The son of a British mum and Asian dad, deeply influenced by classic ‘fusion’ artists like Mahavishnu and Jaco Pastorius, Raja's Journey to Shambhala is his most coherent expression yet of the rich narratives that shape his life and music. The signature sounds remain: big striding brass, a relish for Indian colours and rhythms and most obviously his own ecstatic funk-filled basslines. And once again Raja's brought international stars to the feast: Trilok Gurtu's tabla adorn ‘Dharma Dance’, as do his percussive konnakol voicings. Krantz lends his distorted vibe to ‘Get Cosmic’, perfect for an episode evocative of visions and hallucinations. Then both join up on the lyrical centrepiece, ‘Epiphany’. Even without Krantz and Gurtu, Raja can rock it up splendidly, as on ‘Battle of the Sun Temple’, or find cosmic peace in the piano led ‘Devotion’. The latter, like ‘Lakshmi’, shines with Lidke's popsicle vox, more Eastern Europe than Far East, but that's the magic of Raja's vision of unity expressed through difference.

Jazzwise spoke to Shez Raja:

Journey to Shambhala is inspired by your journeys to the Punjab. Can you tell us about the impact of those visits on the album?

Yes, absolutely! I have so many vivid memories from my travels to that part of the world, the landscapes, the people, the way of life and, of course, the music. As well as electric bass, I also play the Indian tabla drums and I was honoured to have lessons with legendary tabla gurus while I was there. These experiences inspired me to write a short story called ‘Journey to Shambhala’. The tale contains the message that, as in life, the journey often holds as much wonder as the destination.

It's not often you associate funk with spiritual quests?

It's unusual, I suppose! But I find that a deeper meaning can be found in most things. The origins of funk music have strong spiritual roots. A spiritual dimension can be found in all creative art forms. My favourite aspect of being a musician is live performance. I always aim to give it my all musically and emotionally, and to honour the privileged position of the musician to stir emotions within listeners. The more positive energy I give out, the more I get back. It's like a karmic, euphoric feedback loop of energy and it sometimes feels like we're discovering the secrets of the universe together.

The story tells of how different characters join and leave the quest. And you've recruited heavyweights to help you in Trilok Gurtu and Wayne Krantz?

I love creating exciting musical collaborations where diverse creative voices are combined and artistic freedom is encouraged. So, I was over the moon when Trilok and Wayne joined me. Wayne brings his fiery energy and mind-bending melodic and harmonic genius to the recording. And Trilok is a wizard! You can really sense the passion and imagination in his playing. His virtuosic konnakol and tabla performances are just astonishing!

The recording climaxes in three Happy Cat Jay re-mixes: what extra does the DJ contribute?

This album is very different to my previous ones. It's my first concept album, with a new musical direction, unique collaborations and innovative anime style music videos. For the singles I thought I'd also push the boundaries and decided to work with DJ and multi-instrumentalist Happy Cat Jay.

So what's next?

We have epic tour dates lined up, including St Petersburg's PetroJazz Festival in Russia. But I'd say my future vision as an artist is simply to create music that's raw, real and from the heart.