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Arun Ghosh

Arun Ghosh is a British-Asian clarinettist and composer. His second album, Primal Odyssey, was released in October 2011 on camoci records. In 2008 he was selected for Edition IV of the Jerwood/PRS Foundation 'Take Five' initiative for emerging jazz musicians produced by Serious. In 2009, he was invited to perform at the jazzahead! Festival in Bremen, Germany as part of the UK showcase presented by Jazz Services. In 2010, he was made an Associate Artist at The Albany Theatre, London - a position still held and in April 2011, Ghosh was made an Artist-in-Residence for the Southbank’s Alchemy Festival. September 2011 saw Arun Ghosh feature as the cover star for Jazzwise magazine, the UK's biggest selling jazz magazine. Conceived in Calcutta, bred in Bolton, matured in Manchester and now living in London, Arun Ghosh's musical vision and vocabulary reflects his rich geographical heritage. His Indo-Jazz Sextet play original music of South Asian origin with a contemporary jazz attitude,rocking urban beats and the passion of punk. Sweet and timeless melodies give birth to soaring improvisations and raag explorations, driven by a heady mix of dub-reggae bass, tabla trickery and ferocious drum explosions. The first Arun Ghosh IndoJazz Sextet performance took place at the London Jazz Festival in 2007. The stellar line up consisted of: Arun Ghosh - clarinet, Idris Rahman - tenor saxophone Dr Das - bass Aref Durvesh - tabla and dholak Kishon Khan - piano Myke Wilson - drums This band rocked the Southbank - see footage http://www.youtube.com/camocivision - and has since lit up the British jazz scene with intense and cathartic performances at clubs, festivals and melas in London and around the country. Alternative line-ups include Liran Donin (double bass), Shabaka Hutchings (tenor saxophone), Nilesh Gulhane (tabla), Rastko Rasic (darbuka), Corey Mwamba (vibraphone) and Pat Illingworth (drums). Arun Ghosh released his debut album "Northern Namaste" on camoci records in 2008 to critical acclaim. The album has UK retail distribution through Harmonia Mundi and is available as a digital release on iTunes. The opening track on "Northern Namaste" entitled "Aurora" also appears on Gilles Peterson's compilation album "Brownswood Bubblers Three". Following the success of his official "homecoming' album launch at Contact Theatre, Arun performed to packed audiences and rave reviews at:- Brighton's Great Escape Festival, London's Vortex, the City of London Festival, Streatham Festival and to a sold-out crowd at London's Pizza Express Soho Jazz Club. Appearing at the Manchester Jazz Festival, Arun's IndoJazz Sextet was deemed "gig of the festival" by patrons of Matt&Phred's Jazz Club, and a streamlined Arun Ghosh Quartet fired up the Indo-Electronica tent as part of the year's London Mela.

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Radio & Podcasts

Clarinet Tales with Arun Ghosh

Read "Clarinet Tales with Arun Ghosh" reviewed by Nick Davies


This show features an interview with clarinetist Arun Ghosh from the Cheltenham Jazz Festival. We talk about everything, from music in general to his composing and the recorder. We also discuss his latest album But Where Are You Really From. Plus lots of new music from artists like D.F.A. through to Beledo. Playlist DFA “La Ballata de S'isposa 'e Mannorri “ from The Invitation to MoonJune Records, Vol 01 (MoonJune) 2:13 Doubt “The Invitation" fromThe Invitation to ...

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Interview

Arun Ghosh: A Very British-Asian Jazz Head-Space

Read "Arun Ghosh: A  Very British-Asian Jazz Head-Space" reviewed by Ian Patterson


If clarinetist/composer Arun Ghosh continues as he's going there's a danger he'll soon dethrone saxophonist Gilad Atzmon as the UK's hardest-working jazz musician. In between gigs, festival appearances and European tours, Ghosh is busy writing music for theatre, film, dance and multi-media events. His relatively short recording career has been marked by a refusal to stand still and a desire to explore. Two highly acclaimed albums, Northern Namaste (Camoci Records, 2008) and Primal Odyssey (Camoci Records, 2011) celebrated Ghosh's British ...

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Album Review

Arun Ghosh: A South Asian Suite

Read "A South Asian Suite" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


One second? No. Five seconds? Getting there. Ten? Almost. Fourteen seconds. That's how long it takes. Fourteen seconds into “The Gypsies Of Rajasthan," and the first of A South Asian Suite's irresistibly danceable grooves jumps out of the speakers. The idea that jazz is a music for dancing may sometimes seem a rather alien notion these days, but British-Asian musician Arun Ghosh--clarinetist, composer and bandleader--hasn't lost sight of this crucial characteristic. Of course, Ghosh isn't just drawing on ...

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Album Review

Arun Ghosh: A South Asian Suite

Read "A South Asian Suite" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Clarinetist/composer Arun Ghosh's first two albums catapulted him to the forefront of the UK jazz scene. The British-Asian's beguilingly eclectic influences from India, the Middle East and UK urban culture spawned music on Northern Namaste (Camoci Records, 2008) and Primal Odyssey (Camoci Records, 2011) that interwove haunting melodies, groove-driven ensemble play and ecstatic soloing. Ghosh won the approval of both mainstream jazz fans and World Music aficionados, becoming a regular performer at festivals, clubs and melas alike. Here, Ghosh returns ...

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Album Review

Arun Ghosh: Primal Odyssey

Read "Primal Odyssey" reviewed by Ian Patterson


Clarinetist Arun Ghosh's debut, Northern Namaste (Camoci Records, 2008), signaled the arrival of a significant musician/composer on the UK jazz scene. Blending Indian and western instruments, Ghosh drew 12 musicians from Indian folk and jazz traditions to create something utterly fresh sounding; lyrical and highly melodic, celebratory and swinging, Ghosh's obvious virtuosity on clarinet was a thrilling bonus. Primal Odyssey sees Ghosh head a leaner quintet. Leaner, too, the instrumentation, with the tabla, sitar, harmonium, dhulak, bayan, piano and strings ...

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Album Review

Arun Ghosh: Primal Odyssey

Read "Primal Odyssey" reviewed by Bruce Lindsay


Primal Odyssey, the second album from British/Asian clarinetist and composer Arun Ghosh, is yet more evidence that the Northwest of England is a creative center for some of the most stylish contemporary jazz. Admittedly, Ghosh is now based in London, but the towns of his formative years must take some of the credit for nurturing and encouraging his talents. As a writer and performer, Ghosh is developing a formidable reputation, which this album can only enhance. The ...

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Extended Analysis

Arun Ghosh: Primal Odyssey

Read "Arun Ghosh: Primal Odyssey" reviewed by Chris May


Arun GhoshPrimal OdysseyCamoci Records2011 There you are, waiting for the next Indo-Jazz album to arrive, and then two come along at the same time. October 2011 has already seen the release of Grand Union Orchestra's If Paradise (Red Gold), and now here comes clarinetist Arun Ghosh's Primal Odyssey. It has been a long wait too, in Britain anyway, particularly for Indo-Jazz with a Bengali flavor--since Ghosh's debut set, ...

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