Reza Khan - Shadow Dancers (2026)

Guitarist Reza Khan, born in Bangladesh and trained in Indian classical music and Bengali song, began as a percussionist before switching to guitar. Night is his native hour, the time when, in his words, nature turns into a festival. That image underlies the album Shadow Dancers: dreamy, at times quietly rhythmic music in which melodic guitar lines are surrounded by strings, keyboards, saxophone and percussion. The recording features pianist Matt King, drummer Mauricio Zottarelli, bassist Brendan Rothwell and multi-instrumentalist Philippe Saisse, along with guest horn players and a string sextet performing arrangements by Luciano Filho.

“Aurora,” written for Khan’s daughter, opens with light piano, soft saxophone and a wandering bass line over an unhurried shuffle. The guitar enters with clear, lyrical phrases in which a melancholy can be heard beneath the happiness; the other musicians pick up its motifs and hand them back, while the almost inaudible strings stay in the background. “Blue Lounge” is funkier: the guitar gains bite, the piano weaves in fluid single notes, the saxophone climbs almost to a squeal before settling back into the groove, and a short bass solo adds snap to the rhythm.

“Scarlet Sky” inevitably invites comparisons with smooth jazz, but Khan’s character makes them beside the point. Vocalist Olivia Foschi sings introspectively and with little vibrato, starting somewhere between a hum and a scat; the guitar then takes over her melody and opens it up until the vocal line seems to grow larger. On “Still Standing,” the musician’s roots surface: single guitar notes over a soft bed of strings and bass recall Bangladesh, Indian classical music and Bengali song, while a lone violin appears and disappears, returning as the piano and drums grow busier. The title track, “Shadow Dancers,” showcases the ease of Khan’s playing: sparkling, overflowing lines above a relaxed bass and background-vocal accents, where cascades of acoustic piano give way to a bright, cheerful Fender Rhodes.

Khan’s earlier records blurred the borders between contemporary jazz, world music and fusion, and Shadow Dancers continues that line. Yet what matters most on the album is the guitar and what Khan does with it.

Tracklist:
01-01 Reza Khan, Jeff Kashiwa, Brendan Rothwell - Aurora [5:16]
01-02 Reza Khan, Jeff Kashiwa, Brendan Rothwell - Blue Lounge [4:31]
01-03 Reza Khan - Shadow Dancers [5:51]
01-04 Reza Khan, Olivia Foschi, Luciano Filho - Scarlet Sky [6:25]
01-05 Reza Khan, Brendan Rothwell, Philippe Saisse - Chillin' [4:29]
01-06 Reza Khan, Jeff Kashiwa, Brendan Rothwell - Rain Cruiser [4:43]
01-07 Reza Khan, Nathan East, Philippe Saisse - Sky Rise [6:41]
01-08 Reza Khan, Brendan Rothwell, Matt King, Mauricio Zottarelli - Lift [4:24]
01-09 Reza Khan, Mauricio Zottarelli, Mark Egan - Sunset Walk [4:33]
01-10 Reza Khan, Philippe Saisse, Brendan Rothwell - Southside Jam [4:56]
01-11 Reza Khan, Jimmy Haslip, Zach Brock - Still Standing [5:13]