Over the course of his six previous albums, starting with his debut Painted Diaries in 2009, Reza Khan has worked with some of the biggest names in contemporary jazz while developing a fascinating trademark fusion of pop, jazz, soul and world influences. His empowering world jazz guitar music is steeped in his international roots and status as a socially conscious musical citizen of the world. Along the way, the Bangladesh-born, NYC-based composer and guitarist has enjoyed several breakthrough hits on the Billboard Jazz chart, including his first Top Ten single “Drop of Faith” (featuring Nils) from his critically acclaimed fifth album Next Train Home and “Waiting for the Sky” from the 2021 collection Imaginary Road. Despite this airplay success, he’s always been told that the music he writes and produces is designed more for musicians to play than for the average contemporary jazz listener to simply enjoy.
With Khan’s latest album, the intriguingly titled Mystical, he aims to change all that and create songs as infectious and radio friendly as they are brilliantly performed. Rather than have an overriding narrative concept, his goal was to collaborate with some familiar cohorts (Philippe Saisse, Mark Egan, David Mann, Nils) and others who could bring a fresh, magical, and yes, mystical quality to his songs. His first call was to David Mann, the veteran saxophonist who had brought great horn textures and arrangements to previous albums. He sought his production expertise, but just as importantly, felt that straight on compositional collaboration would be the ticket to unlocking this magic. Mann became an essential co-writer, composer, arranger and producer for the album.
Building off a foundation of Khan on lead guitar, Bern Schoenhardt on rhythm guitar, Mann on keys and sax, Khan’s guest list – all of whom immediately agreed to participate – includes two time Grammy winner Bob James, three time Grammy winner Jimmy Haslip, Grammy winner Jeff Lorber, Grammy nominee Saisse, Keiko Matsui, a unique array of bassists (Egan, Jimmy Haslip, Brendan Rothwell, Mel Browne) and drummers Gary Novak, Brian Dunne and Lionel Cordew. Though their participation onMystical will no doubt gain attention, the all-stars ultimately serve as sidekicks to Khan’s infectious melodies and front and center dynamic electric and acoustic playing, along with Mann’s vibrant arrangements.
Another unique, truly Mystical aspect of the collection is the opportunity to experience new versions of three classic tracks from Khan’s early projects via Mann’s contemporary 2022 productions with new lineups of musicians – “Bahia Mama” (featuring the original vocal by Jennifer Grimm) and “Catalina’s Dream” from Painted Diaries and “Language of Love” from A Simple Plan (2011). The fact that “Language of Love” and “Catalina’s Dream” are in the cue for future single releases show that Khan’s composing style was always in the pocket, with great hit potential. He simply needed Mann’s expertise behind the boards to take it to the next level.
Though album artwork in this digital age is sometimes given short shrift, Brazilian artist Renata’ Schiavon’s compelling hand drawnimagery throughout the packaging connects beautifully and essentially to the music and themes of Mystical. The cover features a small silhouette on Reza in the eye of a falcon, and there are impressionistic images of guitar, saxophone and piano to reflect the album’s fusion of sounds and touch on other elements created by nature and man, i.e. piano keys that look like skyscrapers in a city skyline.
The release of Mystical was delayed for over a year due to some health setbacks in Khan’s life and a necessary period of recovery. But he’s back in the groove and excited to resume his career. “My goal with Mystical was to imagine a very magical album where David and I write songs together for certain individual musicians we wanted to bring to the recording,” he says. “Every track evolved organically until it became a very different type of conceptual album, with each tune having magical, mysterious elements. I had always composed every song by myself, and I enjoyed the exciting learning curve of collaborating differently on each tune. My idea was to focus on how they could appeal broadly to fans of contemporaryand global jazz without limiting the inspiration and motivation that has driven me in the past.”
Over the past five years, Reza Khan has built a loyal East Coast fan base and performed (and sold-out!) NYC hotspots like BB Kings, Iridium, Drom, Zinc Bar and City Winery. As noted above, he has also expanded his international presence via gigs with his band in Spain and Europe. While releasing his steady stream of ensemble albums, he has attracted the attention of numerous contemporary jazz heavy hitters eager to help him craft his live performances as well as develop his studio recordings.
Born into a musical family in what is now Bangladesh, Reza Khan and his brothers received a firm grounding in Indian classical music from their father, an instrumentalist, composer and poet. While he was trained in Indian percussion from the time he was eight or nine, Khan’s musical world changed forever when his brother brought home a bootleg copy of Frampton Comes Alive. Khan’s introduction to American pop/rock – including Eagles, Grand Funk and America – led him to put aside his training on tabla, sitar and sarod, and embrace the guitar as his primary instrument. Later influences include Pat Metheny (who “made me want to make myself better and better musically”), The Rippingtons, Acoustic Alchemy and the musical genres of Brazil (bossa nova, samba, tropicalia). Khan formed his first band, Yours Sincerely, in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka. The group’s lone album, Members Only, sold an incredible half a million copies, but Khan soon set his musical pursuits aside to develop his burgeoning career in international relations.
A graduate of Queens College with a degree in computer science, Khan’s calling as a humanitarian has led him everywhere from Asia (where his introduction to poverty and human rights abuses inspired him to work for the UN) to Angola, where he was a member of a peacekeeping force in that war torn country. In the late 90s, he lived in South Africa, where he performed and composed music and also married and started a family.
