Copenhagen Jazz Orchestra feat. Ashwani Shankar (IN) & Zuheb Ahmed Khan (IN): Indian Skies

In Indian Skies, moods, rhythms and masterful musicians from the colourful Indian musical tradition meet the playful, delicate and powerful expression of the Copenhagen Jazz Orchestra. The work is the provisional culmination of composer and saxophonist Lars Møller's decades of work incorporating the emotional depths of the melodic Indian ragas and the refined rhythms of contemporary jazz and orchestral music.

The soloists include Ashwani Shankar, India's leading musician on the oboe-like Shehnai, which more than any other instrument expresses the Indian voice in a tradition which his family has carried on for more than 10 generations. Ashwani Shankar has performed all over the world with Ravi Shankar, among others. On the refined tabla drums, the young up-and-coming Zuheb Ahmed Khan plays, who with his cool swinging grooves and creative musicianship continues the tradition of the recently deceased Zakir Hussein.

Copenhagen Jazz Orchestra (formerly: The Orchestra) has been a leading big band in Denmark for a number of years with its flexible, chamber music and warm big band sound. With the joy of intimate interaction at its core, the band invites the audience into a colorful world of orchestral music and improvisation, often in collaboration with masterful musicians such as Egberto Gismonti and Florian Weber. With Indian Skies is part of Copenhagen Jazz Orchestra's continued exploration of how we can collaborate with and learn from other musical cultures.

Indian Skies is part of a comprehensive cultural exchange project with concerts and educational activities in India, the Nordic countries and the Baltics, arranged in collaboration with the Danish Cultural Institute.