Cover art by Steve Meyfroidt
OUI030 : The Shonai Collective / Epiphany
The album works as a portal into the artist's inner world, with melodies, grooves, and sounds conveying a range of feelings translated into music with themes such as missing someone, hope, the beauty of simplicity, and the impermanence of life.
"Epiphany" offers a rich and diverse soundscape, incorporating elements of folk, bebop, impressionism, waltz, minimalism, and hip-hop/R&B. This eclecticism adds a unique flavour to the album, showcasing The Shonai Collective's creative minds through collaboration, acceptance, and open-mindedness.
At its core, "Epiphany" can be classified as modern jazz and is a testament to the power of music in conveying complex emotions and universal truths.
The album concludes with a minimalistic composition featuring two quotations by Swami Vivekananda, a prominent philosopher from Bengal. This track serves as a philosophical reflection on the betterment of humanity and society.
“Every idea has to become broad till it covers the whole of this world, every aspiration must go on increasing till engulfed the whole of humanity nay the whole of life within its scope.” - Swami Vivekananda
“Take off the veil of hypnotism which you’ve cast upon the world. Send not out thoughts and words of weakness into humanity.” - Swami Vivekananda
Shonai: Piano/composition - Bengal Shonai is a modern jazz pianist, composer, and an educator based in Delhi and the founding member of The Shonai Collective.
Following a brief period of studying Western classical music, he turned to jazz. While traditional jazz being his main influence, his music also incorporates elements of other genres, including impressionistic music, R&B, soul, funk, folk, pop and blues.
In addition to performing in and around India, he has given numerous performances in renowned venues and festivals throughout Europe and SE Asia. Shonai is actively engaged in working with original music in the local indie scene. In addition to his involvement with this collective, he is also a member of an experimental jazz ensemble and works as a music educator.
Shantanu Sudarshan: Drums - Kerala
Shantanu Sudarshan has been working as an active session musician for both stage and studio scenarios since 2017. Proficient in many styles of music, he has had the opportunity to work with/for LIFEFORM, Bollyjazz, Saby Singh, Senor Elephante, Syncopation, The Copycats, RollsRoy's, Angad Katari, Abhilasha Sinha, Rie Ona, Nathalie Ramirez Tovar, Jose Neil Gomes, Bowjob, Nik And Nat, The Lyric Ensemble of Delhi, Kamakshi Khanna, IOISH, Gaurav Chintamani/The Dirt Machine, Shadow and Light, The Rahul Misra Enquiry Commission, Ujwal Nagar, Grain and the Shri Aurobindo Centre for Arts and Communication.
Shifumi Saito: Double bass - Japan
Shifumi's musical odyssey began in 1998 when she discovered her passion for the double bass in Kanagawa, Japan. Before her India sojourn, Shifumi played extensively in Japan. Relocating to India was a bold step, reflecting her unwavering dedication. In India, she seamlessly blended Japanese and Indian musical traditions and symbolizes music's power to unite cultures.
Also part of The Collective is Steve Meyfroidt- (Visual Artist/Technologist/Scientist) a UK based artist who works at the intersection between science and visual arts and made the logo for the Collective and the album cover art.
Digital release on the 21st of March 2024.
Track listing:
1: Absence
2: Hope
3: One fo the Lil One
4: No Dose
5: Hymn Of Dreams
6: The Reverend Man
7: Syogyo-mujo
8: Freedom Jazz Trance
Itunes, Spotify, etc.:
And on Bandcamp:
