After moving from Kolkata to Mumbai in 2016, guitarist Rhythm Shaw has shaped a distinct sound blending jazz, fusion and orchestral music
Moments from the recording with the Budapest Symphony Orchestra
There is something immediately relatable when one hears anyone speak about sundry expenses. Even as we speak about the complexities of music, the conversation with Rhythm Shaw veers off into the challenges of daily life, electricity and maintenance bills. “When I moved from Kolkata to Mumbai in 2016, I was completely unaware,” he chuckles. A decade later, the guitarist has put together his second album, aptly titled, Nothing To Lose.
Flying solo
Shaw rehearses with the orchestra. Pics Courtesy/RHYTHM SHAW ON Youtube
The album is expansive, and odd in times of singles and EPs. “I grew up listening to albums that were long, filled with songs across two sides. The tracks tell a story, about my journey, and musical evolution,” the 29-year-old says. The tracks move with harmony, each building up into the next. Some carry the rawness of his early life. Like Inshry Master, the guitarist says, “It was the first track I wrote in 2010.”
With a little help
It helps that the community of musicians in the city is so close knit. The talents on the album include Jai Row Kavi, Gino Banks, Mohini Dey, Suman Bhattacharya and Nandini Shankar among others. Space Station is an example where the trio of Banks, Shaw, and Dey jam with freedom. “Gino [Banks] has been one of my first friends since I arrived in Mumbai. We enjoy playing with each other. It is the same with Mohini. It felt natural,” he admits.
Cohesion on track
Rhythm Shaw
The more significant presence is that of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra. Two tracks on the album, Nothing To Lose, and Healing, carry the vast orchestral arrangement. “If you take a normal guitar tone, it has a big impact. But when you layer that chord line over a hundred different sounds, it is not going to cut through. The challenge was to put the guitar at the centre, without diluting the grand effect of the orchestration,” he says. With a seven-city tour coming up this week, Shaw adds, “It is difficult to explain music, unless you listen to it. This was the most challenging journey of my life.”
Log on to: Nothing To Lose on Spotify; @rhythm_shaw (for tour dates)
Gino Banks
Jam with Shaw
Top picks from the album
»Khandam Blues
» Nothing To Lose
» Somewhere in Between
» Space Station
» Shogun
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