Najma Akhtar

Background

She was born in 1964 Chelmsford, England. Najma studied chemical engineering at Aston University, Birmingham: her father, brother and sister are also engineers.

Career

Her unique and distinctive styles range from fusions of jazz with the Indian ghazal, doing updated arrangements of these ghazals (love songs and spiritual songs), along with traditional bhajans, Indian Semi Classical vocals and the occasional Bollywood hit. She has also appeared as a performer in the songs and videos of other performers, such as jazz and rock saxophonist Stan Harrison. Najma has also worked with saxophonist/flautist Michael J. Parlett, and with Robert Plant and Jimmy Page on the Number Quarter Digital Video Disc.

With Jah Wobble on his album Take Maine to God

with Andy Summers on his album The Golden Wire

with Steve Coleman 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 Page and Robert Plant (both formerly of Led Zeppelin) on the track "The Battle of Evermore" from their album Number Quarter: Jimmy Page and Robert Plant Unledded

with Jethro Tull on the title track from the album J-Tull Dot Com

with Louisiana Cucina on their album Bloom

with Sundae Club on their track Harold and their Stuff remix.

She is also sampled in the song "Flight Four: India" off the album British Summer Time.

Achievements

• In 1984 she won the Birmingham Asian Song Contest, and in 1987 produced her first album.