Najma Akhtar & Gary Lucas play London’s prestigious Jazz Café on Thursday 15th July, in support of their celebrated 2009 album ‘Rishte’ (Relationships). When acclaimed guitarist and Grammy-nominated songwriter Gary Lucas met Indian vocalist extraordinaire Najma Akhtar, sparks literally flew...The New York City-based guitar magician was a fan of Najma's solo albums and collaborations with Page and Plant and Andy Summers...and the sultry London-based siren had been a fan of Gary's solo work and his collaborations with Jeff Buckley, Captain Beefheart and a who's who of rock royalty, including Lou Reed & Bryan Ferry.

The pair were introduced by Najma’s manager, Gary Nesbitt, who thought an East meets West collaboration that fused Gary's bluesy psychedelic guitar with Najma's angelic Indian voice would be intriguing... The result was ‘Rishte’, truly a match made in heaven. Gary produced the music, including some songs originally written for Buckley, and Najma nailed the words and the melodies for their first album.

Their coming together is a rare confluence of interests and talents and it has produced a beautiful & unique collection of songs which, when reproduced live at London’s Jazz Cafe, will hold you spellbound.