Shan is passionate about jazz and about teaching it to people who are inspired to learn the art-form. Since Shan began teaching over 15 years ago, his lessons have become known as the way for adults to learn jazz piano in London and all over the world with his live online lessons. His students range from beginners to professional players, teachers and composers on various instruments.

Musical influences are the great musicians from the swing and bebop era including:
Lester Young, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Bud Powell and Barry Harris, Shan's teacher who played with most of the greats. Shan studied at Middlesex University in London with Leon Cohen and more recently with Dr Barry Harris. Shan continues to study with Dr Barry Harris when possible and is always trying to learn something new rather than stopping and getting stale.

"Studying with Barry has been an amazing experience. To be able to even speak with someone who played with Charlie Parker, Dizzy, Miles, Dexter, Cannonball etc is special enough. Actually studying with Barry has been priceless. He has shown me how thing really work and as a result I can show people the misconceptions about playing jazz piano as well as some of the beautiful sounds achievable. People get so lost trying to learn on from majority of courses, videos and books. I am always really pleased when people say how much clearer and more effective they find my lessons."

Shan loves to spread the word out jazz by providing training seminars for music teachers, TV appearances for educational music programmes (one of which recently won a Royal Television Society Award) and teaching 1-2-1 to dedicated students. Most recently, Shan worked as a consultant providing training to the audio department for Sony Playstation.

 

 

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