Shez Raja – Spellbound (Gearbox Cut, 2025)
With Spellbound, Shez Raja invites listeners into a world where cultures collide, not with clamor, but with coherence. Scheduled for release on June 20 on Gearbox Records, this latest release from the British-Asian bassist and composer channels the electricity of his live performances while carving out a studio performance rich in groove and virtuosity.
Raja, long celebrated for his genre-blurring Indo-Jazz vision and his collaborations with jazz royalty, surrounds himself once again with a world-class ensemble. Guitar legends John Etheridge and Guthrie Govan, drumming powerhouse Dennis Chambers, and sitar innovator Roopa Panesar all take part in this immersive musical conversation. Yet Spellbound is far more than a star-studded jam session, it’s a carefully sculpted journey that speaks to Raja’s deep reverence for both his South Asian heritage and the pulsating energy of Western funk and jazz traditions.
From the opening bars, Raja’s custom five-string Fodera bass acts as both guide and anchor. His lines are imaginative and muscular, driving the ensemble through nine tracks, seven from the studio and two captured live, that oscillate between tight rhythmic interplay and expansive improvisation.
Crucially, Spellbound is about honoring the roots that nourish it. Raja’s lifelong connection to the Punjab, deepened through family trips and personal exploration, echoes throughout the album. In “Maharishi Mindtrip,” the haunting strains of sarangi, played by seventh-generation master Zohaib Hassan, give the track a meditative weight.
“Together We Fly” unfolds gently, with Panesar’s sitar weaving evocative melodies into the mix. And in “Lucid Path to the Golden Lotus,” the exquisite bansuri of Ahsan Papu floats effortlessly above the groove.
Balancing this Eastern richness is a cast of Western players who match intensity with skill. Chambers’ drumming remains both thunderous and precise, while Etheridge and Govan inject searing guitar solos that recall fusion’s golden age. Meanwhile, saxophonists Tony Kofi and Vasilis Xenopoulos add conventional jazz performances.
Returning to his UK jazz roots, Raja also enlists longtime collaborators like drummers Sophie Alloway and Jamie Murray, along with keyboardist Chris Jerome. Their presence ensures continuity.
True to the audiophile spirit of Gearbox Records, the album bears the “Gearbox Cut” stamp, signaling a commitment to sound quality that honors the music’s depth and detail on both vinyl and CD formats.
Musicians: Shez Raja on bass; Dennis Chambers on drums; Guthrie Govan on electric guitar; John Etheridge on electric guitar; Roopa Panesar on sitar; Tony Kofi on saxophone; Ahsan Papu on bansuri; Zohaib Hassan on sarangi; Fiza Haider on voals; Gurdain Rayatt on tabla; Vasilis Xenopoulos on saxophone; Sophie Alloway on drums; Jamie Murray on drums; and Chris Jerome on keyboards.
Available June 27, 2025.