Album Notes

SIRAJ's credentials extend over the past 22 years and encompass a broad range of music credits. SIRAJ holds a Music Degree from the New England Conservatory where he was a student of Jaki Byard, George Russell and the late Joseph Allard. After his completion at the conservatory, SIRAJ returned to New York where he joined Mongo Santamaria's Latin Jazz Orchestra, (regarded as a major exponent of authentic Afro-Cuban music). Touring Europe, South America, the Caribbean and the United States, SIRAJ recorded three Albums with Mongo of which two of his compositions can be found. After leaving Mr. Santamaria's group, SIRAJ began performing around the tri state area where his command of a diversity of musical styles was welcomed.

SIRAJ then joined the legendary Jazz vocalist "Little Jimmy Scott" where he was featured soloist. After returning from Brazil with Mr. Scott, SIRAJ embraced another musical genre and joined the famous rapper Doug E. Fresh and the Get Fresh Crew, and was featured on the rapper's album "Doin What I Gotta Do."

SIRAJ, critically acclaimed for his Solo abilities on saxophone and flute, feels honored to have graced the great stages of The Berlin Philharmonic, Alice Tully Hall and The Apollo Theater with legends such as "Dizzy" Gillespie, Art Blakey, James Brown, Bill Cosby, Tito Puente and Sammy Cahn, Aretha Franklin just to name a few.

SIRAJ's talents as a composer and producer can be found on the
Hit release by Miss Jones called "Where I Wanna Be Boy and Hip Hop Artist EBONY BLADE 's CD "Stay Up"

Press Reviews

Siraj and his Cascading crescendos... left the crowd gasping at his woodwind wizardry"
Steve Israel
The Villager

"Top Soloist... He controls every burst of emotional skin chilling sounds"
David Weiss
LA.. Herald Examiner

"The versatile Siraj milking the crowd with tricky repetitions on soprano and tenor sax as well as flute
Leonard Feather
Los Angles Times

"Siraj" who demonstrated musically why his sax and flute work were favored with Mongo Santamaria"... "Siraj sometimes lyrical sometimes piercing alto... gave the audience the entertaining evening it had come for"
Curt Yeske
The Times