Shades of Shakti are an intercultural group of musicians bridging the gap between traditional Indian music and Jazz. Featuring musicians from both New Zealand and India, Shades of Shakti includes Sangeet Mishra, Justin Firefly Clarke, Basant Madhur, Tristan Carter and Thomas Friggens. This collective presents an impressive repertoire of music including original compositions and traditional India Ragas. Alongside this, Shades of Shakti feature music from both Ravi Shankar's East Meets West album and John McLaughlin's famous group Shakti, from which the group drew initial inspiration. Since their debut at the Wellington Jazz Festival in 2018, Shades of Shakti have captivated audiences across New Zealand, including a standing ovation they received from a full house at the 2020 New Zealand Festival of the Arts. They secured a slot at renowned world music festival Womad in 2022 and are embarking on their third tour in July 2023. Their performance is simply mesmerising in the way it explores the delicate balance between improvisation and composition, combining energetic melodies, virtuosic rhythms, and hypnotic sonorities. Their collaboration aims to bring communities together and celebrate human diversity through music.
The ultimate blend of authenticity and virtuosity. Their musicianship is second to none - an eclectic mix of acoustic instruments.”
Chris Gee (Black Seeds, Fly My Pretties, Anika Moa)
“Bringing together musical influences from different sides of the world to create something fresh and unique and reinforce the notion that music knows no borders... One of those rare ensembles that transcend into the sonic stratosphere
Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords)
