Surinder Sandhu Band

if a composer’s grasp isn’t beyond his reach what’s heaven for?' - Jazzwise Magazine

A fool who pursues his folly shall become wise, said William Blake, and there is something splendidly foolhardy about this epic East-West collage.
It was recorded in Calcutta, Los Angeles, Liverpool and Birmingham and features, if not a cast of thousands, many members of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, various top soloists – ranging from Andy Sheppard on saxophone to Steve Vai on guitar – and some superb Indian percussion.

The road is littered with failed attempts to bring together Western classical music, jazz and Indian music. Even the better ones are flawed: John Mayer’s music can sound stiff while John McLaughlin’s assorted groups have the fluidity but can be self-indulgent. But this record avoids these traps, partly by having the right balance of structure and soloing and also, perhaps, by not taking itself too seriously: in the sleeve notes Surindher Sandhu promises his parents to ‘get a real job some day’.
The record was not recorded to computer click-tracks and has an exceptional freshness to it, aided by some memorable melodies and first-rate production. A big plus is that Sandhu plays that most soulful and increasingly rare Indian instrument, the sarangi (which means ‘a thousand colours’. And instead of bright, high-pitch Bollywood-type strings we have a Western string sound, which gives the record a touch of class, even if in places you feel there should be a film or dancers – this music would certainly make a fabulous soundtrack to something extraordinary.

Hats off to Surinder Sandhu for one of the best examples of East-West music I’ve heard in years. - Peter Culshaw
- SONGLINES

Surinder Sandhu’s Saurang Orchestra is one of the most refreshing and exciting recordings this reviewer has heard in years. Sandhu excels on the sarangi, an ancient Northern Indian instrument that has very few practitioners due to its extremely difficult facilities. In fact, in India there are only three Masters left teaching its tradition. Sandhu has decided to dedicate himself to this instrument--and to do so, Sandu, who is Indian but was raised in the UK, has to frequently travel to India.
Sandhu’s devotion to the sarangi is matched only by the intensity of the music from this brilliant album. Saurang Orchestra is a stunning collage of Indian influenced jazz and symphonic power. It was written, arranged and orchestrated by Sandhu. (Roland Chadwick also aids in inspiration and on one of the compositions. He also adds his acoustic guitar to two of the pieces).
Sandhu wrote the music especially for favorite soloists. These soloists, plus 7 others, include the fine acoustic guitar players Fred Wisdom and Haldin Wright and guitar legend Steve Vai. Steve Vai? Yes, playing some beautiful Far Eastern acoustic and flaming electric guitar. Also featured with great success are saxophone players George Brooks and Andy Sheppard. Chandra Chakraborty is a mesmerizing vocalist and Shabhaz Hussain displays a confident mastery of the tabla. Of special interest is multi-talented drummer Mark Anderson, who earlier this year was featured in the release of the fine Wild Strings Quartet CD as a guitarist!
The Symphonic power comes from the Saurang Orchestra itself, 18 members strong, culled from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. The Orchestra is augmented by a combination of Eastern and Western players as well. Sandhu has written uplifting themes, deep in scope, for them to play. The soloists use all of their gifts as they seem truly dedicated to use this forum to honor the groundwork laid by Sandu.
Don’t look now, but perhaps the most exciting music in jazz happening today is coming from the influences of the Eastern world, and India in particular. India seems to be embracing this music, a jazz-Indian hybrid, as evidenced by the many recent successful tours of that country featuring Indo and Western performers. Remember Shakti is probably the preeminent band, but others who have made the trip to India include Billy Cobham and Jean Luc Ponty, to perform with the great Indian violinist L. Subramaniam. Swedish Bassist Jonas Hellborg has been touring the country and George Brooks, who appears on this very album, has had great success there as well. This movement is a very exciting and important one. Despite the truly serious and thematic nature of this groundbreaking work, The Saurang Orchestra is an album you will get a kick out of listening to because it doesn’t take itself too seriously. It is full of wonderful jazz, ingratiating multi-cultural hooks and dramatic orchestral interludes and crescendos. It fits all of the pieces together in a puzzle that is a joy to assemble. This album puts Sandhu in the forefront of one of the most exciting jazz experiments now underway.

Walter Kolosky
- All About Jazz.com

‘A fantastic CD bursting with all corners of creative music, a must listen! Surinder has found a way to bring several different strands of musical expression together – Jazz, Indian Classical, UK POP, Classical and more on a single CD that unites a nation through the power of his music’
- Courtney Pine

Surinder Sandhu has created music that has managed to ingrain multi-cultural hooks and is by turns exciting, accessible, but also ambitious, rare and intelligent
The Times - The Times

'Some of the most amazing music I have ever heard!' - Janice Long - BBC Radio 2

Working with a musician such as Surinder Sandhu gives great insight into the workings of a genius mind.
With spirituality at the core of his approach he is able to transcend the listener way beyond music.
As a producer he has the clarity and understanding of a performing musician (being one himself, of course!) coupled with the warmth and love to communicate exactly what he hears in his head. For me, that made the recording process on the Fictionist a real pleasure.
The music itself needs no big explanation…it needs listening! However, its true to say Surinder’s music is a real smorgasbord of colourful emotions.
I feel the Fictionist holds an important place in today’s world of music. Culturally, it crosses many boundaries, fusing music from East with West and beyond. Classical, jazz and rock music sit comfortably with Indian traditional style themes.
Repeated listening compels me to find new avenues, enticing new discoveries.
Surinders music encourages the ‘brave heart’ in me. It wills me personally to cast my own musical net much wider.

Dennis Rollins
- Dennis Rollins