Najma Akhtar
Encyclopedia
Najma Akhtar born in the UK, also known as Najma, is a British
singer of Asian
ancestry. She was born in 1964 Chelmsford, England.
Najma studied chemical engineering
at Aston University
, Birmingham
: her father, brother and sister are also engineers. In 1984 she won the Birmingham Asian Song Contest, and in 1987 produced her first album.
Najma has been recognised by her work as a pioneer in using subtle jazz arrangements with the traditional South Asian vocal ghazal style. Following her unique and distinctive sound, Najma has inspired a new generation of musicians and composers to move into the fusion genre. Along with her fusion of subtle jazz nuances, Najma also performs Pakistani/Indian semi-classical, folk, sufi, bollywood, Indian underground, trance, along with the odd English song.
She has also appeared as a performer on stage and in songs and videos of other international famous singers/songwriters, such as the MTV No Quarter/Unledded performance with Robert Plant
and Jimmy Page
on the Led Zeppelin
classic "Battle of Evermore", jazz vocalist Nina Simone
, recording with Basement Jaxx
, guitarist Andy Summers
(The Police), Jah Wobble
, and jazz and rock saxophonist Stan Harrison
.
Najma has also worked with saxophonist/flautist Michael J. Parlett
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
singer of Asian
Asia
Asia is the world's largest and most populous continent, located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres. It covers 8.7% of the Earth's total surface area and with approximately 3.879 billion people, it hosts 60% of the world's current human population...
ancestry. She was born in 1964 Chelmsford, England.
Najma studied chemical engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
at Aston University
Aston University
Aston University is a "plate glass" campus university situated at Gosta Green, in the city centre of Birmingham, England.Established in 1895 as the Birmingham Municipal Technical School, Aston was granted its Royal Charter as Aston University on 22 April 1966...
, Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
: her father, brother and sister are also engineers. In 1984 she won the Birmingham Asian Song Contest, and in 1987 produced her first album.
Najma has been recognised by her work as a pioneer in using subtle jazz arrangements with the traditional South Asian vocal ghazal style. Following her unique and distinctive sound, Najma has inspired a new generation of musicians and composers to move into the fusion genre. Along with her fusion of subtle jazz nuances, Najma also performs Pakistani/Indian semi-classical, folk, sufi, bollywood, Indian underground, trance, along with the odd English song.
She has also appeared as a performer on stage and in songs and videos of other international famous singers/songwriters, such as the MTV No Quarter/Unledded performance with Robert Plant
Robert Plant
Robert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
and Jimmy Page
Jimmy Page
James Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
on the Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
classic "Battle of Evermore", jazz vocalist Nina Simone
Nina Simone
Eunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
, recording with Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx
Basement Jaxx are a British electronic dance music duo from London, England consisting of Felix Buxton born 1971 and Simon Ratcliffe born 1 December 1969. They first rose to popularity in the late 1990s...
, guitarist Andy Summers
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
(The Police), Jah Wobble
Jah Wobble
Jah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...
, and jazz and rock saxophonist Stan Harrison
Stan Harrison
Stan Harrison is an American saxophonist who is also accomplished in playing other woodwind instruments, namely the horn, flute and clarinet. He has also written music for television. Harrison released his first solo album The Ties That Blind in 2000 on his own record label...
.
Najma has also worked with saxophonist/flautist Michael J. Parlett
Michael J. Parlett
Michael J. Parlett is an English jazz saxophonist producer and radio host.-Career:Michael J. Parlett is a prominent British saxophonist and bandleader whose musical abilities were borne of the 1980 jazz music genre...
Discography
- Ghazals, 1988
- Qareeb, 1989
- Atish, 1990
- Pukar, 1992
- Forbidden Kiss: the Songs of S. D. Burman, 1996
- Vivid, 2002.
- Fariyaad: A plea to the creator, 2008.
- Rishte, 2009.
Notable Collaborations
- with Jah WobbleJah WobbleJah Wobble is an English bass guitarist, singer, poet and composer. He became known to a wider audience as the original bass player in Public Image Ltd in the late 1970s and early 1980s, but left the band after two albums...
on his album Take Me to God - with Andy SummersAndy SummersAndy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
on his album The Golden Wire - with Steve ColemanSteve ColemanSteve Coleman, born , is an African American saxophone player, spontaneous composer, composer and band leader. His music and concepts have been a heavy influence on contemporary jazz.-Chicago:...
on his albums Black Science and A Tale of 3 Cities - with Ken Morioka on his album in Japan titled Question
- with Apache Indian on his hit single titled Arranged Marriage
- with Jimmy PageJimmy PageJames Patrick "Jimmy" Page, OBE is an English multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, and record producer. He began his career as a studio session guitarist in London and was subsequently a member of The Yardbirds from 1966 to 1968, after which he founded the English rock band Led Zeppelin.Jimmy Page...
and Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
(both formerly of Led ZeppelinLed ZeppelinLed Zeppelin were an English rock band, active in the late 1960s and throughout the 1970s. Formed in 1968, they consisted of guitarist Jimmy Page, singer Robert Plant, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham...
) on the track "The Battle of EvermoreThe Battle of Evermore"The Battle of Evermore" is a folk rock duet sung by Robert Plant and Sandy Denny, by the English rock band Led Zeppelin, featured on their untitled fourth album , released in 1971...
" from their album No Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant UnleddedNo Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant UnleddedNo Quarter is a live album by Page and Plant, both formerly of English rock band Led Zeppelin. It was released by Atlantic Records on 14 October 1994. The long awaited reunion between Page and Plant occurred on a 90 minute "UnLedded" MTV project, recorded in Morocco, Wales, and London, which rated... - with Jethro TullJethro Tull (band)Jethro Tull are a British rock group formed in 1967. Their music is characterised by the vocals, acoustic guitar, and flute playing of Ian Anderson, who has led the band since its founding, and the guitar work of Martin Barre, who has been with the band since 1969.Initially playing blues rock with...
on the title track from the album J-Tull Dot ComJ-Tull Dot ComJ-Tull Dot Com is the name of the 20th studio album by the band Jethro Tull. J-Tull Dot Com was released four years after their 1995 album Roots to Branches and continues in the same vein, marrying hard-rock and art-rock with Eastern music influences... - with La CucinaLa CucinaLa Cucina was an English roots style band of the 1990s, that went under the tagline of "accordion-driven funky neapolitan rockers". Although they were based in the south of England, their music was an amalgam of Southern Italian folk songs and disco and salsa beats...
on their album Bloom - with Sundae ClubSundae ClubSundae Club is an English down-tempo band formed in 2001 by members Hamstall Ridware and Dr. C.D.Mille, both audio historians and musical instrument technicians, assisted by producer George Shilling...
on their track Harold and their Stuff remix
External links
- [ biography at allmusic.com]
- Najma's official web site