
revealed a strong international influence as well as drawing attention to the ensemble’s ability to evoke a number of musical genres, yet producing
their own unique sound.
The band line-up consist of Shama Rahman- sitar, vocals, and ukulele; Christopher Lane- guitar; Nicolas Rouger- soprano, alto, tenor and baritone
saxophone; Thodoris Ziarkas- double and electric bass; Oberon King- drums, percussion.
The first track of the set was ‘Time’, as featured on the album 'Fable: Time', and is part of the storytelling collection of compositions that Shama
informs us tell ‘human stories about how time affects us, its illusions, deceptions and myths’. From the distinct opening sounds of the jawari (the
natural reverberation that the sitar is so famous for) the audience found themselves lost in the lyrical poetry that unfolded from both Shama’s
accapella vocals after the sitar’s introduction to the track, (that almost sounded like the unfolding chimes of a clock) through to a faster tempo shift
and urban folk energy created by the fuller ensemble of percussion, saxophone, guitar and of course, sitar.
Shama's music also introduced the audience to her multicultural heritage by singing in Bengali on the track Bolte Paro Ki (Can you tell me why?),
which equally emphasised a strong Bengali folk music influence.
‘Personal Grey’ continued to demonstrate how the Shama Rahman band use the sitar in the context of storytelling, with the interplay between it and
the soprano saxophone standing out in this particular track. Shama turned the the track ‘Reflection’ into an interactive performance experience,
instructing the audience to join in with contrasting sung rhythmic passages, adding a real playfulness to the musical narrative. ’26 Hour Baby’
continued the foot tapping energy of the set, with creative musical interjections and an ever changing tempo which added a delightfully unexpected
turn to the seemingly mellow opening.
Throughout the set Shama adopted a number of charismatic vocal delivery techniques, includng a recitative-type approach which certainly suited
the many stories she sang of and the inspiration behind them. There was no shortage of source material to sing about with Shama boasting careers as
a scientist, neurophilosopher and actor, as well as talented musician! We were also treated to new material in the form of ‘Ships in the night’ and
‘Liquid Blue’ later on in the set, both tracks that evoke a number of different genre influences, and will hopefully feature on a recorded album in the
near future.